BUYING AND SELLING
Honda’s CB400F remains one of the most popular Japanese classics. This particular example goes a good way towards explaining why...
Honda CB400F and other purchase-related pontifications
If Honda’s CB750 brought four-cylinder motorcycling to the masses, the CB400F brought it to the relatively skint. When it appeared in UK dealers’ showrooms in 1975, having been announced at the Earls Court Show late the previous year, the new four was priced at just £669. Suddenly, anyone who could raise a hundred quid for the deposit (and convince the finance company they weren’t going to do a runner) could hit the road on a four.
You’ll have to pay a bit more to own what Bike magazine memorably dubbed ‘the poor boy’s musclebike’ these days, but a CB400F is still a relatively affordable classic. Projects start at around £1000 and you should be able to find a useable, tidy runner for £2500-3000, while a concours example might make £5000-5500. As with every desirable bike, though, prices have been creeping up for a while so, if you fancy one, there’s no time like the present.
Considering the enduring popularity of the little Honda four, it’s slightly surprising that its production run only lasted four years (though the CB350F on which the 400 was based had been around in America since 1972), with the last F2 models appearing for the 1978 sales season.
The first model, typed simply as the CB400F, featured a bored-out CB350F engine, but the styling was radically different. A four-into-one exhaust system, semi-rearset footrests, slabby race-style tank and flattish ’bars gave the new model a sporty edge. UK and most European-market bikes are actually 408cc, while Japanese and Frenchmarket machines are 399cc.
Late in 1975, US bikes had higher handlebars fitted and the footrests moved forwards a touch, following poor sales of the bike in America,