[estwinguk]

just sold my zx sunday ,withdrawl symptoms setting in no bike like the look of the hornet .any owners have advice on what to look for when buying faults ect if any .an what there like to live with .thanks for any info rich

[KenB]

There aren't any faults that I am aware of. Aside from color changes from year to year, the bigeest change was adjustable front forks. And that's a worthy feature so look out for that. The Hornet's Nest (UK) and wristtwisters.com (US) are probably the leading sites for Hornet owners.

[ToppGunn_69]

wassup estwinguk, I've owned my '03 919 Hornet for about 2 years now it had 2600 miles on it when i got it, and now it has abour 17,000. It just depends on what type of bike you want, the hornet isn't a extreme rev machine, it has a re-cammed and re-tuned engine from the 954 fireblade.
It was tuned for more low end punch and comfort, as well as ridability.
It comes from the factory with a 4-2-1-2 exhaust, and the last Y-pipe is about 1 inch in dia, basically worthless for performance. I changed my downpipe and went with a 2 brothers C-4 can. If you change the factory dual exhaust to single like i did, the bike will start to idle a little rich, as well as up to about 4500 rpm (faint puffs of black smoke). So you'll be going through plugs like crazy till you can get your box mapped. As far a gearing it had 16T front and 43T rear factory, I installed 15T front and 44T rear. Previous top speed about 168, with the new sprockets about 155.
but now I can ride a wheelie all the way through 6th gear.
All that mod stuff aside man the bike is a great bike, not too many people have them, it is ten times more comfortable than a gsx-r, and with my setup i've almost got now i can out drag the 600 and 750(barely). The 919 handles and feels like a big heavy dirtbike, due to front end geometry and handlebar setup. Don't get me wrong it isn't a sluggish chicane killer, by heavy dirtbike i mean you might have a hard time doing a backflip on one in the foam pit. I can outrun just about every 600 gsx-r that wants to road race, drag race, slow race. The Hornet 919 is a great all around sport street daily driver bike.
P.S. the previous reply about the adjustable front forks is a good one cause mine doesn't have them and they probably would have saved a few tank slaps.

[Twincam]

I bought my 919 about 3 years ago. The fellow before me had laid it down. Since then i repaired it, and it has been fine.

The riding position is so easy, it has low down torque and is really reliable. It has the Fireblades 919 engine, but is less tuned from racing to cruising.

Ive fitted a belly pan to it as the down pipes can start to pit over time. Just give it a through going over, and change the fluids/filters etc when you get it.

Other than that, enjoy it. BRUM BRUM