Honda Unveils 400cc Twin Engine; New Honda CBR400R in Development?

When most of us were guessing that the new 500cc middleweight bikes from Honda is to take on new Kawasaki Ninja 400R, Honda surprised everyone by unveiling a new 400cc twin-cylinder engine. The bike is being developed exclusively for Japanese market, where the segment is on a rise. The reason is very clear that the Japanese government imposes lower taxes upon motorcycles in the 250-400cc segment, and a bike in this category costs lesser.

To get the tax benefits with the greater fuel economy and lesser carbon emission leading motorcycle makers like Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki are developing the single cylinder and twin cylinder engine designs for the 250cc to 400cc class. The company already has the Honda CBR250R in the category and now they developed the new twin cylinder engine displacing 400cc, which is a downsized version of the 470cc parallel twin found on the CBR500R. The 400cc four stroke twin cylinder engine is expected to power the Honda CBR400R, which will rival the Kawasaki Ninja 400R.

Honda is targeting the Japanese market at the moment and it remains unclear whether they will sell the new CBR400R sportsbike in other countries or not. There are some reports that they are also planning to launch the bike in south east Asian markets and then India can be a potential market. The performance bike market in India has been improved in last few years and the bike can be a rival for upcoming KTM Duke 390 and Bajaj Pulsar 375.