Meet The Classic Bike A Honda 400 Four from 1975

Join me and Brian the owner of this fabulous Honda 400 Four from the mid seventies in this episode of Meet The Classic Bike. We, as ever, get to have a chat about Brian's motorcycling background and how he came by this fabulous motorcycle. We then get to go for a spin and again, as ever, get to go down memory lane and enjoy a ride on a mixture of road types and see how she performs today.

[@PaulaCawkill]

That’s a beautiful bike Brian.

[@hectorshouse7348]

I had one back in ‘82…tbh it felt dated then, but they are beautiful, and that’ll always count. Thank you

[@shuttersandspeed]

Thanks for watching

[@Flyingscotsman3]

400/4's, Gt380's,cb360's etc amongst a few others back in the day, weren't very high on anyone's wish list as not much if any quicker, than most L plated 250's.
Though I never liked them myself, have to applaud this particular owner and his bike.👏👏
Many more happy rides to him.
Great video...enjoyed it very much.🍻

[@TracyBiram]

The artistry involved in the design of these machines is stunning.

[@shuttersandspeed]

Thanks for watching

[@eugenepatton3584]

The exhaust on the 400 4 has always been one of the best looking designs.

[@shuttersandspeed]

It blew me away as an impressionable 15 yearold

[@collyernicholasjohn]

Thanks so much for the video. I’m no boy racer, I have two SR 250s 😂 but I think “Hero“ is a bit of a stretch for 400 four owners back in the day. My neighbour Brian did accountancy and he used his to ride back-and-forth to work. More a solid reliable commuter.

[@shuttersandspeed]

You have to remember in the mid seventies young people didn't have access to money like we do now so the no's of lads who could afford bikes like these were few. So, those that did were hero's to us impressionable young lads who were so amazed to see this new machine pull up on the village green.

[@saxonost7]

I had one of these in the early '80s; a fine 'little' bike and very capable. A decent set of Koni rear shocks cures a lot of that Honda wallow and bounce, making for a very good handler. Good ground clearance though the exhaust collector would scrape on right handers, (I was young then) and the bike was well capable of longer rides here in Australia of 500km plus. One of those bikes I wish I still had.

[@shuttersandspeed]

Yes different shocks make a world of difference as I have found with my own Yamaha Tracer 900

[@EliteRock]

20:10 - perception was that back then the Japanese were making their frames out of what amounts to water or gas pipe. I had a 750 F1 back in the late 80's and although the geometry felt absolutely fine, if you hit a camber change, raised/thick white lines, a surface change, whatever, at any kind of speed in a fast sweeper it would quite often go into a what I can only describe as a 'corkscrewing' wobble which I was in no doubt was the frame flexing. Which of course is why the likes of Rickman made frames for them which were little different in construction/geometry but of rather better tube.

[@shuttersandspeed]

Absolutely. They all had their problems as you mentioned but if you cruise along at legal speeds they were ok

[@kevindarkstar]

These early ones had the pillion foot rests on the swing arm, later on they were mounted on the sub frame, but these meant the pillion had their legs going up and down 😂😂

[@shuttersandspeed]

Thanks for watching

[@TracyBiram]

Pretty sure you owned a Velocette, too!

[@markalton2809]

I had one of those, bloody hard work to ride fast, constantly changing gear, no torque below 4.5k revs and 30mpg.
Never again.

[@shuttersandspeed]

Yes I found that to and if I am honest i found it a bit 'wheesy"

[@curtissmith4433]

thats so strange i own one and visit my uncle in villlage you was riding in outwell every week with it

[@hectorshouse7348]

Helmet on the tank? Bit of a scratch issue

[@shuttersandspeed]

Yes fair point but I did lay my gloves, carefully, palm down on the tank to protect the tank from my helmet

[@hectorshouse7348]

@@shuttersandspeed it’s just not something I’d do…but I love the channel…thank you 😃👍

[@kevindarkstar]

10:19 those indicators don't look right to me, they look like the American ones, I don't remember mine being that huge 😮

[@ianstewartbrown5308]

Always a good looking bike but I always thought they were dimensionally too smal,l especially for the taller rider 6'1"

[@shuttersandspeed]

I am indeed around that height and I found it small but not uncomfortably so

[@denlsgoulden2307]

Look like American spec indicators 🙄

[@othgmark1]

Ugly seat and lose the rack. Spoils the beautiful lines of the bike.

[@pekkaastrom7346]

Weren't they really slow, those small four-cylinder machines from the 1970's? I think so.
I tried a Suzuki GS 500, in 1980, and it had power like a rubber-band. Sure, it was smooth, but also felt awkwardly lazy.
My Suzuki GT 550, two-stroke, was an absolute rocket in comparison...😂

[@shuttersandspeed]

Yes I went down the 2 stroke route which were much snappier but didn't have the looks