EICMA is a motorcycle enthusiast’s dreamland and most motorcycles showcased at the 2023 event are slowly making it to the market. The latest to do so are the 2024 Honda NX400 and the CBR400R motorcycles, which have been launched in the Japanese market.
Showcased at EICMA last year, the two motorcycles share a lot of components, including the engine and enter a highly competitive class that consists of big names such as Kawasaki, Yamaha, Aprilia, KTM, Triumph, Royal Enfield, and others.
Starting with the design, the 2024 NX400 is a street-focused adventure tourer, featuring a tall stance, upright riding position, high-mounted fairing, and redesigned headlight and fairing. The motorcycle replaces the 400X, similar to how the NX500 replaces the CB500X in India. The Honda CBR400R is a fully-faired motorcycle, drawing design inspiration from the larger litre-class Fireblade.
In terms of components and features, the 2024 Honda NX400 and the CBR400R get inverted forks, a monoshock at the rear, alloy wheels, LED lighting, disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS, a TFT dash with phone connectivity, and traction control. Dimensions vary, however, a lot of components are shared.
Speaking of shared components, the heart of the motorcycle, the engine, is a 399cc liquid-cooled inline twin that makes 45bhp and 38Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed gearbox with a slip and assist clutch. The engine output is on par with its rivals from around the globe.
In terms of India launch, the CBR400R would be Honda’s first choice if the motorcycle maker decides to bring it here, as the fully-faired sport-touring segment is picking pace with the launch of the Aprilia RS457 and the soon-to-launch KTM RC390 with the updated engine. As for the NX400, it could cannibalise the sales of the larger NX500, which was launched in India recently.