KNOW YOUR CB400Fs
Although the CB400F was only built for three years, and only two distinct versions were ever officially imported into the UK, there’s still some confusion over the different models.
The earliest 1975 machines were called, simply, CB400F, had plain Ruby Red or Varnish Blue tank and side panels and ran up to frame number 1073399. The tanks bore the words ‘Honda Super Sport’ and the side-panel logo used a font where each character was represented by three parallel lines depicting 400FOUR. Up to frame number 1056883 it had its pillion footrests mounted on the swingarm, but from then on they moved to frame-mounted loops. It’s often wrongly assumed this change happened with the F2. The 1976 F1 model was not marketed in the UK or Europe and instead was primarily sold in the US (from where many have since been imported) and Canada, and is distinguished by red or yellow tanks and black side panels. While the F2 was imported into Europe and the UK from 1977, commenced with frame number 1073400 and came in Candy Antares Red or Parakeet Yellow. This new paintwork featured stripes on the tank and had a different, angular, font for the 400FOUR on the side panels. Even more confusingly, restored examples today often mix these liveries up and it’s not uncommon to see examples restored with F2-type paintwork but F-type logos.
Purists often prefer the earliest livery but the later is the slightly better bike meaning there’s no real difference in values. Today, £2500-£3250 for a runner, £5K★ mint. And rising.