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Moto blog

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.

Looking after number 1

There was a time when a rider’s number indicated his position from the previous season, with the ultimate accolade being the number 1 emblazoned on the front of the champion's bike. The rise of branding in MotoGP and a rider wanting to market themselves, born from Barry Sheene and his retention of no.7, saw riders decide against displaying their finish from the year before. Rossi, who on winning his numerous championships, stuck with his famous #46 in defence of his titles, instead of stamping a great number 1 on his bikes.

The future. But we can't have it

It's no secret that we motorcyclists are getting older. We're ageing because less people are passing their bike test each year (roughly 30,000 last year compared to 50,000 for the 10 years before the new two-part test) and so not only is the pool not growing it's not even being replenished and so the average age isn't being diluted down by yoof. When the going gets tough in any situation, you really get to see who's got their shit-sorted and who's light enough on their feet to adapt to change.