Honda have announced a ‘GT’ version of its CB1000 Hornet for 2026, with the £11,995 CB1000GT promising to be a sporting all-rounder for the masses.
With Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000 SX proving to be the UK’s best-selling four-cylinder machine in 2024, there’s clearly still some demand for fast sports tourers and Honda’s new contender follows largely the same concept by raiding the parts bin to create a bargain all-rounder that’s got almost 150bhp on tap.
The GT is based on the new-for-2025 Hornet 1000, which itself leaned on a retuned version of the previous generation Fireblade’s superbike engine in a simple steel frame chassis.
Those two elements remain on the CB1000GT, albeit with a new subframe and the addition of electronic suspension to beef up the platform in order to carry an increased payload and accommodate the standard panniers, as well as the optional 50-litre top box.
Honda have given the GT a decent level of additional equipment, stuff that could be excused for being in the accessories brochure, with heated grips, panniers, cruise control, handguards and a centre stand all coming as standard. With a six-axis IMU and throttle by wire system, the GT also gets an electronics upgrade over the Hornet, including lean sensitive ABS and the aforementioned electronically controlled suspension front and rear, the latter enjoying 24 steps of on the go preload adjustment.
Understandably it’s a bit bigger and heavier than the Hornet, with the thickly padded saddle raising the seat height to a taller (but still manageable to most) 825mm. The riding position is nice and upright, with the half fairing and five-way manually adjustable screen offering the weather protection.
The CB1000GT not only undercuts the Ninja SX by a few hundred pounds, it’s also significantly less expensive than Honda’s own NT1100 – the twin-cylinder machine which also occupies the same space. It marks a trend towards offer value for money motorcycles, and we expect the new Honda to do well in the sales charts.
As well as the CB1000GT, Honda has also announced it will be offering its E-Clutch technology on five new models in 2026: the NX500, CBR500R, Hornet 500, Transalp and Hornet 750. The system was initially introduced on the four-cylinder 650 range last year and eliminates the need to manually use the clutch while changing gear, being particularly useful at slow speeds as it makes stalling the bike impossible.
The new models were announced at the EICMA motorcycle show in Italy and will be on display at Motorcycle Live later this month, alongside two other new-for-2026 Hondas – the retro CB1000F and the WM7 electric motorcycle.
