2024 Honda CB1000R On Way

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Illustration of the new Honda CB1000R. (Honda/)

Honda’s CB1000R has long followed a simple recipe: take a previous-generation CBR1000RR engine, mix in a single-sided swingarm and a purpose-made chassis, and sprinkle on some neo-retro styling. The result is a good-looking super-naked, but one that’s often overlooked thanks to rivals that use more up-to-date engines and technology.

With the launch of the all-new CBR1000RR-R in 2020, a door opened for Honda to dig that recipe out again. The current CBR1000RR-R has a completely new 999cc engine, while the current CB1000R uses a motor derived from the 2004 to 2007 CBR1000RR mill. This means the 998cc inline-four that has powered Honda’s superbike between 2008 to the current model year here in the U.S. is likely to get phased out, considering that the CBR models on sale here have different platforms completely. The engine in the current base-model CBR is just begging to be dropped into a new naked bike to rival the likes of Yamaha’s MT-10 and BMW’s S 1000 R.

The left-side shows the new shock and you can get a good view of some of the other changes including the stout aluminum frame in place of the previous/current model’s backbone steel unit. (Honda/)

Now Honda has filed a flurry of new patent applications in Japan clearly showing that’s exactly what’s being developed. They illustrate a four-cylinder naked streetfighter using a version of the 2008-2022 CBR1000RR engine in a chassis that’s also reminiscent of that generation of superbike, but with CB1000R styling cues including the signature single-sided swingarm and a slightly melted-looking headlight similar to the current, 2021-on model.

Here you can see the little winglets mounted to the radiator brackets. (Honda/)

The bike’s chassis is a substantial break from the current CB1000R. While that machine uses a backbone-style steel frame, the new design reverts to an aluminum design with a massively strong front section bolted to the top of the engine and separate brackets clamping the swingarm pivot section. Up front we see a substantial upside-down fork and radial-mount brake calipers, while the rear is dominated by the single-sided arm and an unusual exhaust system with two exits, perhaps hinting at an internal valve system to change the exhaust routing depending on revs or throttle opening.

A good look at the new license-plate bracket. (Honda/)

Honda’s patent applications for the bike relate to three specific areas: The rear license-plate carrier, the swingarm design, and the winglets on the front of the bike. The last element is a clear departure from the current CB1000R, which has a more overtly retro appearance and does without such aero addenda. The winglets are mounted on the radiator brackets and, according to the patent, are intended to generate genuine downforce rather than simply being a styling feature. The patentable element of the license plate bracket is a design that incorporates the rear turn signals into the sides (marked 80 in the drawings).

A top view of the new offset-left-side rear shock placement. (Honda/)

The images show that Honda has developed a linkage for a horizontal rear shock operated via a rocker link, rather like the setup on Ducati’s Panigale V2, with the shock offset to the left of the bike. The shock linkage is mounted onto an aluminum extension on top of the swingarm that doubles as a chain guard, reducing the component count. It’s a layout that also makes a styling feature of the rear suspension.

Another view of the new shock. (Honda/)

The substantial change in terms of power and performance will be the adoption of the 998cc from the current standard CBR1000RR, which has a larger 76mm bore and shorter 55.1mm stroke (vs. 75 x 56.5mm on the current CB1000R). In its most evolved form, as introduced in 2017, that engine made a claimed 189 horsepower. Honda will most certainly tame that peak power for use in a naked streetfighter, but to compete with the likes of the BMW S 1000 R, Yamaha’s MT-10 and Triumph’s latest Speed Triple the firm will need to be aiming for the 160 to 170 hp range, which is substantially more than the 144 hp of the current CB1000R.

How soon will we see the bike? It’s not set to be a 2023 model, as Honda has already confirmed the 2023 CB1000R is unchanged, but there’s a good chance that a concept or styling model, probably penned by the company’s Italian studio at the R&D center in Rome, could appear in the near future, with a production model following for 2024.

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