Retro bare bikes have grow to be one of many hottest segments within the large bike market. Riders love the traditional styling, however in addition they need trendy efficiency and tech beneath. That’s precisely the house Honda’s CB1000F is aiming for. It’s a liter-class roadster that blends old-school CB design with trendy superbike-derived {hardware}.
Naturally, this places it in the identical dialog as machines just like the Kawasaki Z900RS and my private favourite, the Yamaha XSR900. And now, after months of ready, it appears to be like like Honda might lastly be bringing its latest retro heavyweight to the US.
In response to reporting by our pals over at Motorcycle.com, Honda has cleared a giant hurdle for the CB1000F. The Environmental Safety Company (EPA) has licensed the bike for the 2026 mannequin yr, which often means one factor: It’s lastly coming.
Photograph by: Honda
For these of us who’ve been watching this bike from afar, that’s enormous information. Honda revealed the CB1000F for Europe final October and the response was fast. Riders within the US and different components of the world needed to know in the event that they’d get one too. Till now, Honda had stayed quiet. EPA certification is the strongest sign but that the retro liter-class bare is lastly headed stateside.
It definitely didn’t go this easily, although. The CB1000F really hit a snag throughout growth that delayed manufacturing. We talked about how the engine had higher than expected engine oil consumption throughout testing. That’s the sort of problem producers take very significantly as a result of it often means one thing deep contained in the engine isn’t behaving precisely the way in which it ought to.
Generally, extreme oil consumption can level to issues like piston ring sealing, cylinder wall end, or inner tolerances that aren’t fairly the place engineers need them to be. Honda reportedly paused the rollout whereas it investigated and corrected the issue earlier than transferring ahead.
Photograph by: Honda
That being stated, it now appears to be like like the difficulty has been sorted out, and the CB1000F is lastly again on observe. And actually, that is certainly one of Honda’s most anticipated new bikes in years. The CB1000F leans arduous into Honda’s heritage, pulling its visible inspiration from Freddie Spencer’s AMA-spec CB750F race bike. It has that traditional big-UJM look with a spherical headlight, straight tank traces, and a easy muscular stance that feels correctly old-fashioned.
Beneath that retro pores and skin is a totally trendy liter-class bare bike. Energy comes from a 1,000cc inline-four derived from the 2017 CBR1000RR (and the identical engine powering the CB1000 Hornet). Honda revised the camshafts and consumption to make the facility supply extra road pleasant reasonably than superbike aggressive. The result’s a claimed 122 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 76 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm.
Regardless of the throwback styling, the electronics bundle may be very trendy. The bike makes use of a six-axis inertial measurement unit that permits cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction management. Riders get three preset experience modes and two customizable modes that regulate energy supply, engine braking, traction management, and wheelie management.
Photograph by: Honda
In true Honda vogue, the suspension setup comes from Showa. Up entrance there’s a totally adjustable 41 mm SFF-BP inverted fork, whereas the rear makes use of a shock with preload and rebound damping adjustment linked by means of a brand new linkage designed particularly for this mannequin. Braking {hardware} is equipped by Nissin. The entrance will get twin radial-mount four-piston calipers gripping 310 mm discs, whereas the rear makes use of a single-piston caliper and a 240 mm disc.
Honda hasn’t introduced U.S. pricing but, however we are able to make an informed guess by taking a look at different markets. Within the UK, the CB1000F begins at £10,599, which works out to roughly $14,200. In the meantime, the CB1000 Hornet SP begins there at £10,099, or about $13,500. That stated, within the US, the 2025 CB1000 Hornet SP begins at $10,999. If Honda retains the same value hole between the fashions, the CB1000F may land someplace across the $12,000 vary.
Nothing is official but, however the EPA certification makes one factor clear. After delays, hypothesis, and months of ready, Honda’s retro liter-class bare lastly appears to be like able to make its strategy to American roads. And for riders who’ve been hoping Honda would convey a correct trendy CB to the US, that second is perhaps proper across the nook.
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