Honda CB1000 Hornet SP First Ride

We usually start a road test of new motorcycle with a summary of its exciting technical updates and innovations, but the standout revelation for the all-new Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is not its stunning, sweetly retuned 2017 Fireblade engine or its sumptuous TTX 36 Öhlins shock or even is its Brembo Stylema stoppers. No, it’s its price.

Somehow Honda has brought a show-stopping, 155 hp naked to town for under 10,000 pounds sterling in the UK. And if that figure isn’t impressive enough for you, there is a non-SP CB1000 Hornet that starts at under 9,000 pounds. We can almost hear Honda dealers celebrating across Europe while riders in the US wait impatiently for an announcement of the Hornet’s arrival stateside.

Honda reintroduced the Hornet brand outside of the US back in 2023 with the CB750 parallel twin, which was competitively priced and went on to become Europe’s bestselling naked middleweight that year. With the introduction of the CB500 Hornet last year, the all-new 1000 now completes the Hornets’ nest.

As noted, Honda offers two variants: the base bike and the eye-catching SP. Both share the same twin-spar frame, Showa 41mm USD fully adjustable forks, wheels and rubber (Bridgestone S22 or Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2), rider aids, dash, and electronics. The SP gains that Öhlins TTX shock and Brembos along with an up-and-down quickshifter and is only available in black. Both bikes share the same Fireblade-derived motor, but the SP gains a neat little exhaust valve which pushes peak power to 155 hp compared to 150 hp of the standard bike.

Honda invited Cycle World to southern Spain for a day of test riding the new SP version. We went in search of how the red brand has managed to produce so much bike for so little cash.