Engine architecture
Inline four throughout
Every Honda flagship naked since 1996 has been an inline four. The CB1000 Hornet SP uses a CBR1000RR FireBlade SP-2 derived motor (2017-2019 generation) — Honda raid the parts bin and put the proven litre superbike engine into the new naked.
Power gain
+59bhp
98bhp Big One → 157bhp CB1000 Hornet SP. 60% more horsepower in 30 years from the same architecture and approximately the same capacity. Modern engine technology and superbike-derived parts.
Real cost change
−£3.9k
Big One was £7,000 in 1996 (£14,000 today). The 2026 CB1000 Hornet SP is £10,099 — about 28% cheaper in real terms. Honda priced the new Hornet SP very aggressively to compete with the MT-10 base model and the Z H2 base; class-leading value at this trim level.
What the Hornet SP replaces
CB1000R
The CB1000R was discontinued in 2024 in EU markets. Honda replaced it with the CB1000 Hornet SP — same role (litre-class naked), totally new motor (FireBlade derived rather than the old CB1000R unit), modern Hornet styling rather than the CB1000R neo-retro. Major repositioning.
Hornet name comeback
Now flagship again
The Hornet name moved through Honda lineup over 30 years — CB600F (1998), CB900F (2002), then sat dormant 2014-2022, returned on CB750 Hornet (2023), now on CB1000 Hornet SP (2025). The Hornet is now Honda flagship modern naked again, after a 23-year gap from the CB900F.
Rider aids count
0 → 8
1996: nothing. 2026: ABS, traction control, ride modes, quickshifter, smartphone, cruise control, hill control, Öhlins suspension. Solid for the price point — though Honda chose to keep electronics simpler than the BMW or KTM equivalent.
Cheapest way in
£2.5k
A clean CB900F Hornet from 2006-2008. FireBlade-derived motor, naked styling, A-license fun. The bike many UK riders have nostalgia for — and the spiritual predecessor to the CB1000 Hornet SP.
