Various observations about my Honda Hornet 2.0 after using it for 2 yrs

It's not a good highway machine and you will feel the lack of a 6th gear. However, cruising between 80 and 100 km/h will not be a big deal for this motorcycle.

BHPian Starkiller recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Problems that I faced with my bike in the last 6 months or so.

Problems

• Front master cylinder went kaput. Had to get a replacement. The Nissin master cylinder cost me 1.5k.
• Both front and rear brake pads barely last 5k kms these days. Had to get them changed as well.
• The head o-ring is gone, again, and so is the left crankcase o-ring which means I am losing oil from both these points.
• The tyres are nearing their end of life. 27k over the course of 2 years and 3 months. Will get them replaced, either with the H1 Alphas or the Reise Moto TourR (this is not the bike's fault, so can't blame Honda for it).
• Busted clutch cable although I think it has more to do with the usage. And Pune's stop-and-go traffic doesn't help. Got that replaced along with the brake and clutch levers. Cheap enough.
• Even after getting the master cylinder replaced, I get either too much play in the front brake or almost no play. My cousin, who is an automobile engineer and an automotive journalist, thinks it might be the calliper which is busted. And no, the ASC guys couldn't feel the difference and said that the play will increase as the pads wear out (thanks, Captain Obvious). Let's just hope I can get it changed or fixed soon.
• The suspensions, while stiff for the first one-and-a-half years, have become plush. Probably time for me to get it looked at and maybe change the fork oil. Lasted me for 27k kms.
• I will also get my engine decarbonized and get all the gaskets changed, just in case.

I think the mythical reliability of the Hondas is basically just a fancy way of saying that we will always know the failure points and will have to live with them and the engines won't disintegrate. And before anyone asks me, no, I do not ride like a maniac, my average highway speed is 80 kmph while my average city speed is 40-43 kmph.

I hope this helps anyone who might be using the Hornet 2.0 or the CB200X. These are the most common failure points so it would be wise to always keep an eye on these parts.

Now, some good points about the bike.

Good points

• It's a fairly easy-to-handle bike. It might look big but in capable hands, almost nothing can touch you in the city, especially if there is traffic. It cuts through traffic like a hot knife through butter.
• It can be relaxed as well as frantic. The acceleration and the tractability, both are amazing. It's a great city bike for beginners.
• The chain sprocket easily lasts for 18k kms. I got mine replaced at 16k just to be on the safer side.
• Despite all the failure points, the engine will not disintegrate or seize. I guess this can be a boon as well as a bane.
• The fairly good ground clearance of 167mm ensures that when riding solo, you can easily go over obstacles as well as potholes without having to fear bottoming out. If you're riding with a pillion, be more mindful or you will hit the centre stand when the bike bottoms out. But if has handled the Pune speed-breakers, it can handle almost anything that the metro cities have to throw at it.
• It's not a good highway machine and you will feel the lack of a 6th gear. However, cruising between 80 and 100 will not be a big deal for this bike and it is at its happiest when kept between 75kmph and 90kmph. At 100 and above, you will feel a buzz. I'd advise to not ride this one at 100+ for extended periods.
• The Showa front forks are good. Period. The rear suspension is also pretty good, although a little more damping could've helped.
• The wheels are very good. I have travelled over quite a few rough patches and I've also hit bumps and potholes and high speeds and the wheels have taken all the impacts in their strides and haven't bent. I am either very lucky, or the wheels are very good, or the bumps and potholes that I've hit weren't really too big.
• The brakes have generally been really good, especially the front. The rear never really had a lot of bite, to begin with, but the lack of rear-wheel ABS helps you to lock up the wheel and lose the rear easily and bring the bike to a stop faster (forgive me if this sounds like nonsense but this is how it works for me).
• The rider's seat. Man, I can't praise it enough. Other brands should take a couple of lessons in this regard. You will be comfortable for long hauls as well as shorter rides. The seat is firm but comfortable. Can't say the same about the pillion seat because it is, honestly, not spacious (it's a streetfighter), but the rider's seat compensates for that, especially because I mostly ride solo.

All of these are my observations after having used the bike for 2 whole years. I am planning on keeping this bike for sentimental reasons. Pretty sure if I can get these issues sorted, the bike will last for quite some time.

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