Honda CB600F Hornet Service Manual (2004-2006)

Honda introduced the 600-class Hornet in 1998 as a compact naked road-sports motorcycle using a CBR600F-derived inline-four in a lightweight chassis. The original model established the formula that would define the range: upright ergonomics, muscular styling, a broad spread of four-cylinder performance and handling intended to work equally well in city traffic and on faster roads. Honda’s official launch material emphasized the balance between a high-performance 599 cc engine and the compact chassis concept first used on the smaller Hornet 250. See Honda’s original Hornet 600 launch announcement.

For the early-2000s generation, the CB600F retained the carbureted 599 cc DOHC inline-four but gained a more mature chassis and road-focused specification. The engine used a 65.0 × 45.2 mm bore and stroke, 12.0:1 compression ratio and four 34 mm constant-velocity carburetors, driving through a cable-operated wet multi-plate clutch and six-speed transmission. The result remained a distinctive carbureted middleweight naked sport motorcycle, combining supersport-derived engine character with a more relaxed, practical riding position.

The 2003 styling and chassis update set the visual direction for the 2004-2006 machines covered here. Honda’s own Hornet history describes that update as a relaunch with sharper styling, stiffer suspension, a larger fuel tank and cleaner emissions performance. Factory specifications for the manual’s ’04 model list a 1,420 mm wheelbase, 790 mm seat height, 17-litre fuel tank, 120/70ZR17 front tyre and 180/55ZR17 rear tyre. The bike used a diamond frame, conventional telescopic fork, swingarm rear suspension, dual front discs and a single rear disc.

Honda also broadened the Hornet’s reach internationally. In October 2003, American Honda began importing the European-built Hornet 600 for North America under the local name “599,” while the European market continued to know it as the Hornet 600. The workshop manual reflects that broader market role through separate 49-state/Canada and California specifications, and it distinguishes the 2004 electrical and body configuration from the revised “After ’04 model” specification used for the following model years. Honda’s 599 North American launch release documents that expansion.

The next major break came for 2007, when Honda announced an all-new CB600F Hornet with a new CBR600RR-based engine, PGM-FI electronic fuel injection, updated styling and a substantially revised platform. That redesign clearly separates the later fuel-injected generation from the carbureted 2004-2006 machines represented by this manual. Related documentation is grouped in the Honda CB600F service manual catalog and the Honda Hornet catalog.