I did a direct access to pass my test about two years ago, my first ever real bike was the CBR600F Hornet which I still own. I didn’t want anything with full fairing partly due to the cost and because I was thinking about the cost if I dropped it. The Hornet, which is basically an unfaired version of the CBR600, has a lots of guts and is capable of amazing performance, I have taken my speedo to 140mph then had to slow down because of the constant buffeting of the wind. With Fireblade wheels the bike is very sure-footed, and quite forgiving. Cornering is not quite as smooth as a CBR600 partly due to the more upright seating position. It's a fast and cheap bike with better looks than the Fazer or Bandit. For a first bike it may have a little too much power, but hey what's a bike for. The bike is only used at weekends, so spending 2.5K less on an unfaired bike made sense. The Hondas are known for their reliability, and I have never had any problems. I bought mine as an ex-demonstrator, and qualified for the free Honda MAC course, which I would also recommend to the novice rider. All in all my bike is a joy to ride, and although I like the idea of a bigger bike, there really is no need to change the one I have. The only downfall is the size of the tank, you can travel approximately 90 miles (depending on how you ride) until you hit reserve which is a bit of a bind on long journeys.
More details
Purchase Price
3400
Performance
Excellent
Reliability
Excellent
Customer service
Good
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