by my father then passed down to me, and ridden across every corner of New Zealand, the Hornet was a faithful companion. Comfortable, reliable and sporting that glorious inline-four soundtrack from the old F3 CBR motor. But time catches up with everything, even legends. At 120,000km, my Hornet was tired. After many years of replacing wear items, an electrical gremlin developed where cylinders two and three were dropping out, turning my inline-four into an inline-two and pumping unburnt fuel out the exhaust. Parts had become increasingly difficult to source, and the cost of bringing it back to health looked like it was going to be more than the bike was worth. It was time to make a tough call.

WHY DOWNSIZE? I ride about 70km a day on the commuting run. That means fuel economy, tyre costs, and reliability matter more to me than outright horsepower. A smaller bike promised all of that, plus cheaper insurance and the peace of mind that comes with a factory warranty- not to mention the agility that’ s intrinsic to a smaller bike.

So, I started looking at the LAMS-friendly class: light, nimble, and easy on the wallet. But here’ s the twist— I didn’ t just want a commuter. I wanted something fun. Something that would make me smile on the twisties after a long week.

62 KIWI RIDER