Honda

Honda CB1000F  

By Ben Purvis

Having signalled the end of production for the decades-old CB1300 Super Four Honda is left with a hole in its range for the sort of classic four-cylinder retro roadster that's been a staple of its lineup since the days of the original 1969 CB750. Not for long, though, as the company has shown the CB1000F Concept at the Osaka Motorcycle Show and it's heading for production soon.

The CB1000F Concept is essentially Honda revisiting the idea it considered five years ago when a similar-looking machine, the CB-F Concept, was given a digital unveiling thanks to the cancellation of the 2020 Osaka and Tokyo Motorcycle Shows. That machine, which was based on the chassis and engine of the CB1000R, was originally intended to result in a production model, but the project was quietly dropped in 2022. That's believed to be because the CB1000R is already an ageing machine that's both more expensive and less powerful than some rivals, and the CB-F would have had a similar combination of price and performance. 

It's also because, by 2022, Honda already knew that the CB1000 Hornet was due - it was first shown in 2023, and although the production model was delayed until this year, that bike, with its more modern engine and less expensive construction, was a more suitable basis for Honda's next-generation retro four-cylinder.

This is precisely what the new CB1000F Concept previews. The engine is the same 150 hp, litre four-cylinder that's used in the CB1000 Hornet, and it sits in the same steel twin-spar frame - a simpler, cheaper-to-make design than the aluminium spine chassis of the CB1000R. The swingarm and Showa SFF-BP forks are also shared with the CB1000 Hornet, as are the Nissin radial brakes - this concept is based on the cheaper version of the Hornet rather than the Brembo-equipped, 155 hp 'SP' model.

In a clear pointer towards the fact the CB1000F 'Concept' is really a near-production machine, Honda's Osaka show unveiling included not one but three of the bikes. The standard version was accompanied by a Moriwaki-tuned model with a braced swingarm in polished alloy and an oversized alloy radiator, reminiscent of Moriwaki endurance racers of the past, and by a garishly-painted version that marks a collaboration with Japanese fashion label Beams.

While the CB1300 Super Four has been off sale in international markets for more than a decade, the new CB1000F has a stronger chance of reaching a global audience, essentially replacing not only the CB1300 but also the air-cooled CB1100 - also discontinued - and acting as a rival to Kawasaki's Z900RS.