Yamaha SR400

[RLS_imp]

A friend of mine bought a Yamaha SR400. It is a 2015 -2017. Unbelievably he paid the same price for that bike as I did for my CB. Go figure. Anyhow, he wants to get some slip on exhaust to increase the sound. Has anyone owned one of these bikes and would have a recommendation? Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[dbarkdoll_imp]

It is crazy how much those sell for, especially considering the kickstart only.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yamahas always seem to command a premium, but this is not a good example of comparing apples to apples. Indeed strange.

[baxtercat_imp]

I still have the stock exhaust, which is a lovely lump of chrome. your friend will find slip-ons on the weblike site, though no help for potential sound.

[LongRanger_imp]

Yamahas always seem to command a premium, but this is not a good example of comparing apples to apples. Indeed strange.

That's interesting. It must be a Canada thing, because around here they're no more desirable than any other brand, though I do agree some of their model styles are unique only to them.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yamahas always seem to command a premium, but this is not a good example of comparing apples to apples. Indeed strange.

That's interesting. It must be a Canada thing, because around here they're no more desirable than any other brand, though I do agree some of their model styles are unique only to them.

That's interesting. It must be a Canada thing, because around here they're no more desirable than any other brand, though I do agree some of their model styles are unique only to them.
Yeah, I actually don't understand it. I have had four Yamahas and at the time I didn't think they were better than Honda. Maybe Suzuki, probably Kawasaki. I know many claim Yamahas are "edgier" in performance, but you can say that about a Kawi. Anyway, today I believe the other three have similar quality attributes, whereas Honda - in particular the CB - is a cut above (in terms of build quality, fit and finish).

[baxtercat_imp]

Whatever may be the case with Yamaha's pricing generally, the potential purchaser of a bike is likely shopping for a specific model. The SR400 seems to bring out the same comment every time--too expensive for what it is. (and "what it is" here means "a small thumper without as much horsepower, electronics etc" as some other bike the commenter has in mind). But the hypothetical shopper for a new, authentically retro small displacement single UJM in the US has only a few viable choices--the SR400 at $5999, the Suzuki TU250x at $6999, and the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 or some variant, which start at around $4999 and head northward. Their new twins are priced competitively, if the buyer doesn't insist on Japanese manufacture and a wide dealer network. Sure, the buyer could get something that isn't retro or isn't small or isn't new for the money, but in the real world people want what they want, and their valuations reflect their budget, their desire, and the options that appear to be actual competition for their $. Manufacturers try to set prices that way: perceived desire for their target audience will encourage them to raise the price, but competition will push it down. And if a manufacturer consistently overpriced all their products in a way that wasn't perceived by buyers as justified by quality or prestige, it would soon go out of business. Evidence suggests that, whatever we feel about the price of this bike or that, big global manufacturers like Yamaha and Honda kinda know what they're doing.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Totally agree with the leveraging of marketing psychology.

Of course, we here at the CB Forum are too aware of such subliminal tactics. I mean really? - - Who would want an authentic, simple, ultra low maintenance, spunky, tidy-as-a-button, a harken to yesteryear, heart-string pulling, single thumper like the SR400?

[LongRanger_imp]

BC, I completely agree. Great points.

[RockHop_imp]

When this bike debuted in 2015, there was considerable conversation about what a great platform it was for customization and this particular photo really grabbed my attention.



Unfortunately, there turned out to be very little in the way of accessories readily available. If Yamaha had produced a version similar to the photo, it would definitely have found a place in my stable.