Freddie Spencer Gives the Honda CB1000F Its First US Ride at Monterey Car Week

Freddie Spencer gave the 2026 Honda CB1000F its first-ever US ride this weekend, taking part in The Quail Run during Monterey Car Week aboard a bike built around a bloodline that traces directly back to his own career. The three-time Grand Prix World Champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer piloted a machine whose styling draws straight from the CB750F and CB900F he raced during his rise through AMA road racing in the early 1980s.

The CB1000F’s Direct Line to Freddie Spencer’s AMA Career

Spencer’s history with Honda’s CB-F machines dates to the early 1980s, when he emerged as one of the country’s top road racers on Honda equipment — a run that helped establish both rider and manufacturer as forces in AMA Superbike competition before Spencer moved to the world stage and captured three Grand Prix titles.

The CB1000F was built with that specific lineage in mind, pairing retro styling with the modern foundation of the CB1000 Hornet SP — open-class performance and current technology wrapped around a genuinely comfortable riding position.

What Freddie Spencer Said About Riding the CB1000F

The Quail Run took roughly two dozen riders through the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Valley, departing and returning to Laguna Seca, timed alongside the Monterey Motorsports Reunion’s Japanese motorsports theme this year.

Spencer also ran exhibition laps at Laguna Seca aboard a replica of the Honda NS500 he rode to his 1983 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, putting him on two distinct pieces of his own history in the same weekend.

Spencer’s reaction to the CB1000F went well beyond a routine endorsement: “This is not just a retro bike in colors and style, but in the way they’ve done the engine. The great thing about the original inline engine was the changing pitch. They’ve been able to restore that sound and put it back in this bike.”

“I love that it has the modern technology, but it doesn’t interfere with the riding experience,” he continued. “It also handles incredibly. It’s just an absolute pleasure to ride, because it has memories of the old motorcycle, but with the refinement of a modern bike.”

A Full-Circle Moment at Monterey Car Week

Colin Miller, Manager of Experiential Marketing at American Honda, framed Spencer’s presence as central to the weekend’s larger story: “Freddie is also an important part of that story, so it was special to see him aboard a replica of the NS500 he raced and the new CB1000F.”

The moment sat alongside Honda and Acura’s broader showcase of more than 20 championship-winning race cars and motorcycles spanning seven decades, including Ricky Brabec’s 2024 Dakar-winning CRF450 RALLY, with Brabec himself running demonstration laps on his current factory machine.

There’s something worth sitting with in watching a rider return to the exact machines that built his career, decades later, and find that the new version still gets it right. Spencer didn’t just show up for a photo alongside a heritage display — he rode the bike, ran the laps, and said out loud that it earned the connection to his own history rather than just borrowing it.

That’s a higher bar than most retro-styled motorcycles ever have to clear, and by Spencer’s own account, the CB1000F cleared it.

About The Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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