2023 Honda Hornet 750 Details

In a world where there’s a wide choice of 200-plus-horsepower superbikes and a growing array of similarly-powerful unfaired machines on the market, the arrival of a sub-100 hp twin might not be expected to make many waves. But Honda’s revival of the Hornet name for a new 755cc machine is already promising to be a highlight of 2023.

Having shown a concept back in November last year, albeit only as a piece of digital art, Honda has since revealed styling sketches and announced the first specifications of the all-new parallel-twin engine that will power the Hornet. However, the publication of type-approval details in Europe gives us an even deeper look into a bike that opens the door to a whole range of Honda machines that will share the same platform.

Earlier in September, Honda confirmed that the Hornet will be powered by a 755cc twin making 90.5 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and 55.3 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,250 rpm. Those numbers make it stand out in contrast to the company’s existing 745cc twin, used in the NC750 range, which manages only 57 hp and 50.9 lb.-ft. thanks to a design aimed at economy rather than performance.

The new Hornet’s engine is much higher revving, providing that substantial increase in power, and promises to be an extremely lightweight and compact design. The engine concept borrows from the Africa Twin and the CRF450R, with a Unicam SOHC cylinder head design, and as a result manages the sort of output that would normally require a bulkier, heavier DOHC layout. A 270-degree firing interval, increasingly becoming the norm for parallel twins, gives it a V-twin-style throb and power delivery. In the European market, a second version of the bike, with just 46 hp, will also be offered to bring it within the A2 tiered-license category that new riders are initially restricted to before graduating to a full-power machine. The full-power bike tops out at 127 mph, while the restricted version can only manage 106 mph.

The new type-approval paperwork confirms the Hornet’s compact credentials. The wheelbase comes in at 55.9 inches, the same as a Suzuki GSX-R1000, while the Hornet’s weight including a full tank of fuel measures 419 pounds, around the same as a Yamaha MT-09 and not much more than an MT-07. The overall length, at 82.3 inches, is the same as the MT-09 or Triumph Speed Triple; the height matches a Triumph Street Triple at 42.7 inches. The bars measure 30.7 inches across, the same as a Yamaha MT-07′s. The one figure that isn’t revealed in the type-approval is, of course, the Hornet’s price, but it’s likely to be towards the affordable end of the spectrum.

Honda’s type-approval confirms that the Hornet’s model name is CB750A, but its internal code is RH12. Honda appears to have moved on from the famous RC code that would traditionally be used on street bikes between 600cc and 899cc, having run out of two-digit numbers to follow it. The R still relates to that engine capacity class, but it was first used alongside an H for the 2019 CBR650R (codenamed RH01). The RH designation has since appeared on the CB650R, the latest version of the NC750X, the ADV750, and most recently the Forza 750, which is coded RH11.

In addition to its use in the Hornet, the new engine is expected to appear in Honda’s much-anticipated revival of the Transalp adventure bike. It’s also expected to appear as a 2023 model, having been spotted undergoing a publicity photo shoot in recent weeks complete with its final paint and graphics, but it seems Honda is planning to reveal it as a surprise rather than using the drawn-out tease of the Hornet’s unveiling.