Jeremy Webb and the RTR team rode the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP over the festive period and celebrated the freedom the bike gives you. Although the weather did its best to dampen any seasonal spirits, the Hornet kept a smile on our faces.

The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP has the reliable 1000cc inline four-cylinder engine from the 2017 Fireblade, altered to provide a different performance. You get great acceleration and torque, and the gearbox has shorter ratios between the 2nd and 5th gears. The SP version of the Hornet provides 155bhp, 5bhp over the standard model. It also comes with a slip and assist clutch, which is easier on the riders’ hands and reduces engine braking.

The 1000cc engine returns an excellent economy of 48mpg, which, combined with the 17-litre fuel tank, potentially allows for 178 miles of riding.

The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP has plenty of rider aids; as standard, you get a three-way adjustable up/down quickshifter, engine brake control, five riding modes, traction control with integrated anti-wheelie, and ABS.

If you turn off the wheelie control, you will have so much fun, as the Hornet SP will raise its front wheel with a quick blip on the throttle and release the clutch.

You can also power through bends with confidence, as the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is solid in the twisties. Point and go and smile. It is a gratifying bike to ride, and it is less expensive than its European competition. You can ride the Hornet SP around town at a subdued pace but break free of the restraints of urban speed limits and congestion, and the machine comes alive. Speed comes in smoothly with the turn of the throttle and is controllable all the way to plus national limits, as my time spent on a friend’s runway proved. The top speeds of these machines are irrelevant for everyday riding, and therefore, so is the odd five or 10bhp, so don’t let the 155bhp put you off considering the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP.

The layout of the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is favourable, with the colour display clearly showing all the required information. You will also like the riding position with a low saddle height, but the bike is still roomy, and you won’t feel cramped.

The bike never feels heavy, and you can easily change direction, even at a slow pace. At speed, you can lean it over and put your knee down. Confidence grows with the stability the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP provides. Fantastic on the road, it will be awesome to ride around a track and push the handling and braking, with the Brembo Stylemas and rear Nissin set-up sapping the speed supremely well.

The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is cheaper than its European competition and, in some cases, by a vast gulf. Probably closest competitors are the BMW S1000R which produces 168bhp and is £13,760; the Suzuki GSX-S1000 is £11,999 and has 150bhp; Kawasaki’s Z900 SE is £11,349; and finally, the Yamaha MT-10 SP, £16,616

Like its siblings, the Honda CB500 and CB750 Hornets, the Hornet SP. has limited bodywork. It has two LED projector headlights and a daytime running light up front.

Honda offers a wide range of accessories and three packs for your CB1000 Hornet SP.

Style (Alcantara seat, anodised oil filler cap, billet handlebar clamps, Radiator grill, billet rider footpads, wheel stripes),

Sport: Quickshifter for the base model, fly screen, belly pan, seat cowl, tank pad)

Comfort (heated grips, tank pack, tail pack).

The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP impresses in many areas of ownership with a quality engine producing 155bhp, plenty to keep a smile on your face, and the handling to support the power. You get a respectable array of kit on the bike with an Öhlins rear shock, and rider aids and Brembo Stylema brakes.

The more expensive rivals include the Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory, KTM 1390 Super Duke R, and Ducati Streetfighter V4, all fabulous naked machines that are more luxurious and refined than the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP. These machines have an acclamation within the biking community, but the Hornet SP shares the same excitement in terms of riding. The Honda CB1000 Hornet SP does not disappoint in handling, performance, and practicality and costs considerably less than the European competition. You must consider this if you are looking for a 1000cc naked machine.

The starting price for Honda’s CB1000 Hornet SP is £9999