Digging the sting on a pair of Hornets

We throttle out of Sacramento CA, rolling northeast out of the city to merge onto I-80, making for the Tahoe National Forest. Jumping up onto the freeway, our rider group gets divided briefly, with half of us merging into the fast flowing traffic trying to catch up with the front group. Dodging and weaving through the multi-lane congestion, we are running in the 80-90 mph range, snaking our way in an effort to catch the front runners and Honda ride leaders. Dicing left and right around the cars and trucks is both terrifying and exhilarating for this Georgia boy, not used to riding interstate this aggressively, nor used to the practice of lane splitting/filtering. We move quickly but respectfully, using our signals to indicate intent. I’m amazed at how accommodating Cali drivers are, letting us in and around, adjusting in their lanes to give us room to get through.

I’m riding a 2025 Honda CB750 Hornet on this our first of a two-day press demo of the new Hornet 750 and 1000 models, and the roar of this 755cc twin as I’m galloping through the swift traffic is fueling my thirst to pin the throttle. This engine is howling, daring me to pour more coal to the fire. I’m obliging, at least as much as I’m able in the fast, dense traffic. Soon, we catch the front group, traffic thins as we roll northeast past Roseville, and we settle into a nice 70-75 mph cadence heading for the hill country before us.

Highway sprint out of town. The Hornet 750 has chops to spare.

Honda has long been teasing North American riders with the possibility of bringing the CB750 and CB1000 SP Hornets stateside, even while they sell them in Europe and other markets around the world. Now available here, I am thrilled to be among the first Americans to get a chance to ride them both. A friend of mine had a 2005 Honda 599 some years ago, known in other markets as the CB600F Hornet. Honda also sold a 919 here into the mid-2000s, but were legally prohibited from calling them “Hornets” due to AMC/Chrysler’s lock on the name for their 70s-era AMC Hornet automobile. That has since been resolved, with an agreement that Honda can use the “Hornet” moniker stateside while Chrysler/RAM can use the “Rebel” name for one of their trucks.

The original Hornet was actually a 250 in 1996, that never made it to North America. Photo by Honda.

CB750

We are riding up into the hill country northeast of Roseville, and I’m loving this growling twin in the 750 Hornet. The engine is torquey, has lots of character, and is super easy to flick about on the increasingly curvy roads of CA 49 and 193. We stop for coffee and pastries in the mountain community of Georgetown, then roll into higher elevations and tighter curves. Soon it’s miles of tight twistys through the redwoods of this region just southwest of Lake Tahoe, and the CB750 is supremely fun up here. So light and maneuverable, the smaller Hornet feels more like a 450 in weight and girth, yet is so punchy with that 755cc mill.

It’s a very comfortable rider triangle for someone my size as well- good reach to the bars, nice grip width, not too high or rearward footpegs. I’m 5’8”, about 155 lbs for reference, and this bike fits me and my riding style/preference just perfectly. The rear monoshock is easily adjustable (7-way) for a softer or stiffer ride, and on the factory setting, it suits me fine. The front inverted Showa forks are non-adjustable, but feel good to me.

Light, flickable, nimble, with a torquey 755cc mill. Perfect. Photo by Honda/Align Media.

Both Hornets run a 6-speed gearbox, with 5 ride modes- Sport, Standard, Rain, and a pair of “User 1 & 2” customizable modes. The slipper clutch in the 750 is super smooth in shifting, but I found the quickshifter slightly clunky in upshifting, yet surprisingly smooth in downshifting. Maybe I’m not tapping up at the right RPM? Should that even matter on a QS? I ask a couple of the other journos also on the 750 today, and they confirm the upshift feels clunky at times. The quickshifter does have a 3-way adjustment on it I discover later, so it can be softened to click easier or harder, depending on the preference.

By the end of our 215 mile first day, I had totally fallen for the CB750A Hornet. Except for that hard seat. That would need some more padding for a long day in the saddle. I rode one in the metallic pearl white with red and black accents, and it was drop-dead gorgeous. That 270 deg crank in the 755cc twin mill is magic, and sounds so good, especially as you run up through the rev range in each gear. Geez, what a sweet ride.

The perfect bike for my size? I could be convinced. Photo by Honda/Align Media.

CB1000 SP

Day 2 dawned, and I was slated to ride one of the big boys, the CB1000 SP Hornet. I’ve ridden one of the previous gen CB1000 bikes, the 2022 CB1000R, and loved that bike. This new improved version of that inline four promised to be a joyride as well. I’m a bit more comfortable on smaller twins and triples if I’m honest, but once we set out in downtown Sacramento again, I found the 1000 quite manageable and compliant around town. I never felt the throttle was jumpy and the shifting grabby while negotiating city streets, so I settled down on the bike pretty quickly.

Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, home of the Kings NBA team. Photo by Honda/Align Media.

Cracking the freeway, we again launched hard into the typically fast moving Cali traffic, and the rev-happy nature of this inline four manifested itself. The bike delivers smooth power at each shift, then gets hungry above 7-8K RPM. This engine likes to rev, and high. By day 2, I was feeling more at ease in CA traffic as we throttled up CA 50 through Rancho Cordova and El Dorado Hills. Exiting south down Latrobe Road, we wound our way through beautiful cattle and horse ranch country with virtually no auto traffic to slow us. The Hornet 1000 was at home out here, clicking up and down through the gears and feeding the inline four a happy helping of revs through the hills.

By the time we made a mid-morning coffee stop in the little town of Plymouth, Bradley with Honda quipped, “Rob, I swear you look more comfortable on that CB1000 today, even over the 750 yesterday. You’re diving it through curves confidently, riding it hard, looking good!” That pleasantly surprised me, given how much I enjoyed the 750 the day before. The second day’s route had so far and would continue to provide more open country to ride through, and more wide sweepers than tight mountain twistys. I was definitely feeling the CB1000 SP, no doubt.

Feeling froggy on the CB1000 SP Hornet. Photo by Honda/Align Media.

I must comment on the roads in this part of California. The interstate and major state roads are very well paved, well-maintained, and very grippy. The county and local ones are not. They were terrible, both days. Root heaves, cracks, potholes, overlay patches, Cali’s off-the-main country roads are hell to ride over. Still, the Honda guys had dialed some softness into both the front and rear for me on the 1000, which helped over some of those sketchy surfaces.

The 1000 Hornet’s rider triangle was okay, but the bar reach pulled me forward a bit more than the 750. The bar itself is slightly wider too, but the footpeg placement was perfect for my size. As the day’s ride progressed, I got a little pinched in the neck and shoulders, and welcomed the stops to stretch some. The seat is also a brick, even more so than the 750. Of course, I’m not a good judge of seat softness- I’ve got a scrawny ass, so all stock seats eventually feel brick-hard to me.

A good day in the saddle of a great bike. Coming and going. Photos by Honda/Align Media.

I’ve got to give a nod to the superb design cues on this 1000 Hornet. On both bikes, the front headlights look like angry insects, which is very fitting. The tail of the 1000 however, is something special, at least to me. The tail rises to a point, and with a single recessed tail light tucked underneath, riding behind one looks like the back end of a large stinging insect, with a glowing red stinger within. Even the logo for the bikes includes a stylized hornet at the “T”, which is so sharp looking. These bikes are as aggressive looking as they are to ride.

We logged about 198 total miles on day 2, and though my body somewhat ached from the seat and riding position of the 1000, I must admit, I loved how that bike handled. Around town, very easy to navigate with. On the freeways, it’s a monster eating up miles at high speed. In the curves and sweepers, it is so light and flickable, it honestly feels more like a supersport than a superbike. Such an incredible motorcycle. Oh, and the slipper clutch with quickshifter? Butter smooth, up/down through all six gears, virtually everywhere in the rev range.

A fine pair of Hornets. Photo by Honda/Align Media.

So if I could pick one as a new addition to my garage, which one would have to come home with me? I honestly loved both bikes, with their very different characteristics. While I apparently rode the 1000 much more aggressively on day two, I think for my size, age, and riding style, the 750 would be ideal for me. It’s rider triangle suits me perfectly, I love how it handles and shifts, that exhaust note when revving just knocks me out, and I find the white/red/black color scheme absolutely beautiful.

The CB750 Hornet retails for $7999, while the CB1000 SP Hornet retails for $10,999. Both already have a decent assortment of OEM farkles that can be installed, from tail luggage to heated grips, small flyscreens and seat options (thankfully). You can hop on their website, click into their “Build Your Own” configurator, and put together your dream ride. And you know it won’t be long before the aftermarket will be full of options, like exhaust, tail tidy kits, etc.

Huge thanks to Honda Powersports USA for the chance to sample these amazing motorcycles! We predict they will sell very well here in the states. They are worth the wait, and every dollar.

Rob

For more on the CB750 Hornet, click HERE

For more on the CB1000 SP Hornet, click HERE

Rob’s gear:

HJC i10 helmet
REV’IT! Davis TF armored riding pants
Texport armored riding jacket
Indie Ridge summer touring gloves
Cardo PACKTALK Slim
GoPro Hero 9 & 10
Alpinestars Faster-3 riding boots

*Check out our ride videos here: