Does anyone know if they ever made the 919 in Asphalt and what year they made them? Hopefully some time in the next year or so I will be getting a 919, if it's not Asphalt in color I will have to get it painted. Hope somebody has some info.

Smitters

Matte black in '02 and '03.

I am very excited!!!! I have fallen in love with the style and ways of the Honda hornet series. I really like the size of the 599, but I don't think the carb's like my driving style. They seem to be very indecisive when I am cruising. I like to keep the RPM's below 4000 in an attempt to get better gas mileage, but they seem to be lagging or chugging a little. I guess I'll just have to read aroung and see what's up.

Thanks for the info on the 919.

Smitters

Uh. "Lagging or chugging"? It's not your bike, unless something is very wrong. A 599 at 4000 rpm should run smoothly and pick up smoothly. You simply have to recognize that 4000 rpm is not the middle of your torque curve so you can't just whack it open and expect results. Smoothness with the throttle will pay off.

The only time mine even thinks about "chugging" is giving it a hard twist at idle (while in neutral = no load) or below 2000 under load, which really isn't in even my car's operating range if I want it to pull. I still don't drive it hard, haven't given it more than about 50-60% throttle and haven't shifted above about 5500, but at 4000, it should be just fine. I don't think the carb is your problem.

Then again, some people just want more. My friend is trying to get rid of his Gixxer 600 that he just bought to get a 750 because he wants more low-end and midrange torque.

If lugging and chugging is your bag then you'll be happy with the 919. It has better roll on times than the FZ1 and Z1000.

I don't think of one bike as an upgrade to another, they are just different tools for different styles.

SSS said it right. The 919 isnt an upgrade, its a different bike.

Although, I gotta say... the carbs are annoying on some level. I HATE having to warm my bike up. Or drive the first 2 miles with the choke on to prevent hiccups. Otherwise, I love my bike :)

...I HATE having to warm my bike up. Or drive the first 2 miles with the choke on to prevent hiccups...
Tune up :thinking If it takes more than a minute to be off the choke (especially now in the spring/summer) there is something amiss.

rnd.. the bike runs great, and choke only stays on a couple mins... but still, it annoys me.

wow! couple of mins??? even in winter mine is only one for 30 seconds to a minute tops :thinking summer no choke at all ever

You dont have to choke yours to start it? Mine starts right up choked, but if I dont, it will not start.

If mine sits for more than about 15 mins, even if its hot out, I have to choke it to start it. I wonder if I need new plugs or something?

Well, I guess I didn't get the point across very well. The chugging happens only when I try to keep a steady pace. At say 50 MPH in 4th gear it wants to not keep a steady idle. It will "chug" a little, it doesn't worry me enough to go and have it looked at. It just doesn't stay very steady. I think it is because the floats in the carbs are kinda in between choosing what they want to do. And maybe I am totally wrong. I guess I am going to have to ride a little tonight and see if I can figure out what they are doing. Maybe I just don't know what its supposed to feel like, I've been wrong before.

I am glad that I'm not the only one who thinks this, I was kinda worried I was expecting too much.

The choke thing, I have to leave mine on for about a minute or so regardless of temp. when I first start it. Once I have ridden for a little while, say ten minutes, I can shut the bike off and restart with no choke. I just thought it was a little picky on the first start up. Oh, the temp here is about 85.

Thanks for all the input, this site has helped me find the bike I really like and helps me figure out the quirks of said bike. I only hope to be as helpful as you all one day.

Smitters

50 in 4th? You're well above 4k at that point... You're at about 4k in 6th doing 50. It's jerky like that because you're revving so high. If you completely close the throttle, you'll get a good bit of engine braking.

In 4th gear @ 50 MPH your turning what... 6000-6500 RPM? I may be way out in left field here cause I dont know a ton about bikes in general...But at that RPM with choke on or off I would think It should be smooth as silk.... Am I wrong? "Chugging" would only happen at low RPM IMHO.... sounds like the bike is starving for fuel or your plugs are not fireing off the mixture well...Dunno

The engine shouldn't have any response problems at that speed, so I just assumed his "chugging" was jerky throttle response to even minute throttle changes. Unless maybe it's misfiring or something.

...You're at about 4k....you're revving so high...
:thinking Good Lord, 4k is high :thinking 4+4+4 = :shock: :lol:

Dunno, I'd look at a loose chain or worn sprockets...wondering because either I don't notice this effect on mine (and it is doing it) or it doesn’t do it at all (my personal favorite :wink: )

Try riding around 9k and see if it is still jerky...

Yeah, loose chain is what it could be. If the chain is loose it makes the bike's response kind of jerky.

Smitters, try to pay attention to your throttle control. See how smoothly you are holding the throttle - the 599 is a bit sensitive to throttle inputs, so if you are not being almost perfectly steady, it will react.

Well, I'm new to the world of sub-liter 4 cylinders... I drive a pushrod V6. 4k is high to me, and even if it's not high in the bike's rev range, it still responds to throttle inputs like my car would at that engine speed, meaning a little on the jerky side.

drive a pushrod V6

Nice. I had a '96 3.8L Camaro 5spd for quite a while, and i absolutely loved that car and that engine.

meaning a little on the jerky side

Jerky as in lurching, or jerky as in instant response?

I also have a 919 and think it's a wonderful bike. Anything you'd like to know i'm sure Super Sneaky Steve (SSS) or i would be glad to help.

I'd check for a stuck/sticking portion of the chain. That'll make your bike jerk as try to hold a steady speed.

I've got an F-body, too... '98 3.8 Firebird, 5-speed. Great fun, just lacking a bit on the foreward thrust. I'm about to buy something else, so I may make it a track car.

By jerky, I mean... very sensitive to throttle input. Not lurching, but if I let off at 50, there's enough engine braking to push me into the gas tank, more than I'm used to in a car. The response, I like. It's low in the powerband, but it feels like a car high in its rev band. I have no idea what it's like above 6k, so it's all relative to me. I know my chain definitely needs to be tightened, though. I'm at about 300 miles and there's plenty of slack. My insurance just got cancelled today until I get an endorsement, so I can't ride it for another week... but I'm going to Phoenix right after I get my endorsement... :x so no riding for a while...

Wow, I feel like an A** i just went for a ride and I was way off with the 50 MPH in 4th @ 4000 RPM. I really don't know what I was thinking when I put that, dumba** attack of the biggest kind. I did however go down a really smooth road and at 4000 rpms it still seems to be a little sluggish, chuggy, not smooth. I just recently had the bike in for a "check-up" as I like to call it. I don't know everything about bikes yet and a friend of mine does it for a side job. So I take it to him if something seems awry. The chain was a little loose, but even after that it still just seems to "miss," maybe thats a better word than chug. He used to ride a Honda of some sort, not sure which, and he said it was just one of those things you get with a carb motor. He suggested that I revv it a little higher when I cruise, at say maybe 5 or 6000. I did that tonight and it seemed better, but it still seems to be a little jerky.

Sorry, for the mixup on the speed/RPM thing, seriously made me feel mildly stupid. BrainFART, I guess.


As of right now I guess the thing I need to work on is throttle control, I would like to think I can keep a steady pace, but I guess not.

At an rate thanks everyone for the input.

Smitters

<Guzzi owner> He said "engine braking" with an inline 4, heh heh heh. </Guzzi owner>

Believe me, that 599 has NO engine braking compared to a large high compression twin. My last bike was a 1997 Guzzi 1100 Sport and I never needed to use the Brembos on that bike! :D

A 599 is not a jerky bike. It is sensitive to throttle inputs. If you are a new rider, learn to use the throttle and clutch to become smooth. Don't blame the bike!

As of right now I am leaning toward the statement of Sachi's, Don't blame the bike! I am going to try something tomorrow, I am going to ride and really concentrate on throttle control, I guess since the last bike I rode was an 81 KZ1000, kind of a beater, I have lost the touch. Well, I hope that with a little time with this bike I will as steady and smooth as I want to be.


Smitters :)

Like I said, it's all relative to me. I can be fairly smooth, it just takes a little more than I'm used to giving. I've never ridden/driven anything like this. I'm used to much lower powerbands and engine speeds. I often find myself braking wayy too early because the engine is cutting off more speed than I expect it to. I've gotten much better in my week-and-a-half of ownership, though...

I like to keep it at about 5000 to 5500rpm when I'm cruising. I find it offers the best trade off between power and economy. You're sitting right at the bottom of the powerband there so you can roll on very easy. Under that and the engine is sluggish to pick up and boring to play with.

Remember the inline 4 in a traditional sportbike tends to hit at 7000 rpm, then punch you again once you hit 9.5 or 10k. Our bike has been "retuned" meaning it starts to pull around 5000rpm, but it still has that 10k punch. You'll hear the engine shift over to super-high once you roll past 10. It will pull from 3k on, but not well.

Keep the revs above 5k and you'll have a lot more fun. Around 6k things start to getting buzzzy (on my bike) then at 7k they smooth back out.

The chain was a little loose, but even after that it still just seems to "miss," maybe thats a better word than chug. He used to ride a Honda of some sort, not sure which, and he said it was just one of those things you get with a carb motor.

Ok, I know I talk about it not being the bike, but I disagree with your friend. A 599 should run butter-smooth. The carburetion should not miss. I know you will be doing your best to ride smoothly and with sensitivity to the throttle now, but if you do sense that the engine is hiccuping, get an expert to check it. You could have some crap in your tank that's bypassing your fuel filter somehow and getting in your carbs bit by bit.

Smitters,

I had a post that you may not have noticed. I ran the Dragon. for shits and giggles, in 6th gear. I had to go thru sme of the deep switch backs at near 3000 rpm's to come out of the curve at about 2000 rpm. My bike accelerated smoothly out of the corner but of course, I had to do it slowly. At 4K, I can all but whack the throttle and the bike is smooth. The only other sport bike that I have ridden is a FZ1 and I think the performance is similiar to mine.

I did the dragon thing in one part because I have said anumber of times that the Hornet is like having an automatic transmissiom. Put in sixth gear and you don't have to change gears except to stop at an intersection. Believe me, I'd rather run thru the gears.

My bike is only a few months old with about 1150 miles on it. It is smooth all the time. It pulls smoothly from 2000 rpm's up to 12,000 without a hiccup. This is the way the bike should be. Even my carbureted 1974 cb 350 f accelerates smoothly through the whole powerband.

I'm with hook on this one..My bike only has 850 ish on it but form 2-3000 all the way up its smooth as silk...I can bang the throttle at any RPM and it just pulls right out, even @ 100 on the temp (cold)... mind you ,as soon as I'm rolling the Choke is turned off.....

A partially clogged jet will fuck up the carburation.

I still think you should be checking for stuck links in the chain.

I only had to choke my bike for 30 seconds when it was 35 F in Feburary. I am surprised how sometimes in 90 degree heat I have to use the choke but only for 15 seconds or so. My 1974 350 F only needs the choke for about 45 seconds in 35-40 F weather. The 599 manual says use the choke for 30 secs then turn it off. In 90 degree weather they say don't use the choke.
Also on the honda uk site the hp and torque specs are listed and the say 95 bhp @ 12000 rpm and 63 Nm torque @ 9500. To me this should mean the ideal shift point for maximum acceleration and smooth shifting is around 9000-10,000 rpm's. Don't be afraid for the bike to rev only be afraid for yourself it will fly when you rev it to 10,000 rpm. It surprised me and I really thought I was ready for it. That being said I ride around mostly between 4000 and 6000 rpm (new rider only 1400 miles). I don't think I'm doing the bike any favors riding at relatively low rpm's, and I have been deliberately revving higher recently...that is what small 4 cylinder bikes are all about. Just like a formula one race car.

...In 90 degree weather they say don't use the choke...
Unless the bike was running in the past 4 hours or so, I find even in +90F I need the choke a bit...

...I ride around mostly between 4000 and 6000 rpm (new rider only 1400 miles). I don't think I'm doing the bike any favors...
Don't worry, she is fine. No hurry to get up there and no damage by not. :thumbsup

I saw a black 919 in Grenada about a year ago.