The Honda Hornet CB1000 Is Finally Ready for Production
A year later than expected, but it’ll be joined by a higher performance variant
Last year at EICMA, Honda announced a new CB1000, positioned as the flagship for a whole range of naked bikes, above the CB750 Hornet and CB500 Hornet. Since the Milan show, however, we’ve heard only crickets rather than buzz for the CB1000 Hornet.
Though promised as a 2024 model, the 999cc Inline-Four Hornet has still yet to reach the market. That may finally change, however, as the Honda CB1000 has appeared in type approval documents in Germany, alongside an as-yet-unmentioned CB1000SP variant. Both variants are marked as meeting Euro5+ standards.
The CB1000 is listed as having a maximum output of 112 kW (150 hp), which fits with what Honda said about the Hornet at EICMA, when it claimed an output of “over 110kW peak power and more than 100Nm of torque”.
The CB1000SP variant looks to be even more powerful, certified with an output of 116 kW, which translates to 155 hp. That would put the two models as the second and third most powerful members of Honda’s motorcycle lineup, trailing only the CBR1000RR, though behind potential competitors like the Yamaha MT-10 and MT-10 SP, which claim 118 kW and 122 kW respectively.
Assuming the details Honda announced at EICMA still hold true, the regular CB1000 Hornet will have a 41mm SFF-BP inverted fork and rear shock from Showa. If Honda follows Yamaha’s path, we could see higher-grade suspension, perhaps even electronic semi-active suspension like the MT-10 SP. Higher caliber brakes may not be out of the question either, providing an upgrade over the regular Hornet’s radial-mount four-piston Nissins.
Or it could be something more substantially different like a faired, or partially faired version. E-clutch might be a possibility, but seems unlikely for a high-performance flagship for Honda’s streetfighter range. Then again, it is Honda.
EICMA is coming up really fast again, so we wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where Honda decides to (for realsies this time) launch the CB1000 Hornet and CB1000 Hornet SP. And if we’re lucky, Honda might announce it will come to the U.S. But probably not, (once more, this is Honda we’re talking about) as American Honda has yet to bring the CB750 here, and completely stripped all Hornet branding from the CB500F.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Thanks for the update, a highly anticipated model, been searching for new info, but nothing available. We probably won't get it here in the USA for 2025, but who knows, fingers crossed.
I would love a Hornet 1000 in red or white gloss, but Honda has consistently let me down for decades so I don't anticipate anything from them.