On paper, the late-2000s Honda CB600F Hornet is a great bike; a lively four-cylinder middleweight, widely praised for its rideability and reliability. But in the flesh, it’s hard to get excited about. Like most of Honda’s naked bikes, the steadfast Hornet lacks panache—which makes it prime material for customization.
This Honda Hornet café racer comes from Sébastien Vernaison in France—a part-time custom builder that works as Seb Kustom Motorcycle. He bought the bike a few years ago, customized it, and then decided to put it back under the knife to add even more swagger. And we’re glad he did, because the result is miles apart from the bike’s vanilla origins.
Seb’s latest mods include the Honda Hornet’s racy new bodywork. The fairing and tail bump are aftermarket fiberglass parts from the French kit maker, Poly26—but both have been modified heavily to suit this build. The Honda’s OEM fuel tank sits tidily between them.
The overall aesthetic is incredibly well-judged, blending sportbike and classic endurance racer elements to create a modern café racer vibe.
The fairing sits on a handmade frame and is easy to remove, while the tail section pops off to reveal a bench-style seat. The seat—and the subframe below it—are carried over from the Hornet’s earlier iteration. (Seb has the old LED headlight on hand as well so that he can easily switch between the two styles.)
A slim front fender and a sharp belly pan add extra pizzaz, and Seb gets bonus points for the offset headlight design and the aggressively trimmed windscreen. The taillight and rear signal arrangement, which uses a trio of Kellermann LEDs, is pretty neat too. Kellermann LEDs also handle front turn signal duties, flanking the Honda’s radiator shrouds.
The cockpit sports a modified top yoke, cleaned up to accommodate clip-on bars. Also present are a steering damper, a quick-turn throttle, fresh grips, and Nissin brake and clutch controls. A Koso speedo hides behind the tinted screen.
Seb didn’t neglect the Hornet’s running gear either. The front forks have been upgraded with Hyperpro springs, and there’s an adjustable Hyperpro shock out back. Dunlop Sportmax tires wrap around the stock wheels.
Seb also upgraded the brake hoses and front brake discs, and fitted a new filter from DNA Filters. Wagner Classic Oil supplied fresh engine and fork oil, and a treatment for the inside of the well-used fuel tank.
An exhaust system can make or break a custom build, but Seb has nailed the brief on this one. Stainless steel four-into-one headers from Arrow are mated to a Danmoto carbon fiber silence, modified by West Welding 29. It’s a burly setup that perfectly complements the Hornet’s neo-retro café racer style.
The bike’s finished off with a swingarm-mounted license plate mount, and a custom-built expansion bottle, stuck next to the rear shock. Before buttoning the build up, Seb stripped it down, painted the frame black, and sent the bodywork off to a body shop to lay down the grey base coat. Color-matched engine case protectors add an extra pop of grey.
The blue pin-striping is Seb’s handiwork, and matches the blue wheels, shock spring, and preload adjuster.
It’s hard to think of a better livery for this plucky Honda Hornet café racer. Now if only Honda would make ’em like this from the factory.
Seb Kustom Motorcycle | Images by Les Studio de Broceliande
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