History of the modern 400cc Superbike

Generally underrated by western markets, smaller high performance bikes (250cc and 400cc) were hugely popular in the domestic Japanese market, mainly as a result of strict licensing laws, making owning bigger bikes prohibitive. Bikes bigger than 400cc were build for export, and usually had 400ccand 250cc versions developed for the local market. The four-stroke 400cc race-replica market was fiercely contested for about a decade from the early 80’s to the early 90’s, with intense development and competition involving all of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. The intense competition spread to such series as the production-based SP and the TT-F3 races. The innovative technologies that debut on these 400cc bikes indicated the importance of this class in the Japanese market during this time. By the late nineties Japanese laws were relaxed, and the focus on the tense development of these models subsided.

A few of these models were officially imported into some western markets during their time of production, and was very expensive. (An officially imported VFR400 into the UK in 1989 was as expensive as the top of the range CBR1000F, almost 7500 pounds.) But moderately used models (another anomality of the Japanese market, that make taxes on older bikes also too expensive to keep on the road) began to be imported from Japan by independent specialists, and soon they represented good value for money.

Honda

Designed mainly for the tastes of the European market and launched to the public by the end of 1974, the Honda CB400 four was the first high performance 400cc bike with its multi-cylinder engine, sporty styling, low handlebars and curvy 4-into-1 exhaust system. Up until then, the 400cc market produced mainly parallel-twin engined bikes, like the Suzuki GS400 (1977 – 81), the Honda CB400 twin (1978 – 86), the Kawasaki Z400 twin (1977 – 83) and Yamaha XS400 of 1978.

The CB400 Four was styled after the legendary CB750, generally regarded as the first superbike, and also to take advantage of the café-racer boom. It was based on the traditionally styled CB350 Four with its single-overhead cam, air-cooled and two-valves-per-cylinder. For the CB400 the displacement was increased to 408cc and it gained a 6-speed transmission.

In 1976, Japan introduced a three-tiered motorcycle license system; a license for small bikes to 125cc, medium bikes to 400cc, and a third one with no displacement limit.

Honda responded by releasing a second CB400 Four, with a 398cc displacement, but only one horsepower less. Both the 398 and 408 cc models were available in two types; one with low handlebars, and a second one with higher handlebars suited to the more traditional rider. The 398cc model was distinguished from the bigger one by its black side covers, and as the only four-cylinder models in the 400cc class, both bikes was very popular. Production ended in 1976.

Honda’s V-four programme began in 1982 with the VF750F and VF400F; the smaller bike evolved in lockstep with the bigger one over the following two decades. It featured a bikini-fairing with a tubular steel frame holding a 90 degree V-four engine with chain-driven cams. The following year the bike gained a full fairing.

Along with the launch of the VFR750F in 1986, Honda also unveiled the first VFR400R (NC21) with a twin-spar aluminum frame. Following reliability issues with the cams of its V-four engines, the bikes now sported gear-driven cams that needed no adjustment, and a 180 degree crankshaft. The following year it became the NC24 with the pro-arm, single-sided swing-arm.

The Honda VFR400R NC30 was unveiled in 1989, a street version of the RVF400, a racing bike that competed successfully in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy and was nearly unbeatable in the All-Japan F3 championship. The streetbike looked like the evocative VFR750R RC30 racer, itself the street version of the RVF750 endurance racer. The unique V-four engine now employed a direct rocker-arm design that in which the camshaft is positioned on the valve axis, greatly reducing friction loss, while the crank was now a 360 degree design. The chassis was a closed-box twin-spar aluminum frame stiff enough to hold a 750cc engine. It had 41mm diameter forks, floating disk brakes, and the distinctive aluminum single-sided swing-arm. In racing trim, the bike produced 66hp and weighed 142kg.

The NC30 was also discontinued in 1993, replaced by the RVF400 NC35 in 1994; a miniature version in appearance of the RC45 complete with inverted forks, but with the lower horse power limit. It was discontinued in 1997.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki revived the multi-cylinder 400cc market with the Z400FX in 1979, an air-cooled two-valve-per cylinder model which was followed by the Z400GP in 1982 and the GPZ400F in 1983.

In 1985 Kawasaki produced its first 16-valve liquid-cooled 400cc model, the GPZ400R. The bike featured the same type of aluminum double-cradle “cross frame”, with the engine enclosed by tubes just like the GPZ600R. While its competitors were undisguised race-replicas, the GPZ was a practical bike offering comfort with its low seat and excellent wind protection. Its long wheelbase gave it stable and easy handling. It was a unique offering, and hugely popular. It was also not slow in spite of its touring orientation; with a lot of low to midrange torque, and power increased way beyond 8000rpm until way beyond its quoted peak at 12000rpm. This set the template for its replacement, the ZZ-R400 in 1990.

Kawasaki launched the GPX400, a sportier version of the GPZ, followed by the ZX-4 in 1988.

The Kawasaki ZX-4 was replaced by the ZXR400 in 1989, which ran alongside the ZZ-R400.

Suzuki

Suzuki released its first multi-cylinder 400cc in April 1981, and it also was the first ever 400cc streetbike with four-valves-per-cylinder – the GSX400F, styled after the groundbreaking Katana of the time. The 4-valve Honda CBX400F followed six months later.

Up until then all 400cc multi-cylinder bikes had two-valves-per-cylinder and was air-cooled.

The GSX400FZ Impulse was built for the Japanese home-market only in 1982, featuring a distinctive frame design, and oil-cooler and an additional three horse-power. It was again released in updated form only for one year in 1986.

In March 1983 Suzuki released the GSX400FW to replace the 400F, with a liquid-cooled engine mounted in a square-tube frame. It was quoted at 52hp and could be revved to 11500rpm. Yoshimura entered a tuned version with a special frame in the Japanese TT-F3 race. The FW came out one month ahead the Yamaha XJ400Z, which was only the second 400cc bike to get a liquid-cooled engine. The FW was discontinued the following year, gaining four extra horse-power.

In March 1984 came the GSX-R400, built with Suzuki’s multi-rib Aluminum Box frame - created by Etsuo Yakouchi, director of Suzuki’s racing activities. The GSX-R400 was inspired by the GS1000R XR41 endurance racer, borrowing much of its technology and appearance, and also took some lessons from Yoshimura’s FW-based TT-F3 racer. It was only the second production bike to get a lightweight, stiff aluminum frame, after Suzuki’s RG250 Gamma. The forks had the fashionable anti-dive system of the time, and the rear suspension sported a full-floating kit that could be adjusted to soft for comfort in everyday riding or hard for sport riding. Yakouchi used the GSX-R400 as template for creating the trendsetting GSX-R750, a year later, as is evidence in the similar frame design.

The GSX-R’s engine was based on the FW, but with major revisions, such as 10mm plugs that made room for much larger intake and exhaust valves. This boosted power output to 59hp at 11000rpm, which tied it with Yamaha’s FZ400 of the same time. The maximum power was the limit set for a 400cc bike by the Japanese government. The engine also featured Suzuki’s just-developed “twin-swirl combustion chamber” for greater combustion efficiency. However, at 152kg was far lighter than the FZ400 and Honda CBR400R, giving it a better power-to-weight ratio than even the RG250 Gamma 2-stroke racer, making it the fastest in its class. In racing trim it was even more astonishing, with 67hp and 134kg.

The GSX-R was sold alongside the sports-touring GSX400F (1988-1989) and RF400 (1993-1999) for the years indicated.

Yamaha

The Yamaha FZ400R of 1984 was created by dropping the new four-valve engine from the XJ400Z into a double-cradle steel frame with a wide-loop tank rail, and styling based on the F3 racers.

Yamaha released the FZR400 in 1986 with concepts from its Genesis featuring in the model like an engine with a forward slant of 45 degrees, just like the FZ750 of the previous year. This allowed a low centre of gravity and made it possible to set the carburetors on top of the engine, while incorporating straight intake tracts for improved combustion efficiency. The aluminum Deltabox frame was adopted from the TZR250, a year earlier than its appearance on the FZR750. It featured low-profile radial tyres – a first for a production bike.

Where to now?

In many countries, including South Africa, 400cc grey models still trickle in, and will continue to do so for a handful of years, but the 400 era has drawn to a close. Suzuki produced an SV400 version of the previous carbureted version its popular 650, and is perhaps the most modern – or rather recent - 400 road bike at the moment, at least as far as I know. It is unlikely to see more 400 versions of bigger bikes, like a Yamaha R4 or a new Kawasaki ZX-4R, but I will be happy to be wrong.

The laws might have changed in Japan, but their affinity with the 400cc class remain. Retro café-racer bikes like the single-cylinder Honda CB400SS have been taking off in Japan in recent years, and again, is build for their local market only. It is only fair to assume that they will land up in western countries soon.

With the demise of the 400cc and 250cc superbikes, as well as the 250cc two-stroke and 125cc two-stroke (not counting the expensive Cagiva, Aprilia and Derbi models), a chapter in motorcycling history is closed.

(Old) Japanese laws on power and speed restriction:

Prior to 1993 the maximum horsepower were the following:
250cc class: 45hp
400cc class: 59 hp
750cc class: 77 hp
over 750cc: not allowed

The new limits for the models built in 1993 and after, were:
250cc class: 40hp
400cc class: 53 hp
750cc class: 77 hp
over 750cc: allowed, but restricted to 100 hp.

All motorcycles for the Japanese home market is restricted to 112mph. Bikes with more powerful engines and unrestricted topspeeds are made for export only. However, a Japanese person is allowed to import an unrestricted bike from another country for private use.

Sources:
Used Motorcycle Guide, UK
Bike UK, August 2001, “GSX-R: The cult”
www.suzukicycles.org
The Ultimate Motorcycle Encyclopedia, Roland Brown and Mac McDonald, 2002, New York
Tourist Trophy Playstation Game

Below: The Honda CB400SS; the new generation of grey-imports 400cc from Japan?

400’s or bust!

A dear friend has been and thinking about and threatening and wanting to get a bike for a long time now. A few years in fact. He was even thinking of buying my VFR, as I kept on thinking about - and threatening to - sell my bike. I never did; the thought of parting with was just too painful. However, I was in desperate need of money, especially for decent computer equipment as I was serious about getting my own bike magazine of the ground. And being a freelancer meant I had very little income, and the bike suffered as a result; I didn’t have money to service it. Luckily it is a Honda…

Anyway, my friend Lester has been riding a Vespa look-alike built by LML (an Indian manufacturer) patiently for years, and felt it was time for something sexy and fast.

And he potted a beauty; Honda’s little CBR400 NC29 screamer in absolute red-blue-and-white original condition and very clean. A 1993 model with 16 000km on it.

I am proud to say he selected me as part of the investigating committee to inspect his potential purchase. We all liked it the first moment we saw it. The deal was done!

We promptly had our first ride together one Sunday. Not a breakfast run; this was a “lunch run”, and a slow one at that. I actually forgot how nice it is to ride with another biker. I am always alone on my rides, having given up on rounding up my busy, preoccupied-with-their-families-and-career friends who never has time to go on a ride. Why they have bikes I don’t know! Or maybe I just like riding alone. However, it was different and that made it fun.

We cruised at about 90kph most of the way; over Boyes Drive and onto Gordon’s Bay, where we turned back after some fresh fish and chips at Ooskus Fisheries.

On the way back, there was a huge pile-up of traffic as they were busy clearing the road after an accident. I was getting anxious, as I had an appointment that I was gonna be late for. We filtered our way to the front, and the traffic cop let us through a small gap.

What I saw then I will be lucky to see again in my lifetime. The normally crowded, jammed-up N2 highway was as empty as far as the eye could see. I am talking four lanes of open space disappearing into the horizon.

What came next was only natural. I hooted and waved goodbye to Lester, and opened the throttle. Wide.

“I was late for an appointment officer.”

Fortunately I didn’t have to utter those words. I enjoyed that stretch for 3 to 4 minutes, before catching up on cars that were coming on through the on-ramps.

And I made my appointment with time to spare.

It was a truly special ride.

And Vernie too!








Now, this was a bit of a surprise. Three weeks after Lester bought his bike, Vernie bought the same model, with the same colour-scheme! His’ is slightly cheaper and not as clean, but there is nothing wrong with it. Vernie and Lester does not know each other.

Now, Vernie never expressed interest in a bike. He phoned me up on advice for a bike, and had it within a few days. I didn’t think he would actually do it.

That also meant that he cant actually ride. I rode the bike for him from the showroom to his home. And last weekend he got on it for the first time, and I got him to practice clutch control and gear-changes. I can drive a car, and that helps in terms of knowing how the control works. He got the hang very, very quickly and within minutes rode the bike slowly around the building for a while.

Next we have to get into the open, to get him used to the speed and power, but he doesn’t even have a helmet yet!

The virtue of a 400cc bike

I have two more friends, Nabiel and Sean, that has been talking about getting bikes for years now. They are as fanatical as I am, but I don’t have their patience. I spent all my money on a bike, even if it means going without food, while they prioritise other things, like family. Ok, maybe they are not as fanatical as I am!

Sean wants nothing to do with 400cc bikes however, and will probably get the latest R6, ZX-6R or CBR600RR. Lately he has been talking about a K6 GSX-R750.

Nabiel is more open. He will even go for an old CB900F in very good condition, something Sean will also never consider.

Personally, I have nothing against older or smaller bikes. My experience with them is tainted because I seem to have an innate ability to fall in love with a lemon. My FZR400 and Katana 750 being particular good examples.

But get a bike in good condition, that is looked after, serviced on time and kept clean, and these bikes can be as much fun as a newer model. It all depends what you can afford and the reason you want a bike. I think Sean likes to be scared witless on weekends, while for me a bike has to more practical, being my daily and only means of transport.

My only reservation about a 400 is that I will find them slow for a lot of the time. On my way to Namaqualand I did 190kph for long stretches of road (I paid the price in fuel consumption and tyre life!). A restricted 400 tops out at 180.

I also prefer the easy mid-range torque of a bigger engine, instead of having to rev so hard to get anywhere with a 400. It is certainly embarrassing to work so hard to keep up with turbo-charged Audi’s and compressored Merc’s on a mission.

But you get a 400 for its cornering ability, not topspeed. Besides, some derestricted models, like the NC30 and ZXR400 has been taken to a not unrespectable 230kph.

On general, there is a prejudice as well against 400’s. Not real bikes, or ladies bikes, or too slow; blah blah blah. I think it is mostly arrogance or ego speaking. It is all good if you have lived on open-class superbikes for most of your biking live and can afford to continue to buy them, but a lot of us are not that fortunate. A 400 is what introduced many of us into serious biking. Besides, few bigger bikes can provide as much a thrill through a set of tight twisties. Faster maybe, but not always more fun.

And the NC30 or 35 has been described as the bike you get after your R1. It hones and refine your riding skill like few other bikes can. The Aprilia RS250 is perhaps the only contender.

More valid concerns about 400s is that they are grey-imports, hence parts are difficult to find for certain models, and mechanics don’t always know how to fix them.
But if you see the atrocious customer service and back-up you get from even (some) official importers, going grey is not necessarily always the evil it is made out to be. Parts unavailability and untrained mechanics is not only limited to grey bikes. This argument is even more valid once you enter the second-hand / used market.

When we (me and my then colleague, Darren) published a series of articles on grey bikes on cartoday.com, we were attacked by Honda South Africa for supporting the sector. How could a reputable publisher support unofficial imports, especially considering the poor service and reputation.

In our defense, these bad dealers are actually selling official imports as well, and their bad business reputation had little to do with the fact that it was grey bikes that they sold. As a journalist, my notion was to help the reader and consumer make the best decision. And grey bikes were not suddenly going to disappear of the market; so as they would continue to be imported, the more useful approach was to support the reader in making a choice. People will continue to buy them, no matter what. So rather help than preach abstinence. As a matter of fact, there were rumours afoot that Honda SA were busy working behind the scenes to get the motorcycling market regulated and protected in the same way the local car industry is.

To the very least, bikes should be homologated for South African conditions, something I agree with as it is more about safety than protecting markets. Parallel imports are an even bigger headache for Honda, and these parallel importers don’t adapt bikes to local spec (kph clocks, headlight dipping the right way, fuel requirements, etc.) when they bring them in, which should be addressed.

If the car industry was as open as the bike industry, we would be driving used Toyota Supra’s and Skyline GTR’s for the price of a new Citi-Golf; which is in fact, what they do in our neighbouring countries. But our neighbours don’t have car manufacturing industries, and we do, which is why the market is so tightly regulated, to protect the industry. And since we don’t manufacture bikes here, government couldn’t be bothered to impose restrictions on importers.

Good for us!

A local Kawasaki (official) dealer, has the approach to service grey bikes, because for the newcomer into biking it is just a Kawasaki. He or she doesn’t care about it being a grey bike, as long as it is taken care off. Refusing to work on it or to supply parts, means that the new rider might never buy a Kawasaki again. It would have been easy to go, “sorry we didn’t sell it, so we cant help you. Go back to the dealer you bought it from”. This Kawasaki dealer knows the importance of protecting the brand.

This is a sensible approach that I agree with. What is a headache, is when importers bring in bikes that are so rare and technologically different, that no one can provide support for the bikes, and my Suzuki GSX400FW is a case in point here.

So our features on grey 400’s were designed to inform readers about the pitfalls of buying grey, because fact is, they will buy grey, if only for the affordability fact.

As a Topbike journalist I can no longer air my opinions with impunity. I am part of a bigger whole now, and that whole (Topbike magazine) has as one of its founding principles to give exposure to the products of AMID (Association of Motorcycles Importers and Distributors). So we will never test a bike from a grey or parallel importer. Regardless of what I think, it seems that other magazines are happy to test grey and parallel bikes, so Topbike enjoys a useful (and perhaps delicate) support from the official guys.

When it comes to parallel and bigger grey bikes (like Suzuki's 750 Bandit or GS1200SS), I agree wholeheartedly with AMID’s plight. When it comes to 400cc grey bikes however, I feel it is a completely different segment of the market, that has little impact on official sales.

Back to Lester; for the same money he spent on his NC29, if he had to buy an officially imported bike, Lester would have had to consider something like the Honda CBR125. I know which one I would go for. No contest.

I rode the CBR125 and I took Lester’s CBR400 for a spin. The build quality of the 400 is much better. In fact, it is much better than a lot of bikes, and it feels solid and smooth.

Which shouldn’t be a surprise. These bikes were the top-of-the-range models for many years in the domestic Japanese market, so the engineering, design and manufacturing effort that went into them were top-class. When they were first imported new, they cost as much as the open-class superbikes!

Our 400 article links:

So, you want a 'grey' bike?

Seeing grey

Selecting grey

Grey bikes: Honda’s pocket rockets

Honda’s pocket rockets Part 2

Servicing and tuning your NC30

Bandit lunacy

My FZR400

The FZR was my second 400 after my first bike, the Suzuki GSX400FW. Both were yellow and both were a nightmare.

My test-ride on the FZR was convincing. It had that big-bike feel with that enveloping, sitting-in-rather-than-on experience that I prefer. It sounded great, with that faint whistle from the exhaust. I was in a trance.

The problems started the very next day. Fowled plugs. Turned out it was running rich and it was an incurable disease. Than it started overheating. Then it leaked coolant. It would not start. Then it would start but not run smooth. And it was unfixable.

This was particularly disappointing, as I bought it from a close friend who moved back to the states, and he had the bike for a long time.

How all of these problems never transpired with him is a mystery.

I eventually swopped it for a CD200. Then the FZR got stolen from the guy who swopped it. (He eventually got it back.)

The bike did run well at times, and I would go on my long, solitary rides. But there was something missing from the FZR; it lacked that X-factor. It had no soul or charisma. Maybe it was just my example, but it left me feeling indifferent. It might be for this reason that the bike is not as highly rated as the other 400’s. It might also have something to do with the mechanical condition that the bike was in, and I will have to ride other examples to really know. It was certainly light-years away from the experience I had with that test-ride.

In retrospect, when I had that test-ride, I was starved of a bike for many months; my Katana being stolen. Any bike would have felt good.

But it also highlights one of my concerns in life. If you are going to spent the next half-a-decade paying a vehicle off, a quick ride around the block is not enough to make a decision on. At least a weekend, to get an idea what it is like to live with.

The same with buying a house; only after you moved in you discover the annoying neighbour’s dog and the noisy railway close by. You will only discover those things if you “test-live” in the house for a few days!

Anyway, the FZR is a memorable bike, but for all the wrong reasons.





MY GSX400FW

My first bike. Finally having a decent-paying job, I could afford what I considered to be a “proper” bike – a 1984 Suzuki GSX400FW.




Eddie’s Bandit 400

This is Eddie’s second Bandit 400; he does seem to love them. I never did in the beginning, but my frame of reference was my ZX-6R, so the Bandit was always going to feel inadequate.

Eddie had a GS400 for years, and felt he needed something racier and quicker, as is always the case.

His first Bandit is a good example of how unscrupulous local bike dealers are. It was sold straight out of the crate from Japan; not even dusted off. That should have been our warning sign. The bike had (among other things) an electrical glitch that caused it to cut out. It would cut out during a ride, very annoying, but even more dangerous, as we were about to discover. It went back a million times, and it was clear they were not committed to sorting it out.

Then one evening we went somewhere on the N2, and I was racing ahead on my GS500 (the bike I had before I got the ZX). Soon I realised Eddie was no longer behind me. I slowed down, but he wasn’t catching up. Then I pulled over and waited, wondering how slow he must be going.

A car stopped next to me; the driver asking me if I was waiting for my friend. My heart sank as I answered yes. The driver explained that there was a bike accident behind us on the bridge.

With my head zinging I rode back in the opposite lane, and from the other side I could see the pile-up of cars and flashing lights. It looked bad. I didn’t want to see what I was about to see.

I found my way back onto his lane, and first saw Bandit lying down in the road. Then I saw Eddie sitting dejected next to the road, in shock with tears in his eyes. The paramedics were attending to him.

The bike cut out again on the inside lane of the N2. A bakkie hit Eddie from behind, not being able to stop in time. The impact threw him clear across the outside lane, onto the side of the rode. That probably saved him from grave injury, if not his live. His body did not hit anything. If he just fell onto the road, a swarm of cars would have ran over him.

We have always been fortunate never to be severely injured in our accidents; the bikes always came of worse.




Live was much easier with his second Bandit. And I liked it better than the first one, partly because of the fairing. It makes it nicer looking (for me) and more comfortable to ride, being protected from the weather elements.

He has now sold it, and is looking for another scrambler (he had an XT500). His racy days are over he says. He is going to look for fun in the mud and dirt, and gets a dreamy glint in his eye when he speaks of XT’s and XL’s.

CBR wannabe, or CBR beater?

Honda’s little CBR125R stood alone as a voice of four-stroke defiance in a market dominated by expensive Italian two-strokes. The Japanese has deserted the performance 125 market altogether, preserving it for their commuter and commercial offerings. But the CBR is keeping the Japanese flame alive, if not in terms of performance, then at least with sporty looks, especially in the trendy Repsol colours.

But a Chinese manufacturer wants in; with what seems like a shameless copy of the CBR. Xjgao is now offering teenagers a slice of the action – or rather looks – for much less, with its Sport Spirit 125. The Chinese is establishing a reputation for affordability and getting people mobile at prices the Japanese can only dream off. Of course, this is usually achieved at the cost of lower built quality, with the common sharing between Chinese manufacturers of older Japanese designs, combined with enormous economies of scale.

This makes purchasing a Chinese import a risky affair, and new Chinese brand-names arrive on the market almost daily. However, Xgjao has been imported by the Cape Town-based Motorcycles Direct (www.motorcyclesdirect.co.za) for three years now, and has established a healthy client-base. The brand is expanding rapidly over the Western Cape, and has Gauteng in its view finder for the next year.

The Xgjao Sport Spirit stands out as relative modern design (or copy, if you prefer), since the CBR itself was launched in 2004 only. It has also been the only Chinese make with this design on the local market, until now. Needles to say, the bike sells very well, and is a hit with teenage males!

Parked next to each other, it takes a keen eye to spot the differences between the Honda CBR125 and the Chinese built Xjgao Sport Spirit 125. Apart from the different colour-schemes, the appearance is almost identical. At R11 700, the Xgjao is almost half the price of the little CBR, and that price includes VAT, a helmet, licensing and registration in the name of the purchaser. Does the Xgjao’s value make the CBR seem overpriced? Is the CBR’s built quality, reputation and street-credibility enough to see off the Chinese pretender?

It strikes me is how narrow the Xgjao Sport Spirit 125 is. It feels as if my knees are about to touch any moment. Not unlike the CBR then. Starting the engine requires some fiddling with the choke, especially when cold. Inept owners do struggle frustratingly long on cold mornings, but it gets better with familiarity. It sparks and idles in a very quiet, civilised manner. For all its racy appearance, revving it does not really set the neck-hairs up straight; the engine-note merely deepens and flattens out higher in the rev-range. The four-stroke overhead-cam single seems lazy and heavy; gone are the days of crisp crackling oil-burning RG125 and TZ125’s. In fairness to the Xgjao, the Honda CBR125, isn’t much inspiring either.

Clutch-action is firm and positive, making pulling away a pleasure. Where the CBR scores an immediate win is with its comparatively slick gear-change. The Xgjao needs some encouragement to engage, and it feels wooden. It has no noticeable power-curve, and picks up speed serenely. But it is not a bike that likes to be hurried; rush the gearbox and a few false-neutrals can spoil your fun.

It helps to remember that this is essentially a commuter-bike tarted up as a sportsbike. Trouble is, getting a testeroned-charged 17-year old to accept this, will be a problem. Perhaps Honda’s renowned built quality can withstand a hurried, showing-off teenager’s abuse much better than the Chinese budget offering?

The CBR has a taut, stiff feel to it, whereas the Xgjao feels mildly rattly and harsh. The suspension is definitely hard, especially the single rear-shock, whereas the CBR is more compliant. In front the bike sports gold-coloured upside forks that goes well with the twin-beam steel frame. Like the CBR, it looks like a pukka superbike if you stand 50 meters away and squint your eyes.

The seat also seem harder, but this is fortunately not the kind of bike where long hours in the saddle will be happening.

Riding the two back-to-back through Bellville’s midday, congested streets there is very little between them in straight-line performance. The CBR does feel more solid and less vibey though.

There is no doubt however, that with its better tyres and suspension the CBR will be peerless once the road gets twisty. The Xgjao might have USD forks, but let’s face it, it doesn’t mean they are better, at least at this price level.

However, speaking to the CBR rider on test, he admits that the CBR is the better bike, but is it worth double the price?

Chinese built-quality improve all the time. Soon perhaps we will be able to answer yes to that question with a clear conscience. For now, the Xgjao is still dogged with reliability niggles that CBR owners can hardly imagine. That should keep the “real CBR” safe for some time.

Being Chinese, it was only a matter of time before identical CBR clones started appearing everywhere under different names. For three years Xgjao had the “Chinese CBR” market to itself, now there is the CB 125 Speedbike at R12 999 (www.akxmoto.co.za), and Chain Tech (011 976 4675) that sells them under the Sumoto brand for R13 500. Both Xgjoa and Sumoto have 200cc versions available for barely a 1000 rand more each.

The Honda CBR retails at R22 500, and to make matters worth, grey import CBR150’s are being retailed at R21 950 (www.bikesunlimited.co.za).

But such is the build quality and reputation of The Big Red Wing, that for the foreseeable future the Chinese will stay what they are, cheaper alternatives for those that has neither the sense nor the money to buy the real thing.

Own a piece of nostalgic Italian passion

This carefully restored 1981 Moto Guzzi Le Mans MkII could have been yours for R32 000,00



The first Moto Guzzi Le Mans was launched as the Mk I in 1976, named after the famous Le Mans racing circuit in France. It drew admiration for its amazing speed and handling. It was an uncompromised sports bike with striking styling; featuring a tiny bikini fairing and spartan, angular seat design.

Some mechanical details
The Mk II (1979 – 81) was slightly slower, but its rider benefited from a bigger, more angular, three-piece fairing, revamping the bike’s uncompromised image to one of practicality: it protected its rider from tearing wind and improved stability. The Mk II stands out as the more comfortable and civilized proposition of the early Le Mans models (the Mk III of 1982 reverted to a small bikini fairing). The cockpit was bigger and with more comprehensive features – almost car-like – emphasizing the bike’s touring bias.

Other changes from the Mk I include petrol taps, a brake tail-light housing, and a steering damper control. It is mechanically very similar to the Mk I; an 844cc transverse 90degree V-twin, with a bore and stroke of 83 x 78mm; pushrod operated valves (two per cylinders); 10.2:1 compression ratio and 36mm Dell’Orto carburetors and a wet sump. It is claimed to develop 81bhp at 7300rpm and maximum torque of 7,8kgm at 6000rpm. The engine is very easy to service and keep in a good state of tune, in which condition it has a fuel consumption of about 20km/litre, and a range of 400km.

Transmission comprises a two-plate dry clutch driving through a five-speed gearbox with built-in cush drive. Primary drive is by gears and final drive by sealed cardan shaft to bevels in the rear wheel hub.

The Guzzi’s roadholding accounts for much of the pleasure it gives. The frame is notably low; a duplex cradle, it is robust and neat.

Telescopic front forks are Moto Guzzi’s own non-adjustable type, with a three-position rear shock absorber.

The cast wheels are of a crinkle-pattern 12-spoke design, with 100/90H x18 front and 110/90H x 18 rear tyres.

A special feature of the Le Mans, is the Integral Brake system (the first of its kind on a motorcycle). Pressure-balance valves, set to a predetermined ratio at the factory, are linked to the foot lever which directs 75% of braking effort to one front disk, and 25% to the rear. The usual handlebar lever controls the other front disk. The disks, two eleven-and-a-half inch units up front and a nine inch unit at the back, are plain cast-iron, drilled for cooling and water dispersal, with Brembo calipers.

Riding it
Starting the Guzzi is prompt. Flick on the twin taps and the choke, dab at the starter button and after a few seconds of churning noises the big twin fires and speeds up to 2 000 – 2 200rpm for a couple of minutes warming-up on the rich-mixture setting. It takes up to a mile for the big engine to accept full air.

But it is worth waiting for because now the magic starts to grip: halfway down the boulevard the bike is ambling in top (about 2 200rpm) coughing intermittently through the carburettors, nowhere near hot enough to show what it can do yet already charming with a feedback hard to describe and the sort of noises a Japanese engineer would loose face over.

Cornering, the Guzzi reveals another attraction: it makes short work of strings of bends, banks instinctively or so it seems, appears ready to go over further than I am, leaves its rider free to savour the thrill – there is no call for heroics, though there is faint understeer. Roadholding is very good: confident strong, reliable but not quite in the Ducati V-twin class – possibly due to the effects of torque reaction.

The Guzzi is at its best out in the open road where its relaxed engine beat, easy handling, and fuel economy help cover big distances in a very efficient manner. Undoubtedly, the bike will top 220kph under favourable conditions.

Suspension front and rear is firm, capable, never caught out but lacks… if that is the right word… the svelte feel of some of the Japanese systems; perhaps it is only fitting that a man’s machine should not make things too easy. A fair one-word summary of the Guzzi’s springing might be chunky, i.e. perfectly in keeping with the sporting image and bequiling performance. Maybe the fact that the rear units are variable over a somewhat limited range is the makers subtle way of saying don’t mess about – ride it. That is no hardship: the difficult party is letting it rest.

This particular example
This Le Mans Mk II has been patiently restored to original condition, with only ?km since the restoration. It is in showroom condition (i.e. virtually spotless), and can be turned into a concourse entrant with minimal effort. The bike hardly rides, except on the occasional sunny weekend afternoon.

It belonged to my friend Dan Evans and was on view at Eurobike, main road Woodstock. I understand it is finally sold.

- Adapted from Motorcycle Sport, November 1980 and
- SA Motorcycle News, January 1982

new picture albums uploaded

http://picasaweb.google.com/vansleight/Vespa

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/vansleight/TransAlp

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/vansleight/MyVFR

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/vansleight/Swallows2006

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/vansleight/WestcoastStory