By NastyNils·
Motorcycle comparison · Naked Bike
Honda CB600F Hornet (PC 41) vs Triumph Street Triple 675 (MY2007)
Roll on the Honda CB600F Hornet's throttle and it's pulling you out of the bend on a chassis that doesn't twitch. The Triumph Street Triple 675 feels like it weighs nothing until you twist that same grip. Then it's hauling like a proper sportbike.
So which one do you buy?
The Street Triple 675 has the edge if…
Sporty riding on twisty roads
By a nose: Street Triple 675
The Street Triple 675 nudges ahead once the pavement starts to wiggle. The reason: stronger brakes and more feel through the bars. Don't expect a night-and-day difference.
What makes each one tick
CB600F Hornet
There's an inline-four under the CB600F Hornet's tank that picks up cleanly from low rpm and keeps spinning harder toward the top. The brake lever doesn't answer with much, since the calipers come up short on bite once the pace climbs. Hard braking sets the fork wallowing. Its light frame flicks through twisties on neutral steering.
Nils rode the CB600F Hornet in Austria in 2007, and in 2009 (NastyNils Testride).
Street Triple 675
Walking pace isn't a fight on the Street Triple 675, with its seat set low and the bars brought close. Push it around a parking spot and the weight advantage is immediately obvious. Fork and shock are tuned for public roads, and on public roads nothing feels like a compromise. The lever builds pressure steadily. Even at idle, the triple's exhaust sends a shiver.
Nils rode the Street Triple 675 in 2007 and 2009 (NastyNils Testride).
The Voice of Experience
What actually separates them
- The CB600F Hornet has the lower wet weight: 381 lb (173 kg) vs 401 lb (182 kg).
- The Street Triple 675 makes more peak power: 106 hp (79 kW) vs 102 hp (75 kW).
- The Street Triple 675 makes more peak torque: 50 lb-ft (68 Nm) vs 47 lb-ft (64 Nm).
Which one for the way you ride
Comfortable long-distance riding
Look elsewhere
Hours in the saddle won't flatter either of these. They're happier on shorter runs.
A confidence-building first motorcycle
Not their thing
As first bikes, both are a stretch. Starting smaller isn't a step down.
Traveling with luggage
Neither is a natural fit
Loading up for a long trip isn't a strength of either bike. Expect to compromise on what you bring.
These two run dead level on commuting. Sit on both in the showroom and trust what your body says.
Who each one is built for
What's good, and what you'll live with
CB600F Hornet
Strengths
- Handling That Forgives Mistakes
- Reliability You Can Bank On
- Cheap to Run and Service
- Lean Clearance to Spare
Trade-offs
- No Shelter From the Wind
- Fork Without Any Adjustment
- Reg/Rec Can Give Up
- Fasteners and Cases Corrode
- Weedy braking performance
Street Triple 675
Strengths
- Torque That Arrives In Waves
- An Exotic For The Money
- Fit Tuned For Smaller Riders
- A Triple Voice With Real Character
- Light, precise handling
Trade-offs
- Wet-Weather Tire Risk
- Rear Linkage Bearings Seize
- Fuel Tank Coating Flakes
- Stock mirrors vibrate at highway speeds
- No ABS across entire generation
Known problems to check before you buy
CB600F Hornet
No confirmed faults on file yet. That's not the same as fault-free.
Street Triple 675
- Stator winding insulation breakdown The stator can fail through heat-driven breakdown of winding insulation. Failure often co-occurs with regulator/rectifier failure: an unregulated R/R can cook the stator through prolonged voltage abuse. Symptoms are loss of charging, occasionally accompanied by visibly burned windings or a melted connector between stator and R/R.
- Needle roller bearings in rear linkage seize from inadequate grease intervals The needle roller bearings in the rear suspension linkage corrode and seize because the factory-recommended grease interval (12,000 mi (20,000 km)) is too long for typical use, particularly in salt-belt regions where bearings can be destroyed before scheduled service. Multiple sources additionally report that the Base model's rear shock damping degrades noticeably between 10,000 and 20,000 mi.
- Auto cam chain tensioner spring weakening The factory automatic cam chain tensioner uses a spring that weakens over time, allowing the cam chain to slacken. Symptoms include cold-start rattle progressing to rattle at idle and low RPM in all gears. In severe neglected cases, the chain can deposit aluminium filings in the cases or, in worst-case scenarios, fail catastrophically. The platform-shared issue is well documented across both the Street Triple 675 and its Daytona 675 sibling. Triumph subsequently moved to a hydraulic tensioner design on later platforms.
- Closed-throttle to part-throttle stumble at low RPM A bog or stumble in the 4,000–6,000 rpm range when transitioning from closed throttle to small openings. Causes attributed across owner discussions include throttle position sensor calibration drift, idle stepper (ISCV) carbon buildup and throttle body fouling. The issue is commonly mitigated by ECU re-mapping (TuneECU community).
- Inner tank coating bubbling and flaking The internal coating of the fuel tank can bubble and flake, with fragments entering the fuel pump filter and lines. Symptoms include stumbling, stalling, hard starting and backfire. Triumph has acknowledged the issue under warranty in some markets.
- Two-piston Nissin sliding-pin front caliper seizure The Base model's front caliper sliders seize from corrosion, leading to uneven pad wear, spongy lever feel and accelerated disc wear. Particularly common in damp climates. The R variant uses different (Daytona-spec radial-mount four-piston) calipers and is not affected by this specific failure mode.
- Factory coolant hose clamps leak prematurely Several factory coolant hose clamps are reported as under-torqued or poorly positioned at assembly, with hose 22 (between engine and radiator, per Triumph parts diagrams) most commonly cited. Coolant weeping or dripping near the mid-engine is sometimes observed within the first 500–1,200 miles.
- Speedometer reads approximately 8% high The speedometer reads optimistically, showing a higher speed than the bike is actually traveling, and the gap widens as the indicated speed rises. The over-read stays on the legally permitted side, since a speedometer is not allowed to under-read. The odometer also runs slightly high, though by a smaller margin.
- Matt-finish engine case paint bubbling, peeling and corroding The matt powder-coated engine cases show bubbling, cracking and peeling due to inadequate factory surface preparation. Underlying corrosion forms, progressing if untreated. The issue is widely cited across both Street Triple 675 and Daytona 675 first-generation owner communities.
- Headlight lens cracking on the final-year angular units The plastic lenses of the angular twin headlights fitted to the final model year of this generation can crack without any impact damage, with fine cracks spreading across the lens over time. The earlier round headlights are not part of this pattern. Triumph answered with a dealer service bulletin rather than a safety recall, and owners report cracked units being replaced free of charge with a revised, tougher part.
What they share
- Seat height
- 31.5 in (800 mm)
- Cooling
- Liquid-cooled
- Gearbox
- 6-speed
- Final drive
- Chain
- Fork
- Upside-down (USD)
- Front tire
- 120/70-17
- Rear tire
- 180/55-17
Where the spec sheets split
| CB600F Hornet | Street Triple 675 | |
|---|---|---|
| Wet weight | 381 lb (173 kg) | 401 lb (182 kg) |
| CB600F Hornet | Street Triple 675 | |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 599 cc | 675 cc |
| Engine | Inline-four | Inline-three |
| Power | 102 hp (75 kW) | 106 hp (79 kW) |
| Peak power at | 12,000 rpm | 11,750 rpm |
| Torque | 47 lb-ft (64 Nm) | 50 lb-ft (68 Nm) |
| Peak torque at | 10,500 rpm | 9,100 rpm |
| CB600F Hornet | Street Triple 675 | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 US gal (19 L) | 4.6 US gal (17.4 L) |
| CB600F Hornet | Street Triple 675 | |
|---|---|---|
| Front brake | 296 mm | 308 mm |
What comes fitted, what costs extra
| CB600F Hornet | Street Triple 675 | |
|---|---|---|
| ABS | Option | Not offered |
Head to head, area by area
Both bikes on the same scale, one area at a time.
