Is This Honda s Coolest Street Bike : All products featured on Vicky are independently selected by our editors. We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Learn moreFew things are more of a buzzkill in motoring than finding out some great new vehicle exists only as a concept or can’t be found where you live.
The latter was precisely the experience I experienced with Honda’s CB1000 Hornet SP, a brilliant yet inviting naked street bike … that’s only available in Europe.But there’s some silver lining at the end of this tunnel. Honda this month revealed that the CB1000SP — without the bug-friendly nomenclature — is one of three bikes making its way to Canada. (The other two are the CB750 and NT1100, if you’re keeping score at home.)
Motoink — a group of dogged detectives in the motorcycle world — this week released documents relating to the case. Well, it turns out that the fine folk over at Motorcycle.com have dug through enough paperwork to make a few predictions of their own, and the suggest these bikes are headed to America later this year too. Halle-freaking-lujah.
Reading between the lines
So how did veteran site and industry operative Dennis Chung connect the dots? He first reasoned that the California Air Resources board had certified two of those bikes.His search led him to all three bikes registered in a VIN decoder posted (and later removed) by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Chung writes that the redaction is just a bid to slow a “bombshell” news.I tend to agree. And I sincerely hope that’s the case, because this bike looks like fun.
Naked and unafraid
Unlike in Europe, where you can choose between two models, the CB1000 and CB1000SP, only the CB1000SP is coming to the U.S. and Canada.I’m totally okay with this, because while you pay a bit extra for the latter over there (£8,999 to £9,999 in the UK, for example), it’s a touch torque-y (and bhp-y) — and looks significantly more attractive, imho.
Honda says everything on this streetfighter style ride has a purpose, which is likely a contributing factor to the stripped down appearance (in a good way).Visual treats include narrow twin LED projecting headlights, gold-tinted wheels and fork, and a trim, blacked-out frame and trellis type rear subframe. The engine, swingarm and a chubby exhaust pipe that would be hard to hide no matter the color all get the satin black treatment, too.
Perhaps the best example of this focus is a wide, radically tapered fuel tank that completes the performance-oriented look.Engine size is 1,000cc (or 999, depending on where on the UK site you’re looking), as one might surmise from the name.Either way, the DOHC four-cylinder engine produces a max of 155 horsepower at 11,000 rpm and 78.9 lb-ft. of torque at 9,000 rpm (compared to 150hp and 76.7 lb-ft for the non-SP version). It’s a shame, however, according to the aforementioned VIN decoder, the US version will peak out at 129 hp. A big dropoff, to be sure, but not a deal breaker.
From a handling perspective, Honda says one-piece steel twin-spar frame shifts weight toward the front wheel and increases torsional rigidity for quick corner entry and agile side-to-side movementThe Öhlins TTX36 Pro-Link rear shock and radial-mount Brembo Stylema four-piston calipers clasping 310mm floating discs, in the meantime, keep this beast in check.
These features are a welcome addition, as the change in power, torque and aggressive riding position will likely make most riders want to pedal to metal, as they say. As much as I appreciate analog motorcycles, the CB1000SP is too contemporary to uncouple. Resting on the TA’s bars is a 5-inch full color TFT display that allows the rider to choose between three default riding modes — Rain, Standard and Sport.You can also set 2 user modes (with 3 levels of engine power/engine brake and 4 levels of torque control, and wheelie control to choose from).