One motorcycle hard to come by is the Classic Honda 400 four built in the 1970s. It isn’t to be confused with the CB 400 (2 cylinder in line) which is a twin line 2 piston engine which was commercialized in Brazil.
1975 – Honda CB 400 Four
The small CB 400 Four was the first of the line with 4-cylinder in-line engines to feature the 4-into-1 exhaust system, as well as being the pioneer of the six-speed gearbox. You can buy one at R$45.000,00. The exhaust system sounded extremely cool, as the deep roar turned heads when it rode by in the street.
This situation was blown away with force when, at the end of 1979, the arrival of the Honda CB400 was announced. The first national motorcycle of high performance at the time! Also 6-speed. This motorcycle has many secondhand models available for sale in Brazil at a price tag of between 15 to 40 thousand reais. 67,550 units were produced in Manaus in north Brazil between 1980 and 1984.
The blue Honda 350 Four can be purchased for around 50k via a secondhand motorcycle showroom and mechanics store in São Paulo. The CB 400 four wasn’t produced in Brazil, however a few imported versions arrived.
It’s important to understand that the CB 400 four engine wasn’t readily available, so in the case of this example, the frame and all the parts were imported from the USA where the CB 350 four was sold. Incidentally, the CB 350 four was never sold in Brazil, so it is very rare. The person selling now is the original mechanic who rebuilt the bike using an engine from the CB 400 four. It is an extremely rare motorcycle, and perhaps the only one in existence in Brazil.
The Honda CB 350 Four is a 347cc four-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle, based on the larger versions of the period (CB750 and CB500). The motorcycle was manufactured in Japan between 1972 and 1974. At the time, the CB350 Four was the smallest four-cylinder motorcycle to enter mass production. Production was discontinued in 1974, being replaced by the CB 400 Four.
A new retro Honda CB 350cc was arriving to be sold in Brazil which has been registered, but according to my research it has not been approved for sale in Brazil.
The motorcycle has an on-board computer and smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth. There is even voice control for the system! In addition, the motorcycle is powered by a 348cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 20.7 hp at 5,500 rpm. It is no coincidence that the technical specifications are very similar to those of the 350cc Royal Enfield models.
However, registration with the INPI does not mean that the brand will launch the model in the country. This is because this type of registration only guarantees protection against copies in the domestic market.
However, Honda may surprise Brazil and launch the CB 350 in the future. Ultimately, everything now depends on the Japanese brand's plans for the country. All that's left for fans now is to wait for a "surprise" launch from the manufacturer.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Take a look at the CB 350:
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