Honda's CB1000F SE Ready for Production
The CB1000F SE and CB1000F shown at Suzuka.
Honda is still referring to its upcoming CB1000F as a “concept” despite showing multiple examples of the model and a new, part-faired CB1000F SE version at the Suzuka 8 Hours race. The reality is that both variants will be part of the company’s range in 2026.
The CB1000F Concept was initially unveiled back in March, following a similar-looking but mechanically different bike, the CB-F Concept, that was revealed back in 2020. Where the 2020 model used the engine and chassis of Honda’s production CB1000R, including its single-sided swingarm and backbone-style chassis, the near-production CB1000F shown this year is based around the mechanical parts of the CB1000 Hornet, including its Fireblade-based, 150-hp inline-four-cylinder engine, the same steel frame and similar suspension, brakes, and wheels.
Honda CB1000F SE.
The new CB1000F SE shown at Suzuka adds some luxuries, as the “SE” name suggests, including a small, bar-mounted cowl and screen, heated grips, and a slightly revised seat. However, the idea that it’s just a concept bike was dispelled by Honda’s decision to show it in two production-style color schemes—the silver and blue of the earlier, naked version and a new black-and-gray variant—and displaying it alongside multiple examples of the original CB1000F “Concept” including a new silver version with gray graphics.
Front view of the CB1000F SE.
Where the version of the CB1000F Concept shown earlier this year lacked road-going details like a license plate hanger, turn signals, and mirrors, all four examples of the CB1000F and CB1000F SE pictured at Suzuka had gained the required turn signals and license plate brackets, although mirrors are still absent. Honda also used the opportunity to complete demo laps with the CB1000F, showing that it’s a working machine.
As it should be, of course, given the close mechanical relationship with the CB1000 Hornet. The frame, engine, suspension, wheels, and brakes are all straight from the existing production bike, virtually unchanged. Bodywork aside, the most significant alteration is a reshaped seat subframe—a welded-on part, so it’s an update that requires more than a little work—as well as repositioned footpegs for both rider and passenger, and a new exhaust that matches the CB1000F’s traditional styling.
Two color variations of the standard CB1000F.
The production CB1000F and CB1000F SE might not have been confirmed by Honda, but they’re expected to join the company’s 2026 range as replacements for the CB1300 Super Four and CB1300 Super Bol d’Or, bikes that are the descendants of the 1992 Honda CB1000 Super Four Project Big-1. While the Super Four and the part-faired Super Bol d’Or haven’t been sold outside Japan for several years, they’re a staple of Honda’s home-market range. The company has confirmed that 2025 is their last year though, offering Final Edition versions of the bikes to mark that occasion.
The fact that the new CB1000F and SE are based so heavily on the CB1000 Hornet means they won’t have problems meeting international emissions or construction rules, so if Honda wants to offer the machines globally, there’s no barrier to stop it. With rivals enjoying success with retro models like Kawasaki’s Z900RS, Suzuki’s Katana, and Yamaha’s XSR900, not to mention the likes of Triumph’s Bonneville range, there’s clearly a market for such a bike. But that’s not a complete guarantee, as all Honda’s publicity around the CB1000F has been focused purely on Japan so far, and the company has previously created the Africa Twin–based Hawk 11 cafe racer—another bike with retro appeal that has all the ingredients to be both legal and popular on international markets—only to keep it as a Japan-only machine.
If the decision is made to make the CB1000F and SE into global models, it’s likely they’ll get a showing at events like EICMA later this year. If not, the finished model is likely to debut at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo (formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show) at the end of October.