Honda CB600F Hornet 1998-2002 Service Manual

MCN's own retrospective doesn't undersell the Hornet's market impact: it was "so successful it spawned a whole class" — budget middleweight roadsters — a genre that barely existed before Honda combined a steel backbone frame borrowed from the Japan-only, 250cc-restricted CB250F with a detuned engine lifted straight from the CBR600F sportbike. Launched for 1998, the Hornet name never made it to North America (Chrysler's AMC Hornet trademark blocked it), so American buyers wouldn't see this platform until it arrived stateside as the "599" starting with the 2004 model year — meaning this 1998-2002 generation was, for US purposes, a Europe-and-rest-of-world-only machine.

Power comes from a 599cc liquid-cooled inline-four, a genuinely detuned version of the CBR600F's engine, delivering a claimed 95-98 hp at 12,000 rpm and roughly 48 lb-ft of torque at 10,000 rpm through a 6-speed gearbox. MCN's buyer's guide notes the Hornet name stuck around in various forms clear through 2013, but this original 1998-2002 run represents the platform's foundational specification — a conventional 41mm telescopic fork up front (an inverted fork wouldn't arrive until 2005) paired with a single rear shock offering preload adjustability, mounted to the same steel backbone frame that gave the bike its distinctive, angular fuel tank cover concealing a smaller actual tank underneath.

The most significant mechanical update within this window came in 2000: the front wheel grew from 16 inches to 17 inches specifically for improved corner stability, paired with a strengthened front brake pass-over system delivering genuinely stronger stopping power. Braking throughout this generation used dual 296mm front discs with two-piston Nissin calipers and a single 220mm rear disc with a single-piston caliper — wheel sizing borrowed directly from the contemporary Fireblade. MCN's review calls out the high-level exhaust as a genuine everyday annoyance for riders wanting to fit soft panniers, though the bike's low running costs, approachable 805mm seat height, and genuinely fun, torquey character across this era's roughly £1,000-£2,800 used-market pricing kept it a consistently popular choice among budget-minded riders throughout its production run.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 1998-2002 CB600F Hornet running the way it was built to.