Honda CB400F
Encyclopedia
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
followed with a string of lighter fours featuring engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
s as small as 350 cc (CB350 Four
Honda CB350F
The Honda CB350F is a four-cylinder, four-stroke, 347cc motorcycle based on the larger versions of the day and was thought of as Honda's "one-up" to the other motorcycle companies. It was manufactured in Japan from 1972 to 1974. Soon after production was discontinued, it was replaced by the CB400F...
, CB500 Four
Honda CB500
The Honda CB500 four, introduced early in the 1970s, was similarly styled to the CB750, but smaller and lighter, with an output of 48 bhp and a manufacturer's specified top speed of 102 mph. Like the earlier CB750 it sported a single front hydraulic disc brake, rear drum brake, electric...
), and the CB400F 408 cc Four, produced in 2 models from 1975 through 1977.
For the most part, the CB400F was simply an upgraded version of the 350 model from the previous year. The most striking change was the swoopy four-into-one exhaust system that snaked around the frame, converging into a single muffler
Muffler
A muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
on the right side of the bike. Also noticeable were the angular fuel tank and flat cafe-style handlebars, all of which gave the bike a more racer-like look and feel than the rather pedestrian 350.
Although aimed at the sporting segment of the market, the four-stroke CB400F did not have the acceleration of the competition's two-strokes, particularly the triples from Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
. But what the CB400F engine lacked in power it made up for in refinement, the small-displacement four-stroke being smoother, quieter and much more economical than the two-strokes. To help keep the engine in its power band, Honda employed a six-speed transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
—something of a rarity at the time.
The CB400F was a very successful motorcycle in club or privateer racing. Kaz Yoshima and other racers were able to take Honda's little 408 cc engine up to 490 cc and with the addition of other racer options, this small bore was considered a 'giant killer'.
Confusion often arises over the two models that were produced. Earlier 'F' models had a plain red or blue tank and side-panels running to frame number 1073399. The tanks only bore the words HONDA Super Sport, and the side-panel logo used a font wherein each character was represented by three parallel lines depicting 400FOUR. Up to frame number 1056883 'F' models had swing-arm mounted pillion footrests, but from then on the 'F' models had the pillion footrests moved to frame-mounted brackets; it is often assumed that this feature only started with the F2 model but this is not the case. The F2 model commenced with frame number 1073400 and featured a new paint scheme: 'candy antares red' or 'parakeet yellow'. The new paintwork featured stripes on the tank and had a different, angular, font for the '400FOUR' label on the side panels. The F1 model was not shipped to the United Kingdom or Europe. It featured typically a plain yellow tank and black side-panels with the F-type early logo.. Today it is not uncommon to see examples restored with F2-type paintwork but F-type logos on the side panels, or F-type early frames with F2-type paintwork.
| Engine Engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion... |
408 cc transverse four |
| Bore & Stroke | 51 mm x 50 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 9.4 : 1 |
| Carburetor Carburetor A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom.... s |
Four 20 mm Keihin (piston valve) |
| Ignition | Kettering- coils, points, and condensors |
| Starter | Kick and Electric |
| Transmission | Six Speed |
| Wheelbase | 53.3 inches (1355 mm) |
| Seat Height | 31.1 inches (790 mm) |
| Fuel Fuel Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air... Capacity |
3.7 gallons (14 L), including 0.88 gallon (3.3 L) reserve |
| Wheel Wheel A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,... s |
18in. Spoke Type |
| Tires | Front: 3.00S - 18 tubed Rear: 3.50S - 18 tubed |
| Brakes | Front: Single disc Rear: Drum |
| Weight | Dry: 375 pounds (170 kg) Wet 390 pounds (178 kg) |
In 1989, a new 400-four appeared, the Honda CB-1
Honda CB-1
The Honda CB-1 is a small and light naked sport bike with a straight-four engine, called by Cycle World "a reincarnation of the standard motorcycle ... the sort of bike everyone rode before sporting riders went replica racer crazy. The Honda model code is NC27. In contrast to all other models of...
. It had nothing in common with the original except for the near 400 cc displacement and inline-4-cylinder configuration.