{"id":696531,"date":"2026-07-17T11:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696531\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:38:21","slug":"honda-cb1000f-leaves-positive-first-impressions-during-goodwood-festival-of-speed-hillclimb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696531\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda CB1000F leaves positive first impressions during Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\tPrevious Slide\u25c0
\n\t\t\t\tNext Slide\u25b6\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t1 of 15\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Honda\u2019s incoming CB1000F<\/a> four-cylinder retro made a major UK public appearance at last weekend\u2019s Goodwood Festival of Speed<\/a>, with MCN given the chance to chuck a leg over it on the Thursday afternoon of the scorching four-day event.<\/p>\n

Although only a 1.16-mile dash up the venue\u2019s glorious hillclimb course, it gives an early indication of what to expect when we attend the full official press launch later this month.<\/p>\n

First revealed in early October 2025, it\u2019s priced from \u00a310,599 and takes inspiration from the CB750F of the 1980s \u2013 raced to success by Freddie Spencer<\/a> in the brutish American AMA championships.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

Parked alongside a faithful replica of the original racer in the Goodwood paddock, it\u2019s clear to see Honda\u2019s design intentions \u2013 with this silver and blue livery, combined with the bulbous flat tank and boxy rear end providing a real nostalgia trip.<\/p>\n

Unlike the original, the F is powered by a 1000cc inline four engine derived from the 2017 Fireblade superbike<\/a>, now re-worked for low- to mid-range pull \u2013 producing an ample 122bhp at 9000rpm and 76lb.ft of torque at 8000rpm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same overall engine design as the one found in the CB1000 Hornet<\/a>, which was subject to a recall for excessive oil consumption<\/a> caused by an issue with the piston rings and piston specification. This then meant delays to the production and arrival of the F variant.<\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/p>\n

With a permanent fix now said to be secured, the retro is finally here \u2013 hitting the UK alongside a long-legged CB1000GT sports tourer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inside the motor, cam timing has been altered and the intake funnel length has been extended from 50mm to 140mm, with the funnel inlet diameters now sitting at 40mm for the right pair, and 50mm for the left \u2013 with the idea being to create a \u2018pulsating\u2019 intake noise as you wind on the throttle.<\/p>\n

Making use of the first four gears on my runs, I\u2019m pleased to say this has worked \u2013 delivering a sound akin to a machine running on a bank of carburettors.<\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no immediate bark, or gruff top-end like the Hornet, but there\u2019s enough noise to keep you satisfied \u2013 and we\u2019d expect a huge range of aftermarket exhaust systems to be made available to further capture that \u2018Fast Freddie\u2019 image.<\/p>\n

Think of this then as a direct competitor to Kawasaki\u2019s accomplished Z900RS range<\/a> \u2013 offering a similarly authentic retro image, with modern components and electronics, including a TFT screen and quickshifter.<\/p>\n

Set up on the softer side, with a wide seat, you sit quite low at just 795mm \u2013 perched behind the 16-litre fuel tank with an easy reach to the tapered handlebars.<\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/p>\n

A flatter, wider bar option would perhaps be more authentic to the race bike but would likely sacrifice some everyday usability.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere it tips in nicely, with a neutral feeling from the steering. Kerb weight is a claimed 214kg, with the low seat making things manageable at a standstill. <\/p>\n

A longer road ride will tell us more, but the tempting pricing and easy ergonomics are likely to make it a sales winner. It\u2019s just a shame it uses a keyless ignition fob but still requires a key to open the fuel tank.<\/p>\n

The MCN take<\/p>\n

Although only a brief encounter, I did enjoy my time with the CB1000F and can\u2019t wait to get a proper spin later this year. It\u2019ll be interesting to see what happens when we test it alongside the Kawasaki Z900RS, as I imagine it\u2019ll be a very close run thing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Previous Slide\u25c0 Next Slide\u25b6 1 of 15 Honda\u2019s incoming CB1000F four-cylinder retro made a major UK public appearance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-696531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-gb","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}