2025 Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Review

[Admin]

I have a 2015 CB1000R and the new CB1000 Hornet replaces this bike so I was really interested to see what my bike’s replacement is like.

I had the absolute pleasure of having the Hornet SP on loan from Honda Motorcycles UK for a couple of weeks and what a great time I had.

Looking at the bikes together, I think they’re very similar in style. What do you think?

Excuse the furry seat cover, I found the seat on the Hornet SP on the hard side and needed extra padding!

The Hornet comes in two models, the Hornet and the Hornet SP with a £1,000 price difference between the two models.

A Few Specs for you:

• Weight: 212 kg
• Seat height: 809 mm 
• 1000 cc Liquid cooled 4 stroke engine
• Power: 115.6 kW @ 11,000 rpm, 155 bhp
• Torque: 107 Nm @ 9,000 rpm
• 6 speed
• Riding Modes: Rain, Standard, Sport and 2 x User
• TFT customisable screen with Honda RoadSync connectivity  
• 17 litre fuel tank
• Emergency Stop Signal
• Showa upside-down forks with Ohlins monoshock damper and Prolink swingarm
• 1 colour option: Matte Ballistic Black Metallic from £10,099

Engine

The 1000cc, liquid cooled DOHC, 4 stroke 16-valve engine is Euro 5 compliant and does have its own distinctive sound. Peak power of 115.6 kW arrives @ 11,000rpm with peak torque @ 107 Nm delivered at 9,000 rpm pushing out a rather cool 155 bhp. 

The engine has been tuned for punchy but smooth low to mid range delivery with precise throttle control with its 11.7 compression ratio.

The gearbox ratios have been tuned for instant acceleration while the assist/slipper clutch eases upshifts while managing rear-wheel lock up under hard braking and rapid downshifts. 

Chassis

The one-piece steel twin-spar frame, engine, trellis-style rear subframe and prolink swingarm are all finished in black immediately adding to the rather cool streetfighter look of this bike.

The gold wheels, forks and accents on the SP really do suit this bike. Personally, I am not a fan of gold on bikes but the black and gold combination on the SP really do go perfectly together.

The Showa rear shock operates through Pro-Link for perfect suspension control, with adjustable 41mm Showa SFF-BP USD front forks. 

The standard end can on the SP!!

On the front is a radial mounted four-piston Brembo Stylema brake caliper with 310 mm floating double discs with a Nissin single caliper 240mm single disc on the rear.

The SP also sports the Ohlins monoshock damper with the prolink swingarm giving it 139 mm of travel.

Now the end can on the SP is huge, not very pretty and wayyy too quiet. Changing this would have to be a first purchase for me. What do you think?

Instrument Display

The 5” TFT screen on the SP is really clear and easy to read, you need to see what you need to see at glance – speed, gear you are in, fuel, time etc. 

The display can be customised using the 4 way toggle switch on the left handlebar. I thought the SP only had a fuel range display on the screen but after checking out the display in more detail, I found how to change what I saw on the screen. Navigating my way around the screen was surprisingly easy too, you just have to set the screen up to what you want to see.

The SP has modes: rain, standard, sport and two customisable user modes so you can set the bike up to your requirements.

You can connect your Android 8.0 or iOS14 (or later) smartphone with the Honda RoadSync app which can be installed through your Google or Apple account. The app will also connect to your Bluetooth helmet-mounted headset with audio input.

The navigation app, which is OS specific, provides the navigation base for Honda RoadSync, with the turn-by-turn directions voice guided and displayed via the meter panel on the TFT screen.

Tyres

The tyres on the Hornet SP are Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23 which Bridgestone describe as:

• a sports radial motorcycle tyre for street use that’s engineered to meet the requirements of the ever evolving modern-day sport bikes;
• the latest product in Bridgestone’s premium motorcycle tyre range, BATTLAX, features increased levels of exceptional dry and wet grip performance, employing a newly-designed compound and updated pattern design.

I was really impressed with these tyres, I liked the way the bike felt and how well they handled and gripped the road. 

Even on wet roads, the tyres performed well and gave me the confidence I crave from a tyre when riding.

LED Lights

The headlight is soooo cool Probably one of the coolest out there.

There are LED lights all round on the SP and I found the headlight worked really well in the dark, especially on main beam, they really light up the road.

The front indicators are illuminated permanently when the ignition is on and flash when turned on.

A tail tidy is a must too with the SP, as is the case with pretty much all new bikes nowadays. As you know, the number plate has to be the rearmost part of the bike on all new bikes.

The rear number plate housing!

The indicators have the Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) function which means that at a minimum speed of 56 km/h, with either brake working if negative acceleration of a minimum of 6.0m/s² is detected, the hazard lights flash to warn other road users a hard stop is in process. At the same speed the threshold is reduced if ABS is activated, to a negative acceleration of a minimum 2.5m/s². 

What’s The Honda CBR500R Like To Ride, I hear you say?

The more I ride this bike, the more I love it

I have really gelled with the Hornet, it really does suit me and my riding style. Every time I come back from a ride, the grin on my face says it all.

This Hornet doesn’t half shift with it’s 155 bhp and very nicely too. You can knock it down a gear to do an overtake but really you do not need to, just open the throttle and the power comes on and you are out and back in again quickly and smoothly.

The quickshifter

The quickshifter (this comes as standard on the SP) is incredibly smooth and goes up and down the gears really nicely. I have found from experience that Honda has the smoothest quickshifters. When on a ride and going through the twisties, just using the quickshifter makes the riding so much smoother and more fun too

The rear light.

The Hornet did attract a lot of attention when parked up, people were interested to come and have a look and sit on the bike so they could see what it was like.

The SP comes with Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension and is actually 1 kg lighter than the standard Hornet.

I think Honda have got the styling of the Hornet spot on, I really like the design of the headlights and the rear light is very cool too.

Both the standard and the SP have the same modes – rain, road, sport and 2 x user but the SP has 5 bhp more. I would definitely pay the extra for the SP.

Ohlins suspension.

For the money, from £10,099, you are getting an awful lot of bike for your money although there are a few things that I would change straightaway, namely:

• An end can. The OEM can is just awful in my opinion. I had so many comments about this either when parked up or on social media. It is just way too big and of a very boring design, this would have to be changed. The heel of my boot also rested on the heat shield as there is not much room between the peg and the shield and I am only a size 6 shoe.
• A tail tidy is needed but to be honest this is the case with pretty much all new bikes nowadays so this is probably no surprise to anyone.
• The seat. There really is not much padding at all in the seat, it is incredibly hard. Either that or I need to start eating more cakes to make my own padding
• The clutch lever is not adjustable (the brake lever is) and if you have small hands like me, you may find it a stretch to reach the lever.

The Hornet weighs in at 212 kg with a seat height of 809 mm. I’m 5’6” and my feet were nicely on the floor but I find moving the bike around a little on the hard side, I think maybe the weight is slightly higher up. This did not affect the riding of the bike of course. My husband, who is taller and heavier than me, did not think it was a problem at all.

I really like the way the bike felt in the corners, solid and stable, you could tell this was what it was designed for, sweeping bends and twisting roads. You are sitting ‘in’ the bike rather than ‘on’ the bike, so you do feel at one with it. It is just you and the bike.

The brakes are responsive and do what they need you to do perfectly well. I did find there was a lot of engine braking so just lifting off the throttle scrubs off some speed.

The suspension was good, I found it really soaked up the lumps and bumps on our roads nicely and made for a nice comfortable ride (despite the uncomfortable seat!).

I could quite happily ride this bike all day and think it would be a great bike for touring on, as well of course, as everyday riding, the riding position is very comfortable.

The Hornet is one bike that I know I shall miss when it has gone back, I really like this bike, there is definitely something about the Hornet that makes you want to go back out for another ride. One ride is never enough!

Thank you to Honda Motorcycles UK for the loan of the CB1000 Hornet SP.

BK

The post 2025 Honda CB1000 Hornet SP Review appeared first on BikerKaz.

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[Simon Davey]

That's a great read, lots of great information. Cheers. 

I think your 2015 CB1000 is better looking, that has a lot to do with the colour scheme. The lack of colour choice would make the Hornet a non-starter if I was buying. 

Edited Sunday at 20:11 by Simon Davey

[RideWithStyles]

Nice read but I will only brush over points- typo? 500 was mentioned for some reason?

also how uncomfortable must it be if you had to add a sheep skin to a press/demo bike?

id agree with SD…. If you make it sharp, with styling on the point of edgy you might aswell make its colour somewhat striking or at least different FFS.
Further aspect of styling, Why the exhaust is so round and bulbous yet the body work and lines is so edged? To me that is Honda saying…give us more of your money, buy our accessories exhaust to me.

[bud]

Good review.

For the difference in price. It's a no brainer to buy the sp, over the standard model. It's got some good upgrades.

I think most manufacturers know the exhaust will be changed now. It's just something to get through emissions testing.