2023 Honda CB1000R First Look Preview

The largely unchanged 2023 Honda CB1000R. Is it a “Black Edition”? Depends on your source.

When does a motorcycle become “venerable”?
The Honda CB1000R has been a lineup mainstay since 2008, but it replaced the somewhat-loved Honda 919. And it exists in a category that’s not exactly one of Honda’s chakras—naked bikes, streetfighters, neo-sports cafe, etc.

Refreshed in 2017, it shares curb space with an unruly bunch of peers — some heavier, some cheaper. Arguably, even the Ducati Streetfighter V2 could be considered an 'uppity' peer. Somewhere in the middle of that pack sits the CB1000R.

Save for the serial number and accompanying production date, the 2023 Honda CB1000R is exactly the same as 2022′s CB1000R Black Edition. Judging by the one press photo Honda has provided, the 2023 could be even more blacked out.

To recap, here are the highlights.
You get a reported 121.8 hp and 68.8 lb.-ft. of torque at 8,200 rpm from a DOHC 998cc liquid-cooled four-cylinder motor. You’ll ride 32.7 inches off the ground, suspended by a Showa fork in front (4.7 inches of travel) and a Showa monoshock (5.2 inches of travel) in back. Four-piston Tokico calipers on 310mm floating discs up front and a single Tokico caliper on a 256mm disc in back will stop things, using ABS. You, plus 467 pounds of motorcycle, equals fun on the open road.

You get four rider modes: Standard, Rain, Sport, and User. As mentioned above, you get ABS and Traction Control, though they’re not integrated with a six-axis inertial sensor to bring lean angle and cornering into the equation. A smartly designed and intuitive 5-inch TFT keeps the rider in the know. Honda’s quickshifter system with an adjustable shifter (soft, medium, and hard) rounds things out.

So is the CB1000R a venerable bike? Let’s go with “versatile.” You don’t get the most ponies, the lightest curb weight, or the lowest MSRP. You get an understated streetfighter with a broad, flat, and highly usable torque curve. It sits smack in the middle of an imaginary motorcycle Venn diagram. Like most of Honda’s output, it’s not the best at anything; it’s one of the best bikes at everything.


Available at V1 MOTO in February, but if you reserve your ride you'll have first dibs and we'll contact you when yours is in.