Back in 2020, Honda teased a CB-F concept motorcycle. As is the normal way with most concept bikes, it then disappeared, and most people, including me, forgot about it.
Yes, it looked stunning, with a very 1980s retro feel. A close cousin looks wise to the Honda CB900F II that I owned all those years ago, and with more than a passing nod to the monoshock CBX1000C (Prolink) from the same era, albeit without a fairing and panniers.
Unlike most concept motorcycles, the Honda CB1000F reportedly survived and is now going into production.
None of the details are confirmed. Fishing around the Honda Newsrooms in various countries reveals a stunning lack of information.
CB1000F SP
It was at the Osaka motorcycle show in March this year that the “production” version of the CB1000F was unveiled, with the tease being replaced with suggestions of an SP version.
The CB1000F SP will, evidently, be shown to the world at the Suzuka 8-Hour race on August 1st. Yet more rumours, whispers, and unconfirmed stories suggest that both models, the CB1000F and CB1000F SP, are production-ready.
The model variants are straight out of the Honda playbook. The Honda CB1000 Hornet is available in two specifications: standard and the SP version, which features an Ohlins rear shock and a quick-shifter, all for £10,099.
CB1000R
The CB1000R – AKA the naked ‘Blade – has quietly disappeared from the Honda website. If you search for the CB1000R, it still appears, priced at £13,399, but it has lost its place on the home page.
Its demotion to the back pages of the Honda catalogue suggests that there is space in the model lineup for a replacement. Bringing another four-across-the-frame 1000cc naked bike into the lineup doesn’t seem to make much sense, unless something gets dropped.
Then there are the “special” model variants of the CB1000R. Typically, a clear sign of a manufacturer emptying the parts bin to make space for a new arrival.
Then again, I don’t work in the marketing department of a major motorcycle manufacturer, so what do I know?
Kawasaki
In the Kawasaki lineup, there is the angular-styled Z900 and its SE version, the one with the trick bits. Meanwhile, just across the showroom floor, you’ll find the retro-styled Z900 RS and, you guessed it, an SE version with the trick bits.
There must be a market for both styles of motorcycle, as, underneath, it makes sense for them to share many common parts. Building two completely different bikes competing for sales with each other would be a significant overhead to bear.
Honda looks to be doing the same thing, as the CB-F images show a very similar front end, frame, wheels, engine and swinging arm to the Hornet. Put simply: the same bike, but a different frock.
Pricing
The Kawasaki pricing model sets a roughly £ 2,000 premium to go retro. If Honda takes that as the benchmark for what we are prepared to pay so we can relive our past glories and go retro, then the CB1000F would be £11,000 for the standard version and about £12,000 for the SP.
Although given Honda’s normal pricing strategy, you’ll get the best price for the new models when they are announced, with a price hike expected in the following March as the registration number changes (in the UK).
Motorcycle Live
Hopefully, the Honda CB1000F will make it to Motorcycle Live, which, from memory, the Kawasaki didn’t.
I must admit to being enamoured with the looks of the retro-styled Honda. Perhaps it’s all rose-tinted glasses and memories of screaming around Europe when there were still borders, Moriwaki big-bore kits, a Harris Performance exhaust, and a distinct lack of speed cameras.
Either way, the twenty-something version of me that is still in my head somewhere now has access to a credit card. This might get messy.
