The Honda CB600F Hornet, known as the Honda 599 in the States, was powered by a version of the CBR600RR engine tuned for a fatter torque curve and better streetability while still offering 94-102 horsepower at the crank. The result was one of the best all-around naked bikes on the market. Says Visor Down:
“The Honda Hornet 600 offers one of the highest fun per pound ratios of any bike you can buy on the used market. But there’s more – it’s a durable, capable, useable workhorse or commuter too.”
Enter Pablo Vales of Spain’s Three Stones Cycles, a self-taught mechanic and fabricator originally from Argentina. By day, Pablo works as an IT specialist, and he builds around one bike per year in his garage workshop. As he says, because he isn’t making a living from building bikes, he can take as much time as he wants on each build, with special care given to the details. We love his motto, too: “Las motos de ahora no huelen a gasolina…”
“The motorcycles of today don’t smell like gasoline.”
Too true. In any case, Pablo’s care and attention to detail certainly show in this Hornet 600 cafe racer, which he spent a full year in building. Below, we get the full story on the build.
Honda CB600F Hornet Cafe Racer: In the Builder’s Words
About me and my workshop:
My name is Pablo, I’m Argentinian, but I have lived in Spain through the half of my life.
Really I’m not a mechanic, I’m IT specialist, but I have loved motorcycles since I can remember.
I have a little garage workshop since three years ago and I make around one bike per year taking special care in the details. I’m not living by it and so I can take all the time to obtain the result that I want.
As I tell you, I haven’t mechanic studies, but I’m an autodidact person, all that I know about motorcycles I know from searching and investigating about the fabrication process.
That is why I have a blog where I write all my experiences, trying to share that with other people on the Internet (www.threestonescycles.com).
About the bike:
This is my second project and I have taken one year to finish it.
The donor is a 2006 Honda CB600 Hornet. We were looking for a clean and straight line but without neglecting the original sporty character of this bike.
It was completely dismantled and the engine and chassis were repainted.
We simplified the electronics and relocated the fuses and the new lithium battery inside the rear cowl.
We installed power filters, a carburetor kit, and a competition exhaust for which we also had to modify the collector.
In search of straight lines, we chose to adapt a tank of a Kawasaki Z650 of 1985, to which we adapted a new Monza gas cap and a visual fuel level.
The sub frame was also completely reworked, for which we used laser cut aluminum. Inside it, the radiator coolant expansion tank is hidden.
The mudguards and supports are handcrafted and the fairing was modified to give it a more compact and sporty look. The rear cowl is also handmade and inside houses all the electronics of the motorcycle.
Follow the Builder
- Web: www.threestonescycles.com
- Facebook: @threestonescycles
- Instagram: @threestonescycles
- Pinterest: @ThreeSCycles
I have a Yamaha XT250 2017. Down-sized from a Honda XR650L 2016. The Honda kept falling on top of me and was too heavy to get out from under. I want to keep my Yammy but want it to be lighter….more senior friendly! I am gonna be 61 this year. Any suggestions?