HONDA CB 400 F

1976 Honda 400 Four
What a gorgeous bike it was.
All four header pipes coming out of the exhaust ports were channeled into a common collector section which then emptied into the single muffler.
The sleek Four-into1 exhaust arrangement was like nothing else out there.
It is said to be one of the most stylish and functional designs ever fabricated.
There has been no other with as pretty “lines” that captivate you as this machine did and does, ever since its inception.
Pure Japanese!
This is a machine that left another indelible mark on my motorcycling life.
The inline 4-cylinder, 408 cc engine, delivered around 37 HP through a 6-speed transmission to the rear wheel and redlined very easily at 10,000 r.p.m.
These were days when I really did not care for or even know too many technical specifications and details.
One thing though that I remember very well was the fact that the timing chain needed constant attention/adjustment.
Something about the Tensioner Rails made it such that the chain, after so many miles, would wear away the Guide Rail material creating a gouged track and subsequent loosening of tension on the chain, making for mechanical noise due to the “slapping” chain.
Otherwise, this engine was smooth as silk.
All I was concerned about was that it would outrun anything out on the roads in that period of time. (Well at least, almost everything)
But boy, was she quick!
In a time when most motorcycles on the road - shy of the Police and Military machines - were a maximum of 125 cc, this Honda was a force to reckon with!


Removing the silencer part of the muffler (exhaust pipe) gained it, in my estimation , about an additional 4 to 5 HP.
This little Honda, (In those days when the largest average motorcycle was 125cc, I classified it as a huge machine! But obviously, riding 1 liter + sized engines today, it is now small to me.) would effortlessly attain 80 - 85 mph as and when safe road conditions permitted.
She was definitely a “screaming eagle”!
I remember that power delivery was most noticeable in the range of 7,000 - 7500 rpm and required good use of it’s 6-speed gearbox to “wind it up”!
But scream it did!
… and delivered a really smooth ride.
Generally, it was a very reliable machine and with regular oil changes, drive and timing chain adjustments, all it needed was to be ridden.
Sound decibels I could not measure, but suffice to say one would hear me coming down the road, long before you’d see me.
Those days it was pretty much transportation for me - back and forth to school, and to hang out with my other riding buddies.
We (my parents and I) lived just beyond the western city limits and each night when I returned home, the streets were all bare, void of other vehicles, making me feel like I somehow owned and ruled the roads.
It was “wide open throttle (W.O.T.)” all the way home for a clear 18 km (11 miles) straight shot.
With present day congestion and population density, it would be insanity to even consider that kind of riding!
But oh, those were the really fun and carefree days which lasted for about 2 years.
The start of my professional career closed that chapter of my life.