Neosophist wrote: I'd love one of those CB400's tho :D

Me too, I enquired about them and went to have a looksee, fantastic looking bike.

In the end I couldn't bring myself to spend on a (another) 400 for commuting when a hornet 600 was cheaper and a Street Triple was only a little more again and would bring me more smiles per dollar.

You just summed it up :D

Cheaper to buy a 600 lol!

Still, cheaper road tax in the UK for a 400 :D not much but every little helps.

£33.00 a year for >125 <400
£48.00 a year for >401 <600
£66'ish a year for >601

I really like that Gladius 400.....1st time i've seen one

Know there are still a few good naked 400s being made and the Gladius looks good, plus the CB4s have always been lovely little bikes and the new schemes are sweet, but it's still a crying shame the Japs don't make more sports 400s. Or indeed any sports 400s. Interesting to hear why, and I know 600s are as cheap etc. but they can feel quite unforgiving and top heavy for new riders when compared to the lil 400s. I remember Miki once saying that after a year on a 600 you'll still feel like ya perched on top of the bike whereas a 400 you'll feel like part of the bike... and it's true. There's nothing that can make a crap rider (ie me) feel like a motorcycling don than an NC30 (etc.) Just amazing lil machines. I find I just gel with the 400 effortlessly. Much more fun and rewarding to learn on than a 600.

Dan Norton wrote:I really like that Gladius 400.....1st time i've seen one

Really is no point in that though, the SV400 / Gladius 400 is a sleeved down 650, all the weight, only some of the power.

The whole thing I love about the 400's (and the NC's specifically) is that they're not sleeved down 600's but were designed from scratch to be 400's.

Druid

fastdruid wrote:

Dan Norton wrote:I really like that Gladius 400.....1st time i've seen one

Really is no point in that though, the SV400 / Gladius 400 is a sleeved down 650, all the weight, only some of the power.

The whole thing I love about the 400's (and the NC's specifically) is that they're not sleeved down 600's but were designed from scratch to be 400's.

Druid

Yeah, agreed...lets get an online petition going to bring back the 400cc Hypersports class and submit to Honda / Yamaha / Suzuki / Kawasaki / And the Italians

It's never gonna happen.

I think it's just a change in the times..

It seems more people are willing to spend the extra money for a heavy licence nowadays to get a supersports bike, plus they seem to be easier to pass, the licence used to be very difficult to get and cost 2x the amount a standard licence would cost.

Not to mention the fact it's not getting any easier to park in tokyo, espeically as most if it's 1 way.. smaller bikes are cheaper, easier to park and mostly used for sports touring (commuting) hence the naked bikes.

DataRacer wrote:

Neosophist wrote: I'd love one of those CB400's tho :D

Me too, I enquired about them and went to have a looksee, fantastic looking bike.

Took a snap of some new ones with my phone when I was in the honda dealer on the weekend. Beautiful little bikes.

Omg i'll take the white one!!

If I ever win big money on the lottery it'll be one of the first things I buy.. when im in australia celebratin :D

Put me down for a white one too

Why do they sell these in Aus and not here though. I can understand about the Japanese market as the licence was harder to get for a 600cc and that as 600's are reletivly cheap compaired to the 400 here nobody would buy them. But why are they sold in Aus still? Is the licence system similar to the one in Japan?