Most Famous “CB400SF” New Model is Coming, So Wipe Away Your Tears | The Latest Information About the New「400」

HONDA_CB400FOUR.jpg Motorcycle & Industry

On October 31, 2022, the Honda CB400SF/SB will finally be discontinued. This means that the current 400cc parallel 4-cylinder models will cease to exist, but as we have reported on this website for some time, Honda is considering the next model. Let us release all the information we have at this point!

Written: Best Car Editorial Department, CG/SRD
This article was originally published in Best Car Web on October 27, 2022.

New development of a parallel 4-cylinder without hyper VTEC for the next CB400?

The 2020 exhaust gas regulations will be fully applied to motorcycles from November 1, 2022. With the exception of 50cc motorcycles, motorcycles that are not compliant with the regulations will not be allowed to be sold in Japan unless they meet the regulations by this date.

The CB400 Super Four (SF), currently the world's only parallel 4-cylinder 400cc model, has survived emission regulations through model changes since its debut in 1992. However, it did not comply with the latest regulations, and both its derivative model, the Super Boldor (SB), are now out of print.

The end of production was officially announced by Honda on April 28, 2022, exactly 30 years after the first generation was launched. It came as a big shock to many fans, who rushed to obtain a copy, but the production run was already sold out with reservations.

The finale of its 30-year history will come in less than a week, and according to information obtained by this Website, a successor is currently under development.
Although the details are unknown, it is certain that the engine will be a liquid-cooled, parallel four-cylinder with a DOHC head. However, the current Hyper VTEC system, which switches the number of valves according to the rpm, will not be adopted.

HONDA_CB400FOUR_02.jpg

CG of the next CB400 (produced by the editorial department). The round headlight, twin-lid meter, and other royal styling elements are expected to remain unchanged. The image source is the Yon Four (CB400 Four) of the past for the reason mentioned below.

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The CB400 Super Four (NC42) will be discontinued at the end of October this year.
The coloring in the photo is CBX400F-style red, which will continue from 2018. (approx.) 5985 ~ 6280 USD.

HONDA_CB400SB.jpg

The CB400 Super Boldor with a half cowl is similarly disconcerting. It was available from 2005 when the ban on two-seaters on highways was lifted. (Approx.) 7035 ~ 7335 USD.

CB1300 is now on sale in the Chinese market, and the next CB400 will be introduced as a popular version of the CB1300.

China appears to be planned as the main market. The engine will be newly developed at a huge cost, and a 500 cc four-cylinder model is expected to be introduced. The 400cc version is expected to be released as the next CB400 for the Japanese market. The information is that the Japanese version will also be built at a high cost.

In China at this time, round-eyed naked styles such as the Kawasaki Z900RS are gaining popularity.
Honda's local subsidiary, Honda China, also has a lineup of CB1300SF/SB, the big brother of CB400SF/SB, as well as CB1100, an air-cooled straight-4. On the other hand, there are no standout naked models with a single round eye in the middle class under 300-500 cc.

The CB1300 reigns as one of the top models and is priced at (approx.) 26240 USD. This is a very expensive price, equivalent to (approx.) 26365 USD compared to (approx.) 10560 USD for the Japanese version, and is not a price that is easily affordable. If a middle model CB with a direct 4-cylinder engine in the popular price range were to appear on the market, there would be ample room for acceptance.

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Honda China website. The standard naked with a round eye in China is the CB1300SF/SB and CB1100 are available, but not yet lined up in the 400-500cc range

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In China, Honda offers the two-cylinder CB400F, CB500F, CBR400R, and CBR500R in the 400-500cc class.
They are full cowl and street-fighter-type models, and there is no royal road model like the CB400SF.

Possibly a memorial model to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CB400.

The release date is expected to be after 2024. The 50th anniversary of the birth of the famous CB400 Four, the original  CB400, is the best time to debut a new generation CB.

Therefore, in the CG at the beginning of this article, the style of the CB400 Four (Yon Four) was chosen.
Currently, neo-classics with a retro, motorcycle-like form are popular worldwide. Although the design is more nostalgic than the current CB400SF, it should be easily accepted in a wide range of countries and regions.

The CB400 has been a popular car in Japan for a long time and is currently priced at an average of (approx.) 22895 USD and a maximum of 5,770,000 yen nationwide, according to Webike Motorcycle Choice. Incidentally, the 1975 model was priced at (approx.) 22125 USD at the time.

If the next CB400 is in the Yon-Four style, there is a good chance that the author, an old man who spent his youth in the 1970s and 1980s, will be one of those who will welcome it with applause. It may also be popular among young people as a retro-style naked vehicle, like the GB350.

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The CB400 Four of yesteryear (right) and the CG of the forecast are shown side by side. The CG is a fantasy of this magazine, but it should look nostalgic to those who know the old days, and to the eyes of the young, it should look like a cool neo-retro. We hope that the tube assembly reminiscent of a wind instrument will be reproduced.

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The first generation CB400 Four, released in December 1974, was powered by an air-cooled straight-4.
It remains highly popular to this day. Its displacement was 408 cc, and it is well known that a medium-sized limited motorcycle license was introduced the following year. Later, 398 cc was added.

HONDA_CB400DFOUR.jpg

1997 CB400 Four (NC36). Based on the CB400SF, was given a four-pipe exhaust system, and the body was inspired by the "400" of the past. It was unpopular and short-lived at the time but is now at a premium price. A beautiful car costs nearly 10160 USD.

The first CB400SF is on display at Honda headquarters near the end of production, and what does this mean for  . . .

If it is launched in 2024, 2023 will be a blank period, but Honda has an example of Monkey (50cc), which was discontinued in 2017 and revived as a global model the following year.

Conventional models were for Japan use only, and it was difficult to recover costs even if they complied with the regulations. This is one of the reasons why they did not comply with the stricter emission regulations. However, if the next model is developed globally, it will have economies of scale, and sales and cost recovery are expected to be better than the current CB400SF/SB.

Incidentally, the CB400 Four of yesteryear was a global model that was also sold in Europe. Although the Japanese market was affected by the licensing system and the short sales period, the production volume was overwhelmingly higher in Europe. If the new model is in the style of the four-wheeler, there is a possibility that the market will expand beyond Japan and China.

Honda does not want to end the lineage of the CB400SF, which has been a bestseller many times over the past 30 years. Perhaps because of this intention, the first generation CB400SF was displayed in the press room at Honda's headquarters, just in time for the end of production at the end of October. It seems as if Honda is regretting the end of CB400SF and sending a message to the journalists visiting this room.

Anyway, for the time being, let's say goodbye to the CB400SF, which has been loved by riders for 30 years, with gratitude. And we are waiting for the next model to come out!

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A 1992 first-generation CB400SF photographed in the press room at Honda's Aoyama headquarters on October 18. It was on display to bid farewell to the company as it was nearing the end of production.

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