Honda CB900F (919, Hornet 900, 2002-2007) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the Honda CB900F, also known as Honda CB900 Hornet or Hornet 919.
The Honda CB900F is one of those rare, perfectly balanced motorcycles that everyone is pleasantly surprised by. It’s purportedly a naked fuel-injected Honda FireBlade, re-tuned for mid-range performance and, but still sporty in every way — but the end result is a bike that can do anything and is hard to ride badly, but ends up begging for more all the time.
Maintenance on the CB900F Hornet is a doddle, as it has a fully-exposed inline four-cylinder engine with many interchangeable parts with other Hondas.
The CB900F was eventually replaced by the first generation of Honda CB1000R in 2008.
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What you need to service a Honda Hornet 900 (Honda 919)
To service your Honda 919, aside from basic motorcycle maintenance tools, you need the following consumables.
| Product | Honda 919 / Hornet 900 spec |
|---|---|
| Engine oil | Honda recommends SAE 10W-30 oil that is JASO T 903 MA rated that are not “energy conserving” or that have molybdenum additives, as these may affect clutch operation. Honda recommends Pro Honda GN4 10W-30 oil. Tighten the drain plug to 29 Nm (22 ft-lb). |
| Oil filter | Use a HifloFiltro HF204RC filter, which is an affordable and high-quality drop-in replacement. Tighten the filter to 26 Nm (20 ft-lb). |
| Spark plug | Use a NGK CR8EH-9 or Denso U24FER9 for most applications. The spark plug gap should be 0.80-0.90 mm (0.031 – 0.035 in). |
| Air filter | Use a K&N HA-9002 air filter. |
| Coolant | Honda recommends using Honda Coolant. |
| Brake fluid | Honda recommends Honda DOT 4 brake fluid. |
| Brake pads | Use EBC FA187HH at the front (two pairs), and FA174HH at the rear |
| Chain Maintenance | Use Motul chain paste, a convenient and inexpensive chain lube. |
| General lubricant | Use a lithium soap-based grease for external lubrication. |
| Cables | Lubricate cables with Protect All Cable Life, a well-liked cable lube. |
Honda 919 (CB900F Hornet 900) Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Honda CB900F, a.k.a. the Honda Hornet 900 or the Honda 919.
Maintenance Procedures:
- I: inspect and clean, adjust, lubricate, or replace, if necessary
- C: clean
- A: adjust
- L: lubricate
- R: replace
Notes:
- At higher odometer readings, repeat at the frequency interval established here.
- Honda recommends many you get some maintenance, including coolant changes, valve clearance checks, and steering head bearing maintenance, done by a qualified mechanic.
- The break-in service is omitted as this bike is no longer in production.
| mi x 1000 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | |
| Months | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | Every |
| Fuel Line | I | I | I | ||||
| Throttle Operation | I | I | I | ||||
| Choke Operation | I | I | I | ||||
| Air Cleaner (HA-9002) | C | C | More often if riding in dusty / wet areas. | ||||
| Crankcase Breather | C | C | C | C | C | C | More often when riding in rain / at full throttle. |
| Spark Plug (CR8EH-9) | I | R | I | ||||
| Valve Clearance | I | ||||||
| Engine Oil (Pro Honda GN4 10W-30) | R | R | R | ||||
| Engine Oil Filter (HF204RC) | R | R | R | ||||
| Engine Idle Speed | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Radiator Coolant (Honda Coolant) | I | I | R | 2 years: R | |||
| Cooling System | I | I | I | ||||
| Secondary Air Supply System | I | I | I | ||||
| Drive Chain (Motul chain paste) | 1000 km (600 mi): I, L | ||||||
| Drive Chain Slider | I | I | I | ||||
| Brake Fluid (Honda DOT 4) | I | I | R | I | I | R | 2 years: R |
| Brake Pad Wear | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Brake System | I | I | I | ||||
| Brake Light Switch | I | I | I | ||||
| Headlight Aim | I | I | I | ||||
| Clutch System | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Side Stand | I | I | I | ||||
| Suspension | I | I | I | ||||
| Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners | I | I | I | ||||
| Wheels/Tires | I | I | I | ||||
| Steering Head Bearings | I | I | I |
Honda CB900F Valve Clearances
The manual specifies these valve clearances for the CB900F, reproduced here for easy reference.
Check the valve clearances when the motorcycle’s engine is cold.
- Intake: 0.16 mm (0.006 in)
- Exhaust: 0.25 mm (0.010 in)
Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Honda CB900F
The Honda CB900F has the following tyre sizes standard, as well as the following recommended tyre pressures.
| Tyre | Size | Tyre pressure |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 120/70ZR17 M/C (58W) | 250 kPa (2.5 bar) 36 psi |
| Rear | 180/55ZR17 M/C (73W) | 290 kPa (2.9 bar) 42 psi |
Stock, the Honda CB900F shipped with Bridgestone BT56 or Michelin TX15/25 tyres, but you can fit any sport/sport touring tyres you like.
About the Honda CB900F
The Honda CB900F is a naked standard sport bike based on the 919 cc engine from the 1998-1999 Honda CBR900RR FireBlade.
But the Honda CB900F — also known as the Honda 919 or the Honda Hornet 900 — is much more than a naked FireBlade. It’s also a lot less.
For one thing, the engine on the Hornet 900 is now fuel-injected. It’s the same basic 919cc DOHC liquid-cooled 16-valve engine, but injectors mean that there’s less maintenance between seasons (no carburettors to clean out).
The CB900F is also quite different stylistically. It has no fairings, obviously, and has that beautiful under-seat exhaust – now out of fashion for many practical reasons, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.
The suspension on the CB900F is, like on the Blade of its generation, conventional. There are conventional forks up front that are non-adjustable, though they’re cartridge-style on the inside. And at there rear there’s a monoshock with a few settings for preload.
Brakes are pretty simple with Nissin four-pot calipers on the front gripping 296mm rotors. Nothing phenomenal, but enough to bring the CB900F’s 220 kg of wet weight to a standstill.
Where the CB900F is most obviously different to a FireBlade is, of course, the riding position. You’re much more upright, with more space in your knees and an easier reach to the handlebars.
But don’t be fooled! This is no docile commuter. The engine loves to rev, and makes its peak power of 81 kW (109 bhp) at a still reasonably high 9000 rpm.
The engine has been retuned for much more low-end torque, and the Honda 919’s torque peaks at a modest 6500 rpm, rather than the 10000 rpm seen on the ‘Blade. This makes the Honda CB900F much more easy to ride around town. You can almost set it in a gear and forget it.
Nonetheless, the engine doesn’t feel boring. You can fling it up to 8000+ rpm and have a lot of fun with this motor.
The bars, too, are comfortable, but sporty. You still have a modest forward incline, and the bars are narrow enough to mean you have to push on them like you do with clip-ons.
Maintenance of the Honda CB900F is very easy, with pistons and spark plugs readily accessible. Major maintenances (valve clearance checks) are only every 16000 miles / 24000 km, much like on many Honda liquid-cooled motorcycles.
Manual for the Honda CB900F
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Honda CB900F. See a screenshot of it below.
You can download it from here.
