The connection between manufacturer service bulletins (Recalls), fork maintenance on an older bike, and new motorcycle sales figures might seem tenuous, but it makes sense to us.
Honda Recalls the CB1000 Hornet
Honda has initiated a major recall affecting all standard and SP versions of the CB1000 Hornet sold in the UK since late 2024. The issue centres on excessive oil consumption, as reported by a growing number of owners and confirmed following a joint investigation by Honda UK and Honda Motor Co. in Japan. Riders will be contacted directly to arrange corrective work.
The recall is not limited to the UK. In Germany, more than 2,500 units of the CB1000 (SP) Hornet are affected, with reports that unusually high oil consumption could cause engine damage if left unchecked [You don’t say ~ Ed.]
The problem appears to be linked to a manufacturing defect in piston or piston-ring tolerances, which may cause oil starvation and, in extreme cases, bearing failure.
As the same power plant underpins several models in the Honda range, it is encouraging to see Honda has identified the cause, so hopefully it won’t be an ongoing issue.
The 600cc CBR Oil-Burning Concerns
Alongside the Hornet recall, riders have continued to report oil-burning issues on the 600cc CBR series, particularly older CBR600 models.
While not tied to the Hornet recall, the problem remains part of the broader conversation about Honda’s mid-capacity engines and their long-term oil-consumption behaviour.
Rebuilding the GSX650F Forks
There’s something meditative about a day spent in the garage, especially when the job at hand is one you’ve been putting off for far too long.
For me, that job was stripping and rebuilding the front forks on my Suzuki GSX650F—a task that promised satisfaction, frustration, and a fair bit of grease under the fingernails.
There is some slightly sketchy engineering going on: the frame jack didn’t clear the exhaust, so a few blocks of wood have been used to provide the necessary clearance.
What I hadn’t prepared for were the mudguard bolts. They are M6 with an 8mm head, and three of the four snapped clean off with almost no effort. This was the first lesson of the day: never trust old fasteners.
I did look for replacements online, but since the brackets – a 6cm piece of shaped metal – and 4 new bolts are £30 second-hand or £50 new, I’ve soaked the old ones in vinegar for a few days, spruced them up with a scouring pad, and sprayed them in rattle-can black.
Forks are wonderfully simple yet deceptively fiddly. Drain the oil, remove the caps, slide out the internals, replace the seals and bushings, clean, reassemble and fill with fresh oil. Straightforward in theory, but every step has its own little traps.
By late afternoon, the forks were back on the bike, and as soon as the new bolts arrive from the wonderful Kay Fasteners, the mudguard and wheel will be fitted.
Dunlop SportSmart TT
As “Screamer” – the GSX650F – is mostly my track‑day and sunny‑Sunday bike, when it came to choosing the replacement for the 10-year-old, fake, plastic Michelins, the Dunlop SportSmart TT looks to be the way to go.
Reading as much as I could find from riders who have tested the SportSmart TT in real-world conditions – not the marketing bumph – the consolidated view is that the TT is a tyre built for ritual abuse, lean angles, and confidence, rather than commuting or wet-weather slogging.
Through repeated hard-braking zones, rampant throttle abuse, and attempts to defy the laws of physics, the TT is described as staying predictable even when pushed deep into corners. Riders consistently report that it clearly communicates grip levels and gives plenty of warning before any slide.
I’m not going fast enough for full-on slicks, and riding Screamer on a sunny Sunday is one of life’s great joys, so street legal TTs are where I’ve gone.
Now I need to find someone who has the right-size rear SportSmart TT in stock. Who would have thought there would be a shortage of sticky tyres in winter? There must be a lot of garage rebuilds going on.
Motorcycle Sales Figures for 2025
European motorcycle sales in 2025 paint a picture of a market adjusting to regulatory changes, economic uncertainty, and the aftershocks of robust 2024 sales.
The figures are always a tad confusing because 2024 looked weaker than 2023, so how 2024 is considered a strong year for sales is beyond me.
Across Europe, registrations fell noticeably, with only a few bright spots preventing a steeper decline.
Overall, total new motorcycle registrations across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK reached 1,002,848 units in 2025, down 12.9% from 2024. The broader powered two- and three-wheeler market fell to 1.68 million units, down 9.1% year-on-year.
Much of the decline is attributed to Euro 5+ emissions regulations, supply chain normalisation [I’ve no idea what that is either ~ Ed.], and market saturation in key segments, which I think means everyone who wanted a retro-500cc bike has now bought one.
Bringing it all Together
Having read our meandering thoughts, you could be forgiven for thinking we have little or no chance of bringing this all together, but there is method in the madness.
Screamer is 17 years old. There is a wealth of information online about potential issues that may arise with an older motorcycle. The second someone says their bike won’t rev to the red line, the forums know where you should be looking.
Conversely, new bikes, even those based on previous models, can be something of an unknown quantity.
After 17 years, even with the low mileage, Screamer needs some TLC. According to the manual, there should be 460cc of oil in each leg. The dribble that came from one leg was nowhere near 460cc, and the black-and-grey goop from the other leg might once have been oil, but heck knows what it had morphed into.
After some searching online, I bought Screamer for £2,300. It is still a significant amount of money, but in relative terms, even compared to the bargains from China, that is a cheap motorcycle.
Changing the tyres, replacing the fluids, and going through the bike to complete the basic maintenance tasks is unlikely to cost me more than £500 and the time I spend twiddling spanners.
Bottom Line
Whereas the overall motorcycling demographic is ageing, if I’m a new rider, or someone who might throw the bike at the scenery while trying to go fast on a racetrack, then why not buy an older 4-pot screamer?
Manufacturers want to sell new bikes, and for that, you need customers. The current motorcycling demographic is ageing and reducing
Are manufacturers looking in the wrong place for their new customers? Is the growth market for motorcycling, cost-effective, older bikes and learning how to maintain them?
Is the future of maintenance having someone who knows what they are doing, helping to educate those mystified by a motorcycle’s workings?
If we want to promote and enable motorcycling, counting new motorcycle sales figures and wondering why they are lower than last year isn’t going to help anyone.
It won’t solve every problem, but continuing to do what we are currently doing and expecting a different outcome isn’t going to fix anything.
Philosophical rant over – My new tool chest has arrived.
