Honda Cb1000 Hornet: powerful as a Fireblade, accessible as a mid-size bike

The 2025 Honda CB1000 Hornet is undoubtedly one of the most important new arrivals on the Italian market this year, a hyper-naked with a bold name and impressive numbers that has quickly won over the public. Having arrived in dealerships at the beginning of the year, the model has already earned a spot in the top 20 best-selling motorcycles in Italy, easily surpassing its smaller sister, the twin-cylinder Hornet 750. The Hornet 1000, on the other hand, is equipped with the 150+ hp in-line four-cylinder from the Fireblade superbike from a few years ago, the core of the entire project. The bike is available in two versions, Standard and Sp: the former is priced at a decidedly attractive €10,390 , while the latter adds an Öhlins TTX shock absorber, Brembo Stylema calipers, a standard quickshifter, and an exhaust valve that gives it a touch more punch, reaching a price of €11,990. After testing the SP version at the launch, we had the base model available for a few more days to explore its full potential. But before delving into the results of our test, let's quickly review its main features (which are analyzed in greater detail in the article presenting the model at EICMA 2024).

In purely aesthetic terms, the new CB1000 Hornet immediately seems to convey a certain aggressiveness : its silhouette is athletic and muscular, with vaguely scowling twin full LED headlights, wide handlebars, a wide and muscular 17-litre fuel tank and a compact and pointed tail fairing, like the sting of a hornet (Hornet, in English). Among the most eye-catching elements are the black-finished frame which shows off the welding to the rear subframe (which is therefore not bolted to it) and the four exhaust manifolds which emerge from the front of the engine before joining up in the catalytic converter and the bulky silencer on the right side.

The real ace up the sleeve of the new CB1000 Hornet, as already mentioned, is the 999 cc in-line four-cylinder engine, derived from the one in the 2017-2019 CBR1000RR Fireblade supersport bike, suitably revised for more road use and to subject it to the dictates of the Euro 5+ regulation. In this configuration it is less thirsty and delivers 152 hp of power at 11,000 rpm and 104 Nm of maximum torque at 9,000 rpm, the SP variant which can count on 5 hp and 3 Nm more due to the exhaust with a higher-performance power valve. According to Honda, fuel consumption is in the order of 17 km/l.

The core of the chassis is a brand new twin-spar steel frame , with high torsional stiffness and mated to a double-sided aluminum swingarm. This means goodbye to the single-sided swingarm of the previous CB1000 . As for the suspension , fully adjustable and designed by Showa , we find a 41 mm SFF-Bd upside-down fork up front while at the rear there is a mono with Pro-Link linkage. Moving on to the brakes , up front we find two 310 mm floating discs mated to four-piston Nissin radial calipers, while at the rear there is a 240 mm disc gripped by a two-piston Nissin caliper.

The Hornet 1000's electronics package is decidedly rich, but not as comprehensive as some of its rivals. This conscious choice, made to keep the price down, has allowed the model to feature an electronic throttle, traction control with integrated anti-wheelie, adjustable engine braking, the essential dual-channel ABS, and the three classic predefined riding modes— "Sport," "Standard," and "Rain"—plus two customizable ones. Cruise control, an inertial measurement platform, and a 12V socket are therefore missing, but not a USB port. The quickshifter , as mentioned, is standard only on the SP version, and everything is controlled via a 5" color TFT dashboard with Honda RoadSync connectivity.

For our test, we had a standard CB1000 Hornet in the vibrant "Grand Prix Red" color and equipped with a quickshifter. At first glance, it presents itself as a bike with a bull-like posture, well-crafted in its details and decidedly modern in its approach. Its appearance and proportions are those of a true streetfighter , but overall, in terms of its lines , one can't help but notice a vague resemblance to other similar proposals from the Land of the Rising Sun and beyond. In other words, at first glance, it doesn't appear to have a well-defined personality or a clearly distinguishable style. The riding position , with its thin 809 mm high saddle , open handlebars, and slightly raised and rearward footpegs, is comfortable and welcoming, despite betraying its sporty aspirations: the torso is sufficiently erect but leaned forward, without placing too much weight on the arms, and the knees find plenty of room in the recesses of the fuel tank, aided by a particularly narrow waist in the area where it joins the saddle. Ground contact is thus particularly comfortable for those who are at least 1.70 m tall. The control blocks have a classic, uncluttered configuration, and the joystick on the right side is certainly functional, but perhaps something more could have been done in terms of rationalizing the available space.

The aforementioned riding position encourages a lot of front-wheel steering, which translates into a certain ease in weaving through city traffic , naturally taking into account its considerable size. The engine immediately presents itself with a guttural and menacing sound and is quite responsive at low and medium revs for a four-cylinder. Its delivery in Standard mode is rather linear, without jerks, and if traffic gets heavy you can also resort to Rain mode , which makes the engine response extremely manageable even on dry surfaces. The suspension tends to be on the stiff side and absorbs the most pronounced city bumps with some difficulty, while the braking system , while not as top-notch as the Sp, does its job admirably, demonstrating good modulation and also displaying a certain bite when faced with the most decisive squeezes of the lever. The clutch is not the softest and requires a few kilometers to find the right combination. . If you want, the Hornet 1000 has all the credentials to wear the placid clothes of a commuter , but its true vocation is obviously another.

The verdant Brianza region is the ideal setting to test the best qualities of Honda's new "bumblebee." On the hilly terrain , the powerful Japanese naked bike unleashes a good portion of its generous horsepower and showcases its dynamic qualities, enhanced by the rigidity of the frame and the perfect weight distribution. The 211 kg (450 lb) wet weight is less significant thanks to the low center of gravity and excellent balance, and the initial Showa suspension settings are much more effective than in the city, readily compensating for uneven asphalt. Added to this is the generous legroom , useful for moving from one side of the seat to the other, and the impeccable work of the quickshifter. The result is a bike that flows imperturbably and precisely through the curves, with plenty of feel at the front and quick to change direction. And with every decisive opening of the throttle, it plods along furiously, especially after 6,500 rpm, inviting you to have fun right up to the limits of the Highway Code . Its impressive power therefore comes out at high revs and it's objectively difficult to think of fully exploiting it on the road, but even in Sport mode , with traction control at minimum and a front end that tends to lift, the bike still retains a certain amount of malleability in its delivery. Fast corners are its bread and butter, to the delight of lean-over lovers, but even in tight corners or on hairpin bends, the Hornet 1000 suffers no embarrassment. What's more, it can also trot along at moderate speeds without any power loss, thus allowing you to calmly enjoy the view. The brakes are also good again, with the rear one well-modulated to correct trajectories on the road.

On Milan's ring roads, and by extension on the motorway , the CB1000 Hornet sails as serenely as a grand touring bike: it has medium-long gearing, is stable at high speeds, and vibrations , which begin to be felt around 6,000 rpm, are completely negligible (note the rubberized footpegs). The model we had at our disposal is equipped with a tiny smoked plexiglass windshield that Honda offers as an accessory, but despite this, aerodynamic protection remains limited. The seat is optimally shaped to allow the rider a minimum of movement, but after a few hours on board, it perhaps proves a bit too hard to consider embarking on long journeys with few stops. In this context, some regrets arise for the lack of cruise control, while a special mention must be made of the TFT display, always clearly visible in the sun.

The new CB1000 Hornet is a powerful naked bike with an unabashedly sporty setup, capable of being explosive and engaging when needed despite having to make some compromises in terms of equipment. This approach has allowed it to hit the market with an objectively killer price , thus fending off increasingly ambitious Chinese competition, but it hasn't stopped it from reiterating the concept that Honda only makes good bikes, offering great riding pleasure supported by simple yet effective electronics. The €10,390 asking price for its package seems decidedly competitive for a bike that nevertheless yearns for some track excursions to unleash its full potential without hesitation. The SP variant is better equipped for this purpose thanks to its greater power and torque, improved suspension and braking components, and the standard quick-shifter, but on the road all this doesn't make the same difference as it does on the curbs. And it's with this diverse range of uses in mind that the €1,600 premium required to secure it should be considered. The standard CB1000 Hornet, however, is not a bike for beginners: it's a thoroughbred naked bike with an enviable performance-to-price ratio that has already earned a large following worldwide. And after riding it in a variety of contexts, it's not hard to understand why.

These are the main advantages and disadvantages of the 2025 Honda Cb1000 Hornet that we found during our test:

• Powerful and flexible engine: the thrust is there, but it is never brutal
• Balanced and intuitive chassis: the bike is agile, stable and communicative in any context
• Excellent price in relation to the quality and power offered

• Poor aerodynamic protection
• Little personality on an aesthetic level
• Absence of cruise control

These are the main technical specifications of the 2025 Honda Cb1000 Hornet released by the Japanese manufacturer: