What happened
Not a review.
Why I was there. I’m 5ft and ride a lowered Kawasaki Z650, my first big girl bike. I bought her without a test ride: I’d trained on one, couldn’t try anything else on my licence, and knew I could manage her. She’s been brilliant, but five hours with luggage and my backside and knees start complaining. I want to tour, so the hunt for my next bike is on, and this time I’m trying bikes I’d once have been too scared to sit on.
Apparently, everyone knows what a short girl should ride. Get a cruiser. Get something smaller. Get a Honda Monkey. Whoever keeps recommending Monkeys to short arses hasn’t tried putting my legs on one!
Sitting on it. At 795mm the seat is taller on paper than my lowered Z650, and I was nervous. A shuffle of the backside, a hip over to one side, and I could get a foot down confidently. That’s a big deal: I’d love my next bike not to need lowering. Seat heights tell you a number. Sitting on the bloody thing tells you the rest.
The E-Clutch. Oh my goodness! For the first few minutes my left hand kept reaching for a lever it didn’t need. Fifteen minutes later, I was converted. You change gear with your foot, the bike handles the clutch, and it even matches the revs when you change down. Pulling away, stopping, shifting: buttery smooth. I could still feather the lever in tight corners, and when I let go the system took over again. I’ve never had a quickshifter to compare it with. All I know is I want one on every bike I ride from now on!
The engine. A 755cc parallel twin with plenty of punch in the middle of the revs, and great fun out of corners. Higher up, it ran out of puff sooner than I expected. Someone on their first big bike would have a blast. Coming from the Z650, I wanted a bigger change in character, and working out what that means is half the reason I’m trying all these bikes.
The noise. It’s called a Hornet. With the stock exhaust I expected more sting. We probably hit a few actual hornets on the way, which is the closest it got.
The tyres. Michelin Road 6s, the same as I put on my Z650. One less thing for my overthinking brain to worry about.
Riding it back. Agile, light and easy to get along with. I started nervous and finished enjoying myself. I even parked it without dropping it, admittedly where the sign said No Parking. I was busy keeping the bloody thing upright!
Did I fall in love? With the E-Clutch, absolutely. With the Hornet, I really liked it. It would make a fantastic first big girl bike: approachable, lively and forgiving of my clumsy moments. I want more room for my knees, more comfort for long days, and a bike that gets me excited about the miles ahead.
The biggest thing I took home was confidence. I rode a bike I’d once have dismissed for its seat height and brought it back in one piece. For someone who once chose a motorcycle out of fear, that’s massive. I haven’t found my next bike yet. I’ve found the confidence to keep looking.
And apparently that involves kissing a few frogs. Or Hornets.
