Honda CB1000 Hornet SP to hit Australia in 2025

The all-new Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is headed for Australia, with the high-spec naked set to land early in 2025.

Following on from the acclaimed CB750 Hornet and the LAMS-friendly CB500 Hornet, the new CB1000 Hornet SP is powered by a four-cylinder engine adapted from the 2017 CBR1000RR superbike.

The engine produces 115.6kW (roughly 155hp) at 11,000rpm and 107Nm at 9000rpm. For reference, that puts it between the Kawasaki Z1000 and the BMW S 1000 R in the 1000cc four-cylinder naked power stakes.

While there is a standard CB1000 Hornet available is overseas markets, Australia will only get the up-spec SP variant.

With the SP designation, the new Hornet 1000 comes with a fully adjustable 41mm Showa SFF-BP USD fork, an Ohlins TTX36 rear shock, Brembo Stylema stoppers, and a quickshifter fitted as standard.

Elsewhere, the new four-cylinder Hornet offers a full electronics suite, including multiple power and engine brake modes, four levels of traction control and wheelie control, and a five-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity.

The bike is held together by a new steel twin-spar frame and 17-inch wheels, with Honda saying the chassis has “high torsional rigidity to improve handling agility”.

Honda had success with the Hornet moniker throughout the 90s and into the 00s, with the likes of the CB600F Hornet and the CB900F Hornet. The brand revived the name in 2023 with the CB750 Hornet – a bike that finished on the podium in the 2023 bikesales Bike of the Year awards.

Pricing for the new CB1000 Hornet SP is yet to be revealed, but Honda is hoping the bike will be on Aussie dealer floors in the first quarter of 2025.