The slightly soft, but very compliant, suspension lends itself well to commuting or long distance touring and also helps to ensure that the rider arrives at his/her destination refreshed and ready for anything. All this bike would need is a good fairing and it could claim to be a very accomplished touring motorcycle.

Strapping gear to the Hornet is easy with some very clever fold out hooks under the seat providing excellent tie-down points. If you are carrying a pillion some sort of rack will need to be fitted to carry your gear, but if travelling one-up the pillion seat is the perfect place to strap your luggage down.  An excellent grabrail is provided for the pillion passenger.

The fact that underseat storage is basically non-existent is a pity but I guess this is a side effect from the positioning of the twin mufflers.

When the road turns nasty the suspension copes very well.  In fact, the Hornet handles sandy or bumpy dirt sections with better poise and control than some 'adventure' machines. 

Up front 43mm forks are non-adjustable but handle fairly much anything thrown at them.  Of course racetrack work sees them start to suffer a little with too much dive etc. but this never becomes a problem on the road.  You have to be getting truly carried away to start touching down pegs on the road but they touch down quite early at the track.  Hanging off the bike a bit more in the tighter turns cures this somewhat.

A monoshock rear suspension system features a heavy-duty remote reservoir damper that is 7-step adjustable for spring preload.  This works flawlessly on the road, isolating the rider from all but the hardest of hits.  Buyers these days however normally look for fully adjustable suspension and while the Hornet's suspension works very well, it probably should offer more adjustment.

Braking performance is very good, four-piston calipers and 296mm discs sourced from the 1996 Fireblade providing the clamping duties. At the rear a single piston caliper grips a 240mm disc.  A low 795mm seat height will be good news to those caught a little short in the leg department.

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