A Hyper Hornet from BHC Motorcycles…
The 1990s saw a real rise of naked middleweight machines, with manufacturers stripping down their 600cc supersports for streetfighter-style action. The Suzuki Bandit 600 reigned supreme in the category until the introduction of the Honda CB600F Hornet, better known as the Hornet 600. The bike boasted the same engine as the CBR600F, retuned for better midrange, and the bike even had its own one-make race series, the Hornet Cup, which supported the British GP:
“Racers loved the fact it was easy to set up, had a fun engine, and was cheap to run. New riders found it easy to ride and unintimidating, stable and predictable. Europeans loved its style, it made Suzuki’s Bandit feel bland, and the Hornet remains hugely popular on the continent.” –MCN
The Hornet earned a reputation as one of the best all-around naked bikes ever made, and the combination of racing pedigree, bulletproof reliability, and low barrier of entry has made them a popular choice among custom builders:
“The bike was a good starting point for a wide-range of specials. The fact that most of the bits and pieces were from the CBR range meant updates were easy to find and today you can find rough ones from under a grand…” –Classic Motorbikes
Enter our new friends Ian Ogilvie and Steve Higgins of the UK’s BHC Motorcycles, aka Bar Hopper Customs. Ian is a former Britain’s strongest man competitor who learned welding and fabrication from folks for whom “doing things correctly and doing them well was a rite of passage,” while Steve has spent much of his adult life working for high-end automotive brands as well as MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, and Indian.
“[Steve] believed that a market existed for good quality, great looking custom bikes that could be sold for a price where people wouldn’t be afraid to put some miles on them, but he didn’t know where to start. Then he met Ian.”
For the ’99 Hornet 600 you see here, the target was clear from the beginning — to build a sharper, leaner, more focused machine. Nicknamed “Vespa Velutina” after the aggressive species of Asian hornet, the bike features a custom 1979-style tank, cantilevered subframe with alcantara saddle, and streamlined cockpit with clip-ons, retro clocks, micro switchgear, Ducati clutch cylinder, keyless start, and more:
“If you want a unique bike we think the rider needs to see just that when it’s always in your vision.”
From a performance standpoint, the inline-four boasts an ECU upgrade and custom exhaust, while the stock airbox has been left intact for maximum tractability. LED lighting, powder-coated finishes, painted logos, and various custom-fabbed brackets and tweaks round out the build.
Steve says he recently took it on a 160-mile trip and was surprised at the comfort of the bike, though twisty roads is where the bike really shines:
“The project, simply, was to make the riding experience more focused and we’ve achieved just that. The handling is as it looks. It pitches in so quickly it’s really intuitive when putting it through its paces on back road blasts or on circuit. Riding it in town is a cinch.”
The bike was featured at the recent Bike Shed Show in London, where our photographer Roberto Garagarza (@roga______/) got these indoor photos. Below, we talk to Steve from BHC for the full details on the “Vespa Velutina.”
Honda Hornet Café Racer: Builder Interview
• About the builders:
Ian Ogilvie was old-school schooled in engineering by people from an era when doing things correctly and doing them well was a rite of passage. From turning components and parts out of billet on a lathe to the delicate art of welding in all its forms. Whatever he does to a bike, it’s with the view that it’s to be used as hard and often as you can, but he won’t talk about you behind your back if you just want to park it in your lounge.
What to ask: “What did you deadlift and squat to qualify to compete in Britain’s strongest man all those times?”
Steve Higgins worked in high-end automotive for most of his adult life with virtually every luxury and sports car brand you could name, but between all that he managed to squeeze in some experience with bikes. MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi and Indian. Like a lot of us, lockdown was a wake-up call to make some changes and embrace freedom. What better expression of that than through motorcycles? He believed that a market existed for good quality, great looking custom bikes that could be sold for a price where people wouldn’t be afraid to put some miles on them, but he didn’t know where to start. Then he met Ian.
• About the bike:
The machine is based on a Honda 600 Hornet and made a perfect donor. The Hornet tank is very distinct, so to radically change the profile we fitted a new custom-fabricated 1979-style fuel tank. We had it painted in candy pearl over pearl white and made sure the logo was in paint rather than a decal.
We wanted to clean up the cockpit. We think this is a big deal because it’s what is right in front you. If you want a unique bike we think the rider needs to see just that when it’s always in your vision. So on went the clip-ons with Domino throttle and grips with drilled levers. A Ducati clutch cylinder (which is just lovely to look at) was fitted. Retro clock and micro switchgear along with the keyless go button — a transponder really finishes the job and that shiny chrome fuel filler cap is a delicious bit of jewelry.
The back of the bike is where the serious engineering comes into play. As the alcantara diamond stitched seat is cantilevered we wanted to ensure it was strong enough to support the rider safely. We tested it with long rides, back road blasts, and it’s proved perfect.
The bike was lowered by 30mm so fits all riders. The side stand had to be cut down to make sure it’s secure when parked up.
We didn’t go down the pod filter route and kept the airbox because we didn’t want to screw reliability and keep it tractable, but we did get rid of the ugly expansion tank and fitted a brushed aluminium bottle which works perfectly.
Rear lights are an LED strip and that floating headlight is supported by a custom-fabricated bracket. Custom exhaust, of course. We had the engine covers powder-coated black and the rear spring red to match the tank, but that’s far as we went. The engine has some honest road patina and makes the bike look (as it is) a bike to ride, not to live in a garage. A set of sticky Supercorsa tyres, and an ECU upgrade and the job was a good’un.
• What’s the story behind the nickname “Vespa Velutina?”
Vespa Velutina is a species of aggressive hornet. We thought it suited the bike, especially as it’s based on a Honda Hornet.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride the completed bike?
The donor bike was perfect for the project, as they are so good as stock machines. The project, simply, was to make the riding experience more focused and we’ve achieved just that. The handling is as it looks. It pitches in so quickly it’s really intuitive when putting it through its paces on back road blasts or on circuit. Riding it in town is a cinch.
The tank is so slim you can get a lot of easy support from your legs to take weight off your wrists which comes with the cafe racer, clip-on territory. The seat sits high so could have proven a challenge to riders with a shorter leg length, but the bike has been lowered by 30mm so fits well for all riders. I rode it on a 160-mile round trip last month. I’m not going to tell you it makes a great tourer, but you’d be surprised how many miles you can put under your belt before you feel the need to make a comfort stop.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Our ethos is to keep suppliers as close to us as we can. We fabricate what we can ourselves and very few of our parts are sourced by buying directly from overseas markets, so all our paint, powder coating, steel laser cutting, saddlery, and UK parts supply are all within a short distance from us. We’d like to thank all of them for their support, encouragement and free advice when we need it.
Follow the Builder
Web: www.bhcmotorcycles.com
Instagram: @bhcmotorcycles
Facebook: Bar Hopper Customs
Outdoor Photographer: BHC
Show Photographer: Roberto Garagarza (@roga______/)
Love, love, love this bike. GREAT JOB!