When Honda finally brought the XL750 Transalp over from Europe, after all the rejoicing that came with that announcement, people started to wonder: What about the other bike that shares Honda’s new 750 engine? With EPA approval in the form of the Transalp, would we see that engine in the U.S. in the new Hornet? Well, according to some digging from Motorcycle.com, the answer to that question is a big Yes. In fact, we could be seeing that bike — as well as the CB1000SP, the NT1100, and maybe even an e-clutch variant of the Rebel 300 — very soon.
Motorcycle.com got its hands on an unredacted version of an NHTSA VIN decoder spreadsheet for Honda’s 2025 bikes, and the document shows a number of bikes that haven’t yet been announced for our market. It lists the CB750 (sans Hornet name), the CB1000SP, and the NT1100 as all being intended for the United States market.
Three new bikes…
The CB750 appears to be hitting our shores largely the same way the Transalp did: Much the same as the European variant, but losing a few horsepower on the boat over. The Honda 750 twin makes 90.5 horsepower in Euro 7 guise, but that drops to 83 for U.S. buyers the same way it did for the Transalp. Interestingly, the loss of power doesn’t actually have anything to do with carbon emissions regulations — it’s noise emissions that limit American bikes to lower power figures than our European comrades.
That trend of lower power figures appears to hold true for the CB1000 as well, according to Motorcycle.com’s reporting. We’ll only get the top-shelf SP variant of the bike, with its fancy suspension and upgraded brakes, but it still won’t match the horsepower of its European brethren. From Motorcycle.com:
The CB1000SP (which also receives the Hornet branding outside of North America) is powered by a 1,000cc Inline-Four engine derived from the 2017 CBR1000RR. In Europe, the CB1000SP claims a peak output of 155 hp at 11,000 rpm and 78.9 lb-ft. at 9,000 rpm, compared to the non-SP version’s claimed 150 hp at 11,000 rpm and 76.7 lb-ft. at 9,000 rpm. The U.S. version will produce much less power, with the VIN decoder suggesting a peak of 129 hp.
We’ll also see the NT1100 in the U.S., an upright tourer based on the Africa Twin’s 1100cc parallel twin. Honda had already announced we’d see this as a cop bike, so it just makes sense to offer a civilian variant as well — those sales are gravy on top of the fleet business. Of course, you’ll instantly look like a cop if you buy one, so don’t be surprised if you start getting caught behind drivers doing the exact speed limit.
…and maybe one new variant
The VIN decoder that Motorcycle.com spotted also had another oddity: A second variant of the Honda Rebel 300. It’s not yet clear what that variant could be, but the site postulated it might be an e-clutch variant in keeping with the e-clutch Rebel 250 over in Japan. Adding the e-clutch to the Rebel is a move that makes sense, given Honda’s decades-long desire to get more people on to two wheels, though it remains to be seen whether American buyers will shell out for such tech on an entry-level bike.
With those three models (and one possible variant) slated for 2025 sales in the U.S., it may not be long before we start seeing announcements from Big Red saying when they’ll hit dealerships. It can’t come soon enough — more middleweight naked bikes are always welcome here. Even if they need an ECU tune to hit their full potential.
