Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB350/400 => Topic started by: Mikep328 on July 26, 2024, 02:00:14 PM
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Anybody ridden one? I'd be very interested in a comparison. NO, not planning to buy one but I'm curious. It's getting rave reviews though the concept of a 400cc thumper as regular road bike escapes me based on past experience. I think it would be fun to road test/compare it with the '70s Honda CB 400 and its three extra cylinders! ;)
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Mike, I have the Speed 400 and I love it. It's lights, plenty of torque and well built. It performs well - not super fast but I'm not after that any more! The 400/4, in comparison, is a much more revvy bike but still fun. (I have 2 of those!)
It'll be interesting to see how the RE Guerrilla 450 does against the triumph - similar type of bike and being launched in Spain - today, I think.....
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I would expect considerable vibration at higher speeds compared to the CB400. Is that the case or have they tamed that characteristic of a single?
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I think the triumph has two balance shafts to stop the vibes.
The CB250RS also has two balance shafts, they didn't get rid of the vibes but pushed them higher up the rev range. I think the triumph is similar.
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Not that I'm in the market but if I was 30 years younger I would be thinking a small 270 deg Twin would be a good option.
My memory of my Triumph 21 was of hand numbing vobration through the bar grips as well as the oil puddles it left everywhere I parked it - my 250 single Viscount prior Scooter was a mobile Bum massage. Both my Honda 250 Dreams - the standard & SS seemed to be vibration free.
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I've owned my 400 for 36 years, and as I've got older I'm sure the bike has got heavier!! I've reached the age where I think you are allowed to do something stupid in your life, so, I bought my first ever single, a Japanese domestic market 1987 GB250 Clubman. 4 valve DOHC, no balancer shafts, but what the hell. Stuck a pair of Avon Roadrunners on it, it is so slim and light and goes round cotners like a dream, even my crown jewels stay in place when I put it on the centre stand!! I did a 90 mile round trip on it 2 days ago, and that was about my limit on it, so it's still the 400 for longer journeys, but even old men are allowed to play sometimes, eh?
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That’s a very nice looking bike there Micky, very clean.
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Those GB250's are really sweet retro lookers. You know they have sneaked in some modern stuff, like electrics that work, lights that actually do, and brakes that stop you, but everything else just captures the memory of times past.
And having spent the last couple of weekends wrestling with a Triumph T21 wiring loom, I can appreciate how far we have come since the days of Joe Lucas. I don;t unerstand a opsitive earth, I don't get why you would deliberately use the handlebars as an earth path for the horn, or why Triumph didn;t also connect that to a proper earth up front. I did, but the wiring diagram has no such wire.
I quite like the new Triumph 400, which if memory serves, was designed and built in India, in poartnership between Triumph and Bajaj, joining the automotive trernd for badges not actually telling you much about the origin. Not a bad thing in most cases, as these parts of the world have done an awful lot of catching up from the early days of re-imported Enfield Bullets.
Case in poin t being the new Enfield 450 single bikes actually make decent power, rather than the asthmatic 24hp 400 Himalayas. I looked into one of those as a commuter...but dear god it was sluggish.
But..getting back to the 400 Trumpets...I would actually seriously consider a 400 Scrambler as a ride to work machine. Nimble, pokey enough, and not going to break the bank at refuelling time.
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Very good reviews of the Triumph 400 in all the bike mags and on YouTube. The one stand out feature the bike testers like is how Triumph have made what is a small bike feel like a big bike but keeping the weight down, a very clever trick.
I think the new Enfield will give it a run for its money though being cheaper.
India has certainly come of age in terms of bike manufacturing when you consider TVS own Norton, Royal Enfield, Baja making bikes for Triumph & BMW.
Unfortunately China appears to be having some issues manufacturing bikes for KTM, I've been following the reports of rapid cam wear on the KTM 790 & 890. This bike is made by CF Moto (who sell these bikes here via KTM dealerships). It appears KTM have been called out by MCN to own up and fix the issues and it's not pretty!
Micky, that Honda Clubman is very pretty, very retro and you can have as much fun on a small bike as a bigger one. Even though the RSA had twin balance shafts I used to get high frequency vibes through the footrests and seat at revs over 7K.
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I would expect considerable vibration at higher speeds compared to the CB400. Is that the case or have they tamed that characteristic of a single?
Vibrations are no worse than any other bike I have.
Triumph have had a few issues which seem to be mainly centered around Euro5 'features' (and so have other brands). If you want to see how good it is, take one on a test ride. I think you will be very surprised at the performance.
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Turns out my wife is interested in one so we may head over to Fowlers in Bristol. If she likes it she'll trade in her '19 750 Honda that she bought there.
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Turns out my wife is interested in one so we may head over to Fowlers in Bristol. If she likes it she'll trade in her '19 750 Honda that she bought there.
I think she may be very surprised!