Second version of Honda’s retro four cylinder appears as a concept – but it’s really an upcoming production model
Back at the Osaka motorcycle show in March this year Honda took the wraps off its four-cylinder, CB750F-inspired CB1000F Concept – a machine that despite its ‘concept’ billing was quite obviously a near-production prototype. Now the company is cementing that idea even further by showing a part-faired CB1000F SE Concept.
Making its public debut at the Suzuka 8-Hours on Friday 1st August, the new CB1000F SE has only been revealed in silhouette form at the time of writing but it’s already abundantly clear that it’s essentially the same CB1000F design that was shown at Osaka, with the addition of a bar-mounted nose cowl.
The fact that the CB1000F shown in Osaka is really an upcoming production model was all but confirmed by the fact that Honda presented not one but three examples: the standard model, finished in a silver-and-blue scheme with overtones of Freddie Spencer’s 1981 AMA superbike racer, plus a Moriwaki-tuned version and a garish yellow, silver and black variant made in association with a Japanese fashion house.
Even in silhouette, we can see that the new CB1000F SE shares virtually everything with March’s naked version. Same wheels, same brakes, same exhaust, same tank and seat unit. Honda hasn’t even lowered the bars for a sportier riding posture. And that makes sense. The production version of the bike will essentially replace the ancient CB1300 Super Four and the part-faired CB1300 Super Bol d’Or, bikes that can trace their heritage back to 1992 and Honda’s CB1000 Super Four Project Big-1. The existing CB1300 models are ending production this year, following the demise of the smaller CB400 Super Four a couple of years ago. The CB1000F and CB1000F SE will replace the larger bike, and Honda is expected to launch a new 400cc four-cylinder to supersede the smaller one later this year.
Under its retro skin, the CB1000F and the new SE version are mechanically identical to Honda’s CB1000 Hornet, with a 150hp four derived from the 2017 FireBlade’s engine and the same suspension, chassis, wheels and brakes as the Hornet. A different, chromed exhaust and the retro-style tank and seat unit are all that differentiates the CB1000F and SE, so putting the new bikes into production will be cheap and simple for Honda. And unlike the old CB1300 Super Four, the Hornet is approved for road use all over the world, opening up the potential to sell the bike in a broad array of markets – even though the launch plans so far have been very Japan-centric.
