The recent influx of higher capacity motorcycles in the country has been monumental, especially if the middle-weight is taken into consideration. However, the entry-level super sports category, which has dominated by the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and KTM RC 390 is expected to have a new competitor - the Honda CBR 400 R. Although it is not an all-new model as Honda had unveiled the previous generation of the motorcycle at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, the new model though does bring along with it several changes.
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Engine
The business end of any sports bike, when it comes to performance, has to be the engine. The Kawasaki Ninja is powered by a 399cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine that is capable of producing 45.6 PS of power and 38 Nm of torque.
The 2019 Honda CBR 400 R is powered by a 399cc in-line two-cylinder engine that develops 46 PS of power and 38 Nm of torque and comes with a water-cooling system. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed transmission.
Features
The Kawasaki Ninja 400 comes with a slipper clutch which helps while aggressive downshifting as it prevents the lock-up on the rear tyre, as well as a lighter clutch pull. Other features include dual LED headlamps which have been borrowed from its elder sibling – the Ninja H2. The rear lights are LEDs too and are inspired by the Ninja ZX-10R.
The 2019 Honda CBR 400 R's intake system has been revised and it gets a new exhaust system as well. The engine has been tuned to deliver better low-end and mid-range torque delivery and the slipper-clutch, as per Honda, is meant to make it ‘fun’ at corners.
Design
When it comes to design, the CBR 400 R seems to take inspiration from the India-bound Honda CBR 650 R which we saw breaking cover at the 2018 edition of EICMA, hinting in the new ‘sportier-looking’ updates that the CBR range is getting all over, including the CBR 500 R as well. The headlights and taillights are sharper and the turn indicators are now LEDs. The LCD instrument cluster now comes with a gear-position indicator.
The Kawasaki Ninja 400, on the other hand, follows a more relaxed design style which makes it come across as more of a sports tourer than a track-focused machine. The familiar green and black paint combination make its way to the Ninja 400.
Price
The Kawasaki Ninja 400 comes at a price tag of Rs 4.69 lakh. As of now, there is no news on whether Honda Motorcycles will bring this model to India but given that Kawasaki has already the Ninja 400 in its stable, it wouldn’t be wrong to expect this to make it to our shores sometime in the future.
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