This small-capacity naked roadster arrived for the 2018 model year as part of Honda’s Neo Sports Café family, appearing alongside the larger CB1000R and the smaller CB125R. It was conceived as an accessible, premium-feeling street bike that carried the CB road-sport tradition into a compact, modern format. Honda positioned it as a lightweight, stylish machine for newer riders and for experienced riders wanting an easygoing everyday motorcycle with sharper visual presence than a conventional commuter.
The design language was a major part of its identity from the start: minimal bodywork, a stripped-back stance, and a blacked-out mechanical look helped separate it from more traditional small-displacement Hondas. In Honda’s own lineup language, it sits within the broader CB lineage that has traced the brand’s road sport motorcycles back to the original CB models of the late 1950s.
The nameplate has remained in production since its introduction, with Honda continuing to list it in current motorcycle offerings. Over time, it has been kept relevant through market updates and equipment revisions rather than a complete reinvention. That makes it a relatively modern Honda CB, but one that still ties directly into the company’s long-running naked-roadster heritage.