Remember the “golden age” of 400 cc motorcycles? No, not Honda’s CB400F of 1975-1977, which was a failure in most markets, but at least launched the flame of the four-cylinder “mini-superbike”.
No, I’m talking about the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when exquisite junior sports bikes such as the VFR400R/NC30 (from the VFR750R/RC30), the ZXR400, the FZR400, the GSX-R400 and others – the VFR and ZXR being the obvious examples.
Nor were supersport bikes the only 400s of the time. Born out of Japanese domestic licensing laws that restricted novice riders to 250cc two-strokes or 400cc four-strokes, road-going wonders like Yamaha’s 250 R1-Z, Kawasaki’s Xanthus and even Suzuki’s single-cylinder Goose 400.
The new 400cc machines that are currently being launched – Kawasaki’s new ZX-4RR Ninja, Aprilia’s imminent RS457 and Triumph’s recently launched Speed and Scrambler 400 are among the most relevant – not to mention many others that are emerging, 2024 is already shaping up to be the start of a NEW golden age of the 400.
Aprilia seems certain to create other models from its 457 engine, just as it did with its 660, as do Kawasaki and Triumph. Royal Enfield continues to present 350s, has its Scram 411, seems to be producing an HNTR 450 and would be remiss if it didn’t make the most of its new liquid-cooled Himalayan 450. The ambitious Chinese brands Zontes and CFMOTO have a range of 350-450cc bikes with more on the way, including the recently unveiled 450SR S for the latter. And even Harley-Davidson, with its new India-exclusive X440, has joined BMW (with its G310 series) and Indian-owned Jawa in producing 400cc bikes built in India.
The key words are “India” and “400cc” – because, yes, this revival of the 400 is different. While the 400 “golden age” of the 80s/90s was fueled by a Japanese quirk that made the 400 extremely popular and sophisticated, but at the same time prohibitive homologation regulations made the older examples very cheap and therefore affordable to import, this time there’s a different catalyst. And that catalyst is India.
The South Asian giant is now not only the world’s most populous nation with a tradition of motorcycle transport, but rising living standards and industrialization are fuelling growth in motorcycle sales and a shift towards larger displacement bikes.
In 2023, motorcycle registrations in India increased for the 14th consecutive year, this time by 8.5%, to an impressive 17.5 million units. At the same time, there is a developing shift from traditional 350cc models, such as Royal Enfield’s classic Bullet 350, to slightly larger machines. So we’re not exactly talking about 400cc bikes, but bikes of around 400cc, as evidenced by the Harley 440.