Have race rep 400s had their day?
End of the road for much-loved pocket rockets?
When 400cc sportsbikes hit Britain's shores in the early 1990s up and coming sportsbike newbies could hardly believe their luck. For the first time ever, new riders could get their eager hands on machines that looked and handled like a big-bore racebike, without frightening themselves silly or paying sky-high insurance premiums.
Up until then inexperienced riders, or those a bit short in the leg, were lumbered with either a low-slung custom or a sexless commuter. Neither were tempting fodder for riders that had their heart set on a cutting-edge sportsbike.
The source of these beautiful miniature race reps was Japan's home market, as the country's stringent transport laws made motorcycles over three years old almost redundant. But even though Japan had turned its back on these exquisite race replicas, it didn't take long for someone to realise there was a massive market for them in Britain. Japan's loss was to be our gain and the grey import bike scene was born.
Discuss this story
Excellent article. It's true that the market for 400's has greatly diminished in recent years, which in turn makes them either a bain to have them or a god send. For example sourcing parts can be hard, my ZXR400's downpipes have rotten and a genuine set from Kawasaki are just shy of £500 and that is for another set of quick rotting downpipes. Even some of the well known manufactuers are not producing for the 400's any more e.g Scorpion, and I think Micron. But even so with parts awkward to source if you have a minter they are desireable to the second hand market even with high mileage and I won't have lost too much money from when I bought it, again there lies another problem where even tho I know I should get another bike due to the bike being cramped and hurts my knees due my manly size. I just can't bring myself to let it go. I think this could be a good thing for the Journo's at TWO to look in to. Could fill a few pages. 
Posted: 18/08/2007 14:16
No I think it was going to use one of these 450 v-twins  Cagiva was going to make a 400/500 mito i think, that might of been a single?
Posted: 18/08/2007 21:09
Kwak was best. Go and wash out 
Posted: 18/08/2007 21:35
I'd love Kawasaki to import an official 2008 ZX4R. :smoke: I cant imagine how much better it would be than the 1991 technology thats in my ZXR400 race bikes.......... would probably be two seconds a lap quicker straight out of the crate before the fettling started. Dont bother about market demographics and all that bollox just build it and ship it - I'll buy one.
Posted: 23/08/2007 11:32
The '07 R6 feels nothing like my 400. Are you missing the midrange of the 400?? Bit tongue-in-cheek mate - of course a 600 has more power everywhere than a 400 would. But surely if someone wants the riding experience of a 15 year old 400 they could buy a modern lightweigh, fab-handling 600 and just not use all the power.... :burnout:
Posted: 23/08/2007 12:49
Great article! I have a little FZR400R exup, my second ever bike. I have had it for the best part of 11 years (ohmygod!) and it still makes me smile like a loon every time I'm out on it! The size is perfect for a little person like me, and the noise it makes at 13000+ is super!! Totaly addictive!! 
Posted: 25/08/2007 12:50
Can you expand?? I'm not trying to be a jerk, just genuinely interested in why it's so different?? Riding a 400 is a mental thing. It's ALL about using, and knowing that you're using every last drop of performance the bike will give. Thrashing the machine to the limits of the revs on every ride, using every last bit of your skills to maintain corner speed knowing for a fact that if you don't, you'll drop out of the power and have to go down 3 gears just to start accelerating again. Get it right and you genuinely feel like a god. You simply can't do that safely on the road on a 600 today because to genuinely use all the power* of even a 3 or 4 year old 600 you'd be going well over twice the speed of the majority of traffic. *i.e. slamming the throttle open on corner exits.
Posted: 26/08/2007 20:09
Re: the www.v-four.freeserve.co.uk link in this article. Unfortunately my Honda V4 site was deleted  It now has a new home at http://www.simonevans.co.uk/v-four/ Cheers, Simon.
Posted: 28/08/2009 13:49
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