The Japanese giant disappeared from the sub 400cc class of sport bikes in India with the CBR 250R being its last offering, launched back in 2011. While Honda did launch the CBR300R globally, it did not land on Indian shores.
A new 399cc parallel-twin, liquid cooled engine puts out 45.4 hp at 9500 rpm and 37 Nm at 7500
rpm. These figures are comparable to the RS457 from Aprilia, the R3 from Yamaha and the Ninja 500
from Kawasaki.
Honda’s sportbikes are instantly recognizable and the 400R is no different. Fireblade inspired
winglets and ducts deck the front with a sculpted fuel tank while the rear is sleek with a well-
designed twin-pod exhaust. What does catch your eye are the twin brake rotors which are a first for a
bike in this class.
Another point to note is the new 5-inch TFT display. This unit does get smartphone connectivity,
bluetooth, the works. Honda has also equipped the 400R with Honda Selectable Torque
Control(HSTC), Honda’s fancy name for the traction control system.
Honda hasn’t revealed whether the bike will launch in India, yet. If and when the CBR 400R does
launch, we expect it to be priced around the ₹ 4.5 lakh mark if Honda has any hope of competing in this price sensitive category with an abundance of options.
