Written by the one and only: Jabeca

A long time ago, in a land late late at night, I was on my Honda 919 for the first time hitting the twisty turnies as I did on my SV650, like no big deal, and once I hit the straightaway, I gave it the beans. Now, I’m not saying that this is any modern super-bike, but I was definitely surprised by my misinterpretation of the situation. Not seeing what was directly in front of me, I assumed my headlight went out, but no… I was in fact involuntarily on one wheel. And the only point I realized that was when my front tire slammed back on the ground. Now if you are any bit aware of the history of this bike, Honda engineers took the cb900 block from the 90s Honda Fireblade and put a tuned down version into the Homda 919. In fact, it used to be called the Hornet in the American market (briefly), but very abruptly after the release of this unholy creation. Now one might ask, why? That is because a usual Honda Hornet rider is NOT a Honda 919 rider, and a lot of Honda Hornet riders learned that the hard way given the nature of the U.S.’s crash course style two wheel education. Due to this mass realization on 2 wheels, it was likely deemed best to call this bike by its displacement instead of an insect. Now, if you are someone who has been in the modern 600cc for a while range looking for something new and robust, it’s a good call and fun call when you know what you’re getting into. However, if you’re an American looking for a cheap aesthetic with some punch, just no.

Now my 919 is a special one. My facebook marketplace flower has had three previous owners that all realized its potential. All adding something special of their own. Now theres a thin line between unique and stupid and the previous owner realized that hurdling through the air. With a small crater on the side and a lot of hidden zipties I came into ownership of this very very… unique 919. It’s really something when you feel an owner’s craftsmanship in its ride. Through my time of owning this bike, I have changed the sprockets 3 times trying to find a way to optimize this power and mostly worked to maintain what I had. With moderate success, I find myself moving more towards a cafe build as I feel I can find the best and worst of both worlds within this bike. This frankenstein of a machine will forever be just that, but with the right care can be something worth keeping for a long time.

I conclude with a warning. If you are in the market for a bike, take a close look at the owner and take note of the history of that bike. If they think they know better than the engineers you’re in for a surprise. It’s very important to understand where a vehicle owners head is at approaching a sale. When I bought my bike all I saw was big shiny and red, but through trial I learned much about what makes a good motorcycle what it is. Lessons like these are not advised, but sometimes you just take note and learn to roll with it. You here reading this are already a step ahead of many and I truly hope you take the best away from this and take it to the road! Know your project and know you and its potential.