Honda reveals 998cc retro-styled street bike concept ‘CB-F’

- Honda CB-F concept pays tribute to the 1980’s CB750F and CB900F

- Features the CB1000R’s 998cc, in-line four motor

- Might be the design base for Honda’s future CB models

Honda has gone back to its good old days by unveiling the modern-classic naked street bike concept, the CB-F, in Japan. While it is mechanically based on the company’s existing production model, the CB1000R, the design draws major inspiration from the CB750F and CB900F from the early 1980s. 

The CB-F concept boasts of a clean and elegant design with a circular headlamp, wide and straight handlebar, boxy fuel tank and a long and sleek tail section which looks suspended in the air. The megaphone-style, chrome-finished exhaust completes the overall styling of the motorcycle. While the existing CB1000R already features Honda’s retro-styled ‘Neo Sport Café’ design language, the CB-F concept could be a hint at the future styling of the CB series models. 

On contrary to its old-school aesthetics, the CB-F is profoundly modern in terms of powerplant. It features a 998cc, in-line four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine which does duty on the CB1000R. The motor is capable of producing 143bhp and 104Nm and comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. The 17-inch alloy wheels, suspension setup and braking hardware have also been retained from the CB1000R. 

Now, it remains to be seen whether the production-model of the CB-F replaces the CB1000R or it debuts as a different model altogether.