As far as motorcycling trends go, the 400 import craze be the biggest to hit our shores for some time. Specialist importer outfits are springing up all over the country and providing bikes that official importers can’t, or won’t. It seems incredible that the Japanese should go to so much effort to produce smaller-scale sports motorcycles purely for their own market, where depreciation renders them virtually worthless after a matter of months. The appetite that the Japanese consumer has for the latest, greatest must-have product is leading to a growth in our market that is good and bad.
While entrepreneurs fly east on shopping frenzies, loading up containers crammed with perfectly-formed 400s, the UK importers are scratching their heads. They are clearly losing sales but the market is growing and luring new riders that are attracted to these jewel-like missiles.
Full-on superbike looks and cheap insurance provide the lure and on a purely practical note, the physical advantages give novice riders and the fairer sex a greater choice for their first sports bike. These new riders will no doubt go on to purchase larger bikes in time, thus benefitting the official retailers. So isn’t everyone a winner, or do the 400s sweeping into the UK signal the beginning of the end for the 600cc class?
Kawasaki are the only UK importer officially bringing in their gorgeous little ZXR400, so it seems only fitting to line up the ZXR against the sexy little Honda CBR that is the latest toy on the list of discerning grey-bike customer. The recipe for the breed remains unchanged – small, light and lots of revs. Size and weight are the keys here. If you are physically tall or heavy, then neither of these two should be on your shopping list. Whilst they have a reasonably impressive power output, they come with no more torque than a 250cc 2-stroke and weigh more, making them reliant on heaps of revs.
Dragging 15 stone Englishmen from corner to corner wasn’t exactly part of the original design brief whereas a jockey-sized rider of around 10 stone will be able to maximise the available performance. Even so, with a full tank of fuel and a recently devoured fry-up, we’re asking the 400’s to entertain 250kg and impress in the performance department.
Assuming a normal riding position on either the ZXR or CBR confirms this as even my sub 6-foot, 11stone frame seems to completely fill all the usable space on the Kawasaki. The riding position is pure race-replica crouch with plenty of weight on the wrists and feet tucked up high and well behind knees, it’s compact and cramped. The sporty view from behind the cockpit is enhanced with the vacuum cleaner air pipes running from the fairing to the fuel tank.
Kawasaki are bang-on with the styling and graphics, which are in keeping with its bigger brother and factory racers. The ZXR looks mean. Hopping on to the Honda feels quite different. They look much the same (although the Kawasaki is definitely sharper) but the Honda is roomier on board – less race bike and more road bike. The suspension actually compresses under my weight too, which could provide interesting handling characteristics later on.
Applying choke and prodding the starter buttons shows signs of the madness that is to come. As they settle down to their respective tickovers of just over 1,000rpm, they still have over 13,000 rpm left before they’ll be nudging their 14,500rpm redlines. That makes for some busy pistons and carbs as the sluice gates will be permanently open, pouring fuel through the tiny CV units at an indecent rate. And no doubt emptying those miniature 16-litre tanks accordingly in a flurry of revs and filling stations.
The ZXR seems fairly frisky and serious despite pulling off steadily in the cold March air. It is pure Kawasaki – slightly vibey but not harsh with a tight and slick gearbox that allows clutchless changes as soon as it’s up to operating temperature. We’re heading out of town into the hills and the sooner the better because it becomes cramped and uncomfortable within minutes. Not just down to the dimensions, but more the extremely firm suspension, which is already on soft, road settings. Before long, the cars thin out and we’re starting to build up pace.
Pressure is eased on the wrist and the gearbox is getting busy. As the revs build from corner to corner towards the double-figure area, I’m wondering when something significant is going to happen. The power delivery is perfectly linear until it nudges 10,000rpm and things do happen. A bit. Up to this point it drives quite well out of the corners, but not enough to cause any heart flutters. Open the throttle and watch the needle climb past 9,000rpm and bury it into the redline – proper fun! The motor makes a mentalist howl, but the motor is just getting frantic and not necessarily providing a considerable change in acceleration. It does provide enough however to appreciate that the needle will have to spend the rest of its days between 9,000rpm and the red line. Firstly to make good progress, and secondly because that’s where the fun is found..
It would be an exaggeration to say that the ZXR takes off - it’s more of a subtle performance increase representative of its non-curvy power graph. The appeal is plain to see though. You can be working the bike hard, carrying absurd amounts of corner speed, dabbing the brakes and using the gear ratios as much as possible, with the exception of 6th which is only of use on high-speed motorway work. It’s a proper sports bike that needs huge amounts of rider effort but the reward is high for those that wan to make that much effort.
This is all very well when the road surface is good because the taught chassis offers little flexibility but good feedback. Throw in a few major ripples and minor potholes and the outlook is less rosy as your focus changes to the pain that is shooting up the wrists and spine – this is one firm motorcycle that ironically needs a lot of weight on it to get the suspension working in a real-world, road based situation. There is nothing actually wrong with the suspension – it’s just that there isn’t enough adjustability to dial the thing in for anything other than track settings. The track of course, is exactly where the ZXR should be tested – in its natural environment where many will end up. But it still has to perform on the road – where the majority will spend their time.
Suspension aside, the ZXR has fantastic cornering ability and is perfectly suited to its 120 and 160 sized tyres. For maximum grip, Dunlop KR364s are the ticket. It drops into turns quickly and can achieve extreme lean angles thanks to the radial Dunlops and highly set foot pegs. In fact, being aggressive with it seems to pay dividends. Grab a handful of the front brake lever while changing down a couple and absolutely hurl it down on its ear – it is almost impossible to upset it on the right surface and with the tyres at an acceptable temperature. The dual 4-piston calipers require a degree of physical effort but are certainly effective enough in terms of outright power. The ZXR’s speciality is high-speed cornering – hence it being so suited to track work. Hairpins are for bikes with grunt – it just takes too long to wind this little bugger up to a respectable velocity, so the last thing you should be considering is scrubbing off too much speed. Keep the revs in the double figures and you’ll be a happy, if cramped camper.
After half a day aboard the Kawasaki (rather than hop continuously from bike to bike) it is time to see if the Honda can offer any surprises. The two bikes here are so similar on paper in terms of weight and power that it seems unlikely. The little CBR is less aggressive looking than the Kwacker and feels more civilised at a standstill as mentioned, though this isn’t necessarily a plus point. In fact, jumping from one to the other after so long in the saddle is quite a pleasant experience, as the Honda really does feel bigger and has a less extreme riding position. Working through the gears isn’t quite as business-like as on the ZXR. The changes are positive but it doesn’t have that same crispness and accuracy. The engine is smoother and slightly quieter too, which creates a more calm and leisurely atmosphere. Which is typical of any Honda.
It follows the same path as the ZXR in terms of power delivery, though. In top gear at 6,000rpm the speedo reads 60mph, 7,000rpm it is showing 70mph and so on. As with the Kawasaki, the Honda has the ability to flow with fast moving traffic and overtake without too much revving and cog swapping, but then where is the fun in that? We’re here to see what happens when you light the blue touch paper. Working the revs up to the business end of the tacho nets the same results as before. A degree of liveliness is detected approaching the 10,000rpm area and then it starts to get very busy indeed. I’m talking about the rev counter, not the speedo. There is very little to split the bikes on acceleration but the CBR seems calmer and more nonchalant about going fast, the ZXR lets you know it’s building speed as it roars through its airbox. Both bikes will cover the quarter-mile in around 14.5s @ 105mph.
The CBR will brake, turn and steer very well although the ZXR is slightly sharper in all departments. The big difference here is comfort. Throw in those road irregularities again and the Honda positively glides over them in comparison. Its traditional spindly looking forks won’t cope with the loads and stresses of the USD 41mm units found on the ZXR, but they are extremely forgiving. When you really whick it up the soft suspension of the Honda gets a little vague, but back to the power delivery. At 10,000rpm, the motor remains smooth even as those 16 little valves are trying to launch themselves through the fuel tank and into my chest. The power delivery is again so linear that it’s hard to tell whether there is any point revving to the limit. The truth is that it’s not. It doesn’t really produce anything useful over 12,000rpm (as per the Kwak) but it just seems to like being revved, so why not? Would be rude not to.
The major difference here, which becomes apparent almost immediately, is that you feel as though you could spend the whole day on the Honda, or even go somewhere and not come home again that very same day. It’s easy to ride fast on average UK roads, and copes far better with irregularities, though the Kawasaki will have a very clear advantage on any given race circuit. The Honda is soft where the Kawasaki is hard. It’s pretty simple really but means that potential customers do have something tangible to consider other than which one they prefer the look of, as they are significantly different to live with. Heavier riders will overwhelm the Honda just as lighter riders won’t get the Kawasaki suspension working properly. There is a degree of adjustability on the CBR but it will always be as soft as the ZXR is firm.
That for me is the deciding factor. Just because the CBR isn’t hardcore, doesn’t mean that it’s not good. It is a proper little rocket that will still get the adrenalin pumping, as long as your right wrist is. Thing is, if I wanted something hardcore I’d have an RGV250 because of its looks, lighter weight and vicious power band. It would not only murder the ZXR on the track, but would also offer considerably more thrills and satisfaction whilst doing so and all while smelling fantastic. Of these two the Honda is the better all-rounder and I would gladly trade some hard edge for a more user-friendly day-to-day motorcycle. Another quality product from Honda, even if it is only in miniature.
The Kawasaki offers better value for money and is easily available without any of the possible parts and warranty issues that could surface with a grey import like the CBR. If you want to look sharp and are willing to sacrifice comfort, take the ZXR. But for anyone wanting to ride more than 30 miles at a time, the CBR’s the winner.
