car news

New member of Honda Hornet family

October 16, 2024

Louse in the fur

Hornet is English for hornet. An unusual name for a motorcycle but an appropriate one. Because when Honda introduced the CB600F Hornet to the market in 1998, the naked midsize had everything it needed to be a success. The bike was powerful, light, agile and affordable. A combination that made the Hornet one of the best-selling motorcycles in Europe at the end of the 1990s. So it really was a hornet that stood out: a louse in the fur.

 

Honda Hornet a re-entrant

The Hornet disappeared with a quiet drum. But in 2023 came a re-entrant: the CB750 Hornet. Once again a naked bike following the time-honored recipe with the ingredients: agile, powerful, light and affordable. The sales immediately tasted for more and so in 2024 a CB500 Hornet was released and now a CB1000 Hornet is added.

Waist of a hornet

The Hornet’s styling is aggressive, thanks to the piercing look of its super-compact, dual LED headlights and Hornet-logo fuel tank. The engine looks broad-shouldered at the front and narrows sharply to the rear, like the waist of a Hornet.

 

Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade block

The CB1000 Hornet delivers “an impressive cocktail of intense acceleration and razor-sharp handling for maximum riding pleasure,” according to Honda. Performance is delivered by a back-tuned CBR1000RR Fireblade engine. In the CB1000 Hornet, it delivers 112 kW (152 hp) at 11,000 rpm and 104 Nm at 9,000 rpm. So no 200+ hp like in the superbike Fireblade.

Shorter transmission

In practice, the performance of the CB1000 Hornet will be little inferior to that of the Fireblade. Certainly not in acceleration, because the Hornet has short gear ratios and then it takes less power to get off the spot quickly. A new Twin Spar frame should guarantee the necessary torsional rigidity and furthermore the machine is blessed with the Showa ‘big piston’ SFF upside down front fork and Nissin calipers.

Hornet with riding modes

You can choose from multiple driving modes with different combinations of Power, Engine Braking and Honda Selectable Torque Control. The 5-inch TFT color screen offers Honda RoadSync connectivity. So you can pair a cell phone.

SP version of Honda CB1000 Hornet

For riders who want to further enhance their riding experience, the CB1000 Hornet is available in an SP variant. With this variant, power is boosted to 115.6 kW (157 hp) and torque to 107 Nm. The SP also has high-performance components for the chassis and drivetrain. These include an adjustable Öhlins TTX36 rear shock, a standard quickshifter and Brembo Stylema brakes.










The CB1000 Hornet will be available in the following colorways:

The SP version of the CB1000 Hornet will be available exclusively in the special Mat Ballistic Black Metallic, topped off with gold fork legs and unique wheels painted in “desert gold” metallic.