Japanese rumours say 2020’s CB-F concept will spawn CB1000 Hornet-based retro model
Rumours of a new Honda CB1000F are swirling in Japan with reports that the bike could be shown as soon as the end of March after Honda announced that that the long-lived CB1300 Super Four and Super Bol d’Or models are finally reaching the end of their lives.
Both the Super Four and Super Bol d’Or are direct descendants of the 1992 CB1000 Super Four that was Honda’s first ‘retro’ four-cylinder machine, drawing on the legacy of the CB750 that defined the superbike class in 1968. They’ve become a staple of the Japanese motorcycle landscape, remaining in production and on sale in Honda’s homeland long after exports ended. With the air-cooled CB1100 also now gone from the Honda range, the demise of the CB1300 models – which are going out with a set of ‘Final Edition’ models that were unveiled in February – means there will be no retro four in Honda’s lineup.
But not for long, if the CB1000F rumours proved to be true. Honda revealed the CB-F concept back in March 2020 but it never quite got the attention it was originally due to receive. It was planned as the centrepiece of Honda’s display at the prestigious Tokyo Motorcycle Show that year, but the event – like many others – was cancelled in the face of the emerging Covid 19 pandemic. The CB-F was a rebodied version of the CB1000R, sharing the same aluminium backbone frame, Fireblade-derived engine and single-sided swingarm, but with styling that harked back to the CB750F of the 1970s, right down to Freddie Spencer-inspired graphics. Originally intended for production, by 2022 the project had been dropped, reportedly because of the fact that the CB1000R itself is relatively expensive and the CB-F version would have been pricier still.
The debut of the new CB1000 Hornet changes the equation. It has nearly identical dimensions to the CB1000R, with the same stance and wheelbase, and a more powerful engine derived from a more recent iteration of the Fireblade, but it’s a much more affordable bike. A steel frame and conventional, dual-sided swingarm help ensure it’s one of the bargains of 2025. With the idea of the CB-F already floating around, it’s a relatively simple step to port its 1970s-inspired styling across to the CB1000 Hornet’s platform to create an instant, showroom-ready retro four-cylinder machine, competing with the likes of Kawasaki’s Z900RS, at an achievable price. Throw in the demise of the CB1300 models, and it’s easy to see why the Japanese rumours have grown so strong.
The ideal launch platform would, of course, be the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, due to take place on the last weekend of March, exactly five years on from the CB-F concept’s originally-scheduled unveiling.
