By Nye Davis and Phil West
Honda have unveiled a pair of near-production retro bike concepts at the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in the form of the CB1000F naked, and partially faired CB1000F SE – five years after the first CB-F Concept appeared at the 2020 Osaka Motorcycle Show.
Revealed alongside a pre-race ‘CB Special Run’ demonstration, the two bikes are officially still concept models, but were shown complete with all the running gear needed for homologation, with the SE joining a revised version of the standard CB1000F first shown publicly in March of this year.
Both models are based on the same technical platform as Honda’s CB1000 Hornet in base trim, sharing its 998cc inline four-cylinder engine derived from the 2017 Fireblade, along with the steel twin-spar frame, swingarm, wheels, and suspension components. The five-inch TFT dash is also carried over, showing all the usual info and clearly incorporating phone connectivity, too.
Power output is expected to be around 150bhp – unchanged from the Hornet – and the chassis layout appears to be identical. That’s not to say the big H’s design team haven’t been busy however, with a raft of cosmetic alterations now positioning the new machines as a modern interpretation of the CB750F and CB900F of the ‘80s.
This isn’t the first time the Japanese marque has opted to show off their future catalogue at the Suzuka 8-Hour, with both the current-generation CBR600RR and the road-going RC213V-S making their public debut at the historic endurance race.
The new retro duo appear to use a new rear subframe to accommodate a larger, flatter seat unit, with taller and wider handlebars and repositioned pillion footrests.
Visually, they swap the Hornet’s modern look for boxier bodywork, with a tank and side panel design clearly inspired by CBs of yesteryear. The color scheme – a silver and blue livery – echoes Freddie Spencer’s 1981 AMA Superbike-winning CB.
Exhaust routing is also different, with a chrome-finished megaphone-style silencer in place of the Hornet’s more ‘contemporary’ unit. Rounding out the visuals is a traditional round headlamp, slim indicators, and a ducktail-style rear cowl.
The SE gets a smattering of additional creature comforts to note. These include a bar-mounted headlamp cowl and smoked flyscreen, heated grips, and a standard-fit up-and-down quickshifter, likely the same as fitted to the Hornet SP.
The seat appears to feature extra padding and revised upholstery, while a stainless-steel radiator guard adds further visual distinction. Suspension is expected to be fully adjustable, though this remains unconfirmed.
Despite Honda referring to the bikes as concepts, both are clearly near production-ready and appear intended to replace the long-running CB1300 Super Four and Super Bol d’Or models, which were dropped from domestic market sale in June this year, and have been absent from the UK for over a decade now.
While both concepts have so far only been revealed in Japan, given the shared technical base and existing Euro 5+ homologation of the Hornet, there are no regulatory obstacles preventing the retro pair from reaching wider markets, and it’s a safe bet that Honda will be looking to bring both bikes into Europe.
Although pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed, it’s likely the CB1000F will sit above the Hornet, which currently retails at £7449 ($10,053.38) in standard trim. With the changes made being fairly minimal, MCN expects that Honda will list both the F and SE very competitively, going on the firm’s current form.
That should mean an asking price around or below £10,000 ($13,496.28), which means comparable machines (albeit lower in capacity, power, and in most cases lacking a cylinder or two) such as Suzuki’s parallel-twin GSX-8T (£9599 or $12,955.08) and 8TT (£9999 or $13,494.25), Yamaha’s triple-cylinder XSR900 (£12,800 or $17,274.07), and Kawasaki’s inline-four Z900RS (£11,699 or 15,788.23) ought to be worried.
Full details expected later this year, potentially ahead of the bikes joining the range as 2026 models.
There’s a strong likelihood that the Honda Fireblade CB1000F and CB1000F SE will be coming to America, potentially as part of Honda’s 2026 model range.
