Retro naked bikes have become one of the hottest segments in the big bike market. Riders love the classic styling, but they also want modern performance and tech underneath. That’s exactly the space Honda’s CB1000F is aiming for. It’s a liter-class roadster that blends old-school CB design with modern superbike-derived hardware.
Naturally, this puts it in the same conversation as machines like the Kawasaki Z900RS and my personal favorite, the Yamaha XSR900. And now, after months of waiting, it looks like Honda may finally be bringing its newest retro heavyweight to the US.
According to reporting by our friends over at Motorcycle.com, Honda has cleared a big hurdle for the CB1000F. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified the bike for the 2026 model year, which usually means one thing: It’s finally coming.
For those of us who’ve been watching this bike from afar, that’s huge news. Honda revealed the CB1000F for Europe last October and the reaction was immediate. Riders in the US and other parts of the world wanted to know if they’d get one too. Until now, Honda had stayed quiet. EPA certification is the strongest signal yet that the retro liter-class naked is finally headed stateside.
It certainly didn’t go this smoothly, though. The CB1000F actually hit a snag during development that delayed production. We talked about how the engine had higher than expected engine oil consumption during testing. That’s the kind of issue manufacturers take very seriously because it usually means something deep inside the engine isn’t behaving exactly the way it should.
In most cases, excessive oil consumption can point to things like piston ring sealing, cylinder wall finish, or internal tolerances that aren’t quite where engineers want them to be. Honda reportedly paused the rollout while it investigated and corrected the problem before moving forward.
That being said, it now looks like the issue has been sorted out, and the CB1000F is finally back on track. And honestly, this is one of Honda’s most anticipated new bikes in years. The CB1000F leans hard into Honda’s heritage, pulling its visual inspiration from Freddie Spencer’s AMA-spec CB750F race bike. It has that classic big-UJM look with a round headlight, straight tank lines, and a simple muscular stance that feels properly old school.
Underneath that retro skin is a thoroughly modern liter-class naked bike. Power comes from a 1,000cc inline-four derived from the 2017 CBR1000RR (and the same engine powering the CB1000 Hornet). Honda revised the camshafts and intake to make the power delivery more street friendly rather than superbike aggressive. The result is a claimed 122 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 76 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm.
Despite the throwback styling, the electronics package is very modern. The bike uses a six-axis inertial measurement unit that enables cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. Riders get three preset ride modes and two customizable modes that adjust power delivery, engine braking, traction control, and wheelie control.
In true Honda fashion, the suspension setup comes from Showa. Up front there’s a fully adjustable 41 mm SFF-BP inverted fork, while the rear uses a shock with preload and rebound damping adjustment connected through a new linkage designed specifically for this model. Braking hardware is supplied by Nissin. The front gets dual radial-mount four-piston calipers gripping 310 mm discs, while the rear uses a single-piston caliper and a 240 mm disc.
Honda hasn’t announced U.S. pricing yet, but we can make an educated guess by looking at other markets. In the UK, the CB1000F starts at £10,599, which works out to roughly $14,200. Meanwhile, the CB1000 Hornet SP starts there at £10,099, or about $13,500. That said, in the US, the 2025 CB1000 Hornet SP starts at $10,999. If Honda keeps a similar price gap between the models, the CB1000F could land somewhere around the $12,000 range.
Nothing is official yet, but the EPA certification makes one thing clear. After delays, speculation, and months of waiting, Honda’s retro liter-class naked finally looks ready to make its way to American roads. And for riders who’ve been hoping Honda would bring a proper modern CB to the US, that moment might be right around the corner.
Source: Motorcycle.com
