Written by Best Car Web Editorial Department, Photo/HONDA
This article was originally published in Best Car Web on June 24, 2022.
Rumors of the next model for Honda's CB400 Super Fore (SF) and CB400 Super Boldor (SB), which were announced to be discontinued at the end of October 2022, have surfaced.
The end of the CB400SF meant the loss of the only 400cc model with a parallel four-cylinder engine, but it looks like that worry will be over. What kind of model will it really be?
Let us provide you with the information we have at this point.
Will the next model be a global model? Is it a 500cc-based-400 version?
The CB400SF is a representative model of the mid-size class that is still used as a training vehicle for regular motorcycle drivers. The CB400SF has been so popular that it has been a bestseller many times, and is loved by a wide range of people, from beginners to experienced riders. The CB400SF's production end was announced on April 28, and according to our web survey, the CB400SF is already sold out for production through the end of October.
The only 400cc model with a parallel four-cylinder engine can no longer be purchased!
With such shocking news, the motorcycle community was in a mood to say goodbye, as Motorcycle Motor Magazine, a long-established magazine, ran a special feature on it. In the midst of all this, we received the happy news that the next model of the CB400SF is on its way.
Its shape and form are unknown, but the engine is definitely a liquid-cooled parallel four-cylinder with a DOHC head.
Why is it possible to release a new engine in the 400cc class at this time? The reason is expected to be because, unlike the CB400SF, it is a global model. A 500cc version will be available overseas, and a 400cc version will be prepared for the Japanese market.
The main market is expected to be China, which may have something to do with the popularity of the Z900RS in that country. Support for Japanese-made parallel 4-cylinder models is high, and the new 4-cylinder 500cc model is likely to be a concept aimed at this market. In this scenario, a 4-cylinder 400cc model will be prepared as a downsized version of the 4-cylinder 400cc model, which will be launched in Japan as the next CB400SF.
The CB400SF, which has been announced to be discontinued.
Pictured is the CBX400F-style Red, which will continue from 2018.
Priced: 928,400 yen (approx. 6725 USD)
CB400SF could have continued, but why end production?
In fact, before the announcement of the CB400SF production termination, there existed information that the CB400SF would be continued in compliance with the exhaust gas regulations. The contents of the report were that the CB400SF's characteristic hyper VTEC equipped cylinder head would be returned to non-VTEC specification and the bore x stroke ratio would be changed to long stroke specification.
In addition, it appears that a change from the current model's manual fuel injection system to an electronically controlled throttle was also considered, but the development cost was an issue and the idea was abandoned. According to one theory, if emission regulations are to be complied with, the price is expected to reach 2 million yen, and the price range will no longer fall within the 400cc class.
The CB400SF did not receive a "Final Edition" as is often the case with the final models of long-selling models, and the end of the CB400SF came quietly, with its coloring unchanged. On April 28, 2022, almost exactly 30 years after its launch on April 23, 1992, the end of production was officially announced.
Incidentally, the CB1300SF series, the successor to the CB1000SF, the prototype of the CB400SF, will comply with the 2020 emission regulations in 2021 and will continue to be sold for the time being. However, the 30th anniversary model, which is expected to be released in the fall of 2022, is rumored to be the final edition.
The parallel 4-cylinder engine was changed to fuel injection in 2007.
Based on a long-lived engine that dates back to the 1986 CBR400R.
The current model's maximum output is 56 PS.
The fact that there was no final edition is proof that there is more to come!?
There is also an interesting information about the revival of the CB400SF. Before announcing the end of production on the official website, the company notified the parties concerned, and at that time, they hinted that "the next model will be prepared as a training vehicle. The details are still unknown, but it is likely to be based on the next CB400SF.
Also, the reason why there is no final edition may be because the next model will inherit the CB400 name, etc., and will have a Japanese naked style with a single round headlight and two sets of analog meters. It is also possible?
We expect that Honda's traditional 4-cylinder 400cc models, which have been passed down from the CB400FOR, CBX400F, CBR400F, and CB400SF, will continue into the future.
Although there is no clear indication of when it will be released, our web research expects it to be after 2024.
Although 2023 is a gap year, it may be worth the wait, as Honda announced the discontinuation of the Monkey (50cc) in 2017, which was revived as a global model the following year in 2018.
As for the Japanese naked style, the CB-F concept announced in 2020 was not launched due to lack of response in Europe and the U.S., but it may take root globally by opening up a new market, China.
Will the next CB400SF be the catalyst for the traditional naked style nurtured in Japan to spread its wings to the rest of the world?
The CB-F concept presented in 2020 is a Japanese naked style based on the CB1000R.
It is inspired by the CB900F, which was also popular in Europe
Original Source [ Best Car Web ]