Honda Announces CBR400R, CB400F and 400X for Japan

Honda confirmed it will produce a 399cc version of its new 500-series motorcycles for the Japanese market. The Honda CBR400R, CB400F and 400X will be offered in Japan instead of their respective 500 versions, as they are a better fit to the country’s tiered licensing system than the CBR500R, CB500F and CB500X.

The new 400 models should come as no surprise after Honda announced in February it would produce a smaller version of the 471cc engine used in the 500 series. Like the larger engine, the new powerplant is a liquid-cooled DOHC parallel Twin engine. The smaller engine has the same 67mm bore as the 500 engine, but at 56.6mm, it has a smaller stroke than the 500 engine’s 66.8mm.

Perhaps the only real surprise is Honda’s use of the name 400X instead of CB400X. Honda’s press announcement specifically points out the CBR400R and the CB400F use the same engine but the 400X’s description makes no such connection, instead saying it is a “sport tourer model originating from the ‘Crossover Concept’”, referring to a concept introduced at the 2010 EICMA show that later begat both the CB500X and the Crosstourer.

The Honda CBR400R,  CB400F and 400X will be on display along with a number of new and upcoming models March 15-17 at the Osaka Motorcycle Show and again March 22-24 at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show.

[Source: Honda]

By Dennis Chung