So like most bikes, the CB600F (599 in North America, 600 Hornet everywhere else) has a web forum dedicated to it. In fact, there are two (that I am aware of). And like with any other bike, there are people who want to know how fast it goes. Everyone has a different number. Recent experience suggests those numbers are made up. Or make believe. Whatever.

So far the highest indicated speed I've seen on my display is 136 MPH. The bike just barely reached that point in the amount of road available. It was working hard to get there. The indicated speed kept fluctuating. It couldn't make up it's mind whether it was going 135 or 136. While the speedometer was making up its mind how fast the bike was going, I was stirring the gears. It didn't really matter where on the tach I was. The wind was a pretty solid wall.

While that was going on, the suspension was pretty much stressed out. The road surface isn't so smooth at that speed. Between the wind buffeting and the road ripple, things were bad enough. That's when the road started to curve. At 70 MPH, the curve is gentle. I'm not even conscious of following my line. At nearly twice that speed, the bike wants to go straight. Damn the road, the bike wants to go straight! Pushing on the inside bar rather hard gets it leaned over. Leaned over kind of like I remember from my crash. I've lost faith in my tires. Until they are replaced, I don't want to be leaned over like that.

I don't want to be leaned over like that at one hundred and whatever miles an hour I was going. Not when I'm just a few feet from a belt sander that most people call an Interstate. So I gave up. I rolled off the throttle. The wind dragged my speed down fairly quickly before I was on the brakes. I was down to the speed limit at the exit ramp.

I know a lot of people say that it is easy to go fast in a straight line. I'd wager most of them haven't done it. Or maybe they have a nice smooth stretch of runway to work with, or a drag strip. I rarely have occasion to break 80. That's indicated. It could be only 72 MPH. Who knows? Motorcycle speedometers can't be trusted. Anyway, 130 indicated, which may be only 117 MPH with a 10% error, feels bloody fast on a bike with no fairing and a suspension setup for commuting.

So how fast does the 600 Hornet go? Your guess is as good as mine. Just don't be too quick to trust numbers bandied about by people.