Naked bikes come in all shapes and sizes – there is a high probability that your first bike was either a naked or a cruiser. Most of the world rides around on naked bikes because they are the epitome of practicality when it comes to two wheels. There is a second type of naked as well, one that is a sports bike minus the fairings. These were born of the need to cut escalating costs from fairing replacements after dropping a sports bike too many times!
Some are fire-breathing monsters that offer only a modicum of practicality with their higher handlebars, which also make them wheelie machines. Somewhere in the middle lie the naked that are a combination of these disparate characteristics – enough power to be hilarious any day of the week, but with enough practicality to bring a smile to your face when the service or repair bill is presented to the owner. There is one, at least – we’ve found one naked bike that nails the sweet spot between power and practicality.
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The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Is The Naked Bike That Nails The Sweet Spot Between Power And Practicality
Price: $10,999
The Hornet looks like it is turning into a range of nakeds from Honda. The smaller one is the CB750 Hornet, which uses the engine from the Transalp to offer a low-cost, high-value street bike. The CB1000 Hornet is more of the same; it raids the Honda parts bin to great effect and includes an intelligent selection of electronics to keep costs down. You get a liter naked with 150+ horsepower, which is more than enough for anyone, at an extremely competitive price. As a reference, the flagship CB1000 Hornet SP costs $2,000 less than the outgoing CB1000R and just $1,000 more than the CRF450RL!
The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Has A Powerful Engine
Old Fireblade Engine Has Strong Performance
The CB1000 Hornet SP utilizes the engine out of a 2017-2019 Fireblade, but tweaked to deliver more torque. Honda has been doing this with the CB1000R as well, but it seems to be especially effective this time around. This 999 cc inline four generates a maximum of 155 horsepower and 78.9 pound-feet in Europe and Britain. The big bummer, though, is that the US-spec model is said to be toned down to under 130 ponies.
This is an old-school screamer of an inline four. But you do get a by-wire throttle that allows you access to three preset ride modes plus two user-configurable ones. Controllable parameters include power level, engine brake level, wheelie control, and HSTC (traction control) settings. A two-way quickshifter is standard fitment to the six-speed manual gearbox (optional on the non-SP), and a chain drives the rear wheel.
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Engine Specifications
|
Engine Configuration |
Inline four, liquid cooling, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
|
Displacement |
1,000 cc |
|
Bore x Stroke |
76 x 55.1 mm |
|
Compression Ratio |
11.7:1 |
|
Power |
157.2 HP @ 11,000 RPM |
|
Torque |
78.9 LB-FT @ 9,000 RPM |
|
Fuel System |
PGM-FI Electronic Fuel Injection |
|
Transmission |
6 speed manual transmission, assist and slipper clutch, standard two-way quickshifter |
|
Final Drive |
Chain drive |
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The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is more powerful than the Suzuki GSX-S1000.
A New Perimeter Chassis Underpins The CB1000 Hornet
Suspension And Brakes Are The Highlight
Honda has switched out the CB1000R’s frame for an all-new twin-spar frame for the CB1000 Hornet SP. This is a frame built out of steel tubes, and the rear subframe is an integral welded-on part of the frame. Using steel tubes and integrating the subframe helps Honda save production cost, but this also means it will be quite a bit more expensive to repair should the subframe get bent in a crash. For reference, its nearest competitor, the Suzuki GSX-S1000, uses an old GSX-R1000 aluminum twin-spar frame with a bolted-on subframe.
Honda has chosen to give the US market the CB1000 Hornet SP exclusively, which offers a few other premium components in the underpinnings department, besides the higher-output engine and standard quickshifter. The Showa inverted front forks offer adjustment for compression, rebound damping, and preload. At the rear, an Öhlins TTX36 that usually does duty on track-focused liter sport bikes offers adjustability for the same three things as the front fork.
The front brakes consist of a radial master cylinder distributing the force from the lever to radially mounted Brembo Stylema calipers that grip floating discs which, again, are usually found on track-focused missiles rather than a cost-conscious naked. These components are downgraded to a rear Showa shock with only preload and rebound adjustment, and the front brake calipers are Nissin units. ABS is present at both ends, but it doesn’t offer any adjustable levels or the ability to be switched off.
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Chassis Specs And Weight
|
Chassis |
One-piece twin spar steel tube |
|
Front Suspension |
41mm fully adjustable inverted Showa SFF-BP fork; 4.6-inch travel |
|
Rear Suspension |
Fully adjustable Pro-link Öhlins single shock; 5.5-inch travel |
|
Front Tire And Wheel |
120/70 ZR17 |
|
Rear Tire And Wheel |
180/55 ZR17 |
|
Front Brakes |
Dual 310mm discs with radial-mount four-piston fixed Brembo Stylema calipers |
|
Rear Brakes |
240 mm disc with single piston floating Nissin caliper |
|
Length/Width/Height |
84.25/31.1/42.7 inches |
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
4.5 Gallons |
|
Wheelbase |
57.3 inches |
|
Rake |
25.5 degrees |
|
Trail |
4.0 inches |
|
Seat Height |
31.9 inches |
|
Ground Clearance |
5.2 inches |
|
Curb Weight |
456 LBs (ready to roll with full tank of fuel) |
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There Is An Intelligent Mix Of Features And Accessories
The CB1000 Hornet SP gets a five-inch TFT display that is familiar from other Honda models. This is a legible display with easy-to-understand menus and RoadSync connectivity. That means access to calls and messages, control of music, and turn-by-turn navigation all on the screen and via the buttons on the handlebars. The options list isn’t very long, but there are options like heated grips and radiator protection. Other things include a belly pan, luggage, a fly screen, different seat upholstery, and sporty footpegs.
The CB1000 Hornet’s styling is worth mentioning here, too. Honda took an uncharacteristic risk when it decided to opt for the CB1000R’s ‘neo-retro sports café’ styling concept in 2017. This has filtered through the range, and it is a distinctive look for sure. But the two Hornets follow a radically different design language that is more in line with streetfighters today.
The design has some recognizable elements from other streetfighters – the ubiquitous dual headlamp design is reminiscent of the Z900, and the sharp creases, exposed trellis subframe and forward-biased design make it look fast even at rest. Also, this is offered globally only in the black paint with the gold wheels and forks, which falls right in line with its policy of offering most of the models in its US range in a single color.
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Features
- Top-shelf suspension components
- Brembo radial master cylinder for front brakes
- 5-inch TFT display
- Wheelie control
- Traction control
- Standard quickshifter
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Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Competition
Only One True Competitor, But Honda Offers The Most Value
The CB1000 Hornet SP’s $10,999 and its specs are incredibly different. On power alone, we’d be looking at the likes of the Ducati Streetfighter V2 ($14,995), BMW S 1000 R ($15,440), and Yamaha MT-10 SP ($17,299). But they have, simply put, priced themselves out of this conversation. Then, the bike nearest in both concept as well as price to the CB1000 Hornet SP is the Suzuki GSX-S1000.
Other models comparable in pricing as well as features are the Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS, which offers quality suspension and optional ABS, and the Yamaha MT-09 with the brilliant CP3 crossplane inline three engine and a six-axis IMU that the others at the price don’t offer. These middleweights fall short in terms of peak power, though.
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Vs Rivals
|
Model |
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP |
Suzuki GSX-S1000 |
Kawasaki Z 900 SE ABS |
Yamaha MT-09 |
|
Price |
$10,999 |
$11,909 |
$11,849 |
$12,499 |
|
Engine |
Inline four cylinder |
Inline four cylinder |
Inline four cylinder |
CP3 crossplane inline three |
|
Displacement |
1,000 cc |
999 cc |
948 cc |
889 cc |
|
Power |
157.2 HP @ 11,000 RPM |
150 HP @ 11,000 RPM |
123 HP @ 9,500 RPM |
117.4 HP @ 10,000 RPM |
|
Torque |
78.9 LB-FT @ 9,000 RPM |
79.6 LB-FT @ 9,500 RPM |
73.1 LB-FT @ 7,700 RPM |
68.6 LB-FT @ 7,000 RPM |
|
Curb Weight (Wet) |
456 LBs |
472 pounds |
472 pounds |
417 pounds |