Cruisin' the SR400

[tommymck]

Put another 200+ miles on the SR400 when in CA the last few days. It's definitely the "little engine that could" on the freeways... not much to recommend it from a sports handling perspective, but there is something about a small bike for around town cruising (buzzy as the thing is) that's very satisfying. Line the cylinder up in the sight glass and it's very satisfying to kick it on. Small bikes are fun in the right environment.....

 

[Wisedrum]

They are. You can make every environment into a fitting one with such a "small" bike as I found out on my comparable Bullet. It depends on your internal attitude and how you react to the given possibilities the bike offers. Sometimes less is enough...

Wisedrum

 

[Cormanus]

Wise men: tommymck and Wisedrum. Sometimes small is indeed enough.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Thumpers will have a place in this world for quite some time. Like the SR, they are modest, classic, fun, easy on the dino, non-obtrusive, easy to park, easy to navigate in urban centers, easy to trailer and travel, easy on the pocketbook, easy to maintain, and easy on the environment.

 

[Wisedrum]

These kind of thumbers will easily bring a smile on your face wether you look at them or ride them.

But not only thumbers among motorbikes can do it.

Wisedrum

 

[misterprofessionality]

I liked this bike a lot for my wife until i discovered that it was far too tall for her. I'm still exploring ways to lower it. I thin it has a lot of potential since it has such a thick seat.

 

[pdedse]

The W800...the SR400...that CB1100 thing... ... good looking bikes, all of 'em.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

The W800...the SR400...that CB1100 thing... ... good looking bikes, all of 'em.

Someday when we are all drooling in our rocking chairs people are going to say, "I remember lovely single cylinder fossil fuel burning motorcycles that used to pull on the heartstrings of the rider."

The year is 2040 ...

Marketing determines , " ... let's bring back the vibe of the thumper."

Using bots, some rogue nation fashions up an electric propelled, air-cooled single "cylinder" block that actually cools the inverter power electronics. Beneath the seat is a waterproof subwoofer that thrusts out PWM'ed bass sound of a by-gone era gasoline-powered thumper. The kickstarter, although real-feeling, is basically a big switch that starts the subwoofer a gurgling.

The would-be future rider on their "cool" retro thumper motorcycle pulls up curb side to a parked, banned late 20th century HD. HD dude (grandson of the original HD owner) says something to thumper dude. Thumper dude says, "Huh? Wha?". Thumper dude can't hear HD dude. In order to solve this problem, thumper dude pressed the "mute" button on his instrument cluster interface to cancel the vibe of his retro machine. The two riders continue the conservation.

 

[misterprofessionality]

I had a conversation like that with somebody not too long ago.

We're all buying bikes today that emulate the most popular bikes of a bygone era. the CB1100 looks like the CBs of history, the SR400 is..well...basically just like the SR400 of history lol. The W650 and W800's are japanese Triump bonnevilles. Suzuki is even remaking the Katana.

So, in 2050 or whenever, it stands to reason that people will be riding "retro" bikes that look and feel like the most popular bikes of *this* era. can you picture yamaha re-making a "retro" Mt-07 bike that looks just like the MT-07 of 2019 or therabouts, with a few modern mechanical improvements to make it compete with the two-wheeled Hydrogen powered vehicles of tomorrow? Can you picture Honda making a "retro" remake of the NM4, powered by cold fusion? the mind boggles. Old men will totter up to riders at gas stations, Point at their retro bikes and say " i used to have a Z1000 just like that in 2020. what year is that?" The rider will snicker and go "this is the new 2048 Z 180kw." and speed off in electric silence.

 

[Django]

Those SR400 are really expensive here in Germany. You would pay around 4,000 - 6,000 Euro for a used 2014 model!

 

[misterprofessionality]

They're a little rare here, but I 've found them for about $3000 online.

 

[tommymck]

Yeah...cost-effective they aren't. I got mine as new old stock (it's a '17) for $3600.

 

[baxtercat_imp]

Mr P: if your wife is genuinely interested in the SR400, the bike has lots of advantages. And some disadvantages. Those unfamiliar with the procedure are initially put off by the kick start. With fuel injection, the decompressor, and the little sight glass, she would pretty quickly realize this is a non-issue. The seat height is lower than on my CB--I'm 5' 10" and can more easily flat-foot it than the Honda, but as you mention, the stock seat comes with a lot of tall foam. You could have Sargent or some other outfit cut it down and maybe add a layer of gel for comfort. Depending on her height, also likely not a big problem. People complain about the price, but as you note, you can get deals on leftovers, if you make the effort.

The bike is light and maneuverable and confidence-inspiring, in addition to being great looking and more authentically retro than most. But, if serious, she should really try one out, for at least an hour or two on the road. I found mine to be great around town and on backroads, with stretches up to 55 mph. But I wouldn't want to do any regular extended straight-line riding at that speed, myself: the vibes are perfect at 45 but tiresome at much above, for any length of time. I don't know how they compare with her Suzuki, but to me it feels like the bike does not really enjoy anything like highway speeds. So you and she would want to see how she likes it under the conditions in which she will most often be using it. Tommy seems to take his out on adventures; maybe he can weigh in about his experience with longer and faster rides. I love mine, but then again, I have a 2017 CB for long rides, where it is perfect.

 

[tommymck]

With regards to the kickstarter, I love it. It really makes the bike for me. There is something really satisfying in putting your helmet on, swinging your leg over the bike, lining things up and physically starting the thing. But if one is prone to stalling (I haven't stalled a bike in decades) the pressure of traffic behind you might not be quite the ticket. To start the thing, you have to pull the compression lever, lean over, look at the sight glass, slowly move the kick starter with your foot until the cylinder is in the right position, and give it a very firm kick. It sometimes takes two or three tries. For a beginner, it might be a bit intimidating, as easy as the bike is to handle otherwise. Even for me, it'd be a bit of a challenge at an intersection trying to start it with a bunch of traffic behind me. As easy as the bike is to ride around town, the kick start thing might not be ideal for a new rider if they tend to stall....

 

[Nortoon_imp]

The members of the CB500 Forums often said it is more fun to ride a small bike hard than a big bike easy.

I liked the CB1100 enough to trade my CB500XA in on it. But both have their pros and cons.

The CB500 was inexpensive, light, agile, and had great gas tank range. It also would handle gravel or sandy roads well. But I avoided high speed highways because it tended to feel wound up at high speeds.

My CB1100 EX was expensive, is top heavy, has a limited gas tank range, and is a handful on gravel or sandy roads. On the plus side it is a beautiful looking machine with a great motor that is comfortable even at very high speeds. However as my favourite roads are twisty 2 lane rural roads in cottage country, I seldom use more than half of the CB1100's power. I found that my gas mileage and fun actually improves if I do not use 6th gear.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

The members of the CB500 Forums often said it is more fun to ride a small bike hard than a big bike easy.

I liked the CB1100 enough to trade my CB500XA in on it. But both have their pros and cons.

The CB500 was inexpensive, light, agile, and had great gas tank range. It also would handle gravel or sandy roads well. But I avoided high speed highways because it tended to feel wound up at high speeds.

My CB1100 EX was expensive, is top heavy, has a limited gas tank range, and is a handful on gravel or sandy roads. On the plus side it is a beautiful looking machine with a great motor that is comfortable even at very high speeds. However as my favourite roads are twisty 2 lane rural roads in cottage country, I seldom use more than half of the CB1100's power. I found that my gas mileage and fun actually improves if I do not use 6th gear.

Sounds like if it was an option, to have kept both the CB500 and CB1100.

I rarely ride in 6th because in the Toronto region you routinely need to have power on tap to manage an unexpected situation. I would use 6th in long drawn group rides where speed is not a factor. In that case, might as well kick-up, grab a soda and slip into 6th.

 

[the Ferret]

I have a CB 500x in the garage that belongs to my nephew in Nevada. I promised him I would ride it from time to time to keep it excercised. It's a nice little bike, but with my CB and FJR sitting there I have to force myself to ride the 500. Even though I don't use 50% of the power of the liter bikes, I'd rather use 50% on those than the 100% of the power I have to use on the 500 to do the same thing.

I'm one who absolutely disagrees with the statement about it being more fun to ride a little bike fast than a big bike slow (only guys with little bikes say that). I love my big bikes. With a big bike, you can ride around below speed limit all day if you desire, nice and smooth with no effort, but when you want to feel a giant rush of power a small twist of the grip is all it takes.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I have a CB 500x in the garage that belongs to my nephew in Nevada. I promised him I would ride it from time to time to keep it excercised. It's a nice little bike, but with my CB and FJR sitting there I have to force myself to ride the 500. Even though I don't use 50% of the power of the liter bikes, I'd rather use 50% on those than the 100% of the power I have to use on the 500 to do the same thing.

I'm one who absolutely disagrees with the statement about it being more fun to ride a little bike fast than a big bike slow (only guys with little bikes say that). I love my big bikes. With a big bike, you can ride around below speed limit all day if you desire, nice and smooth with no effort, but when you want to feel a giant rush of power a small twist of the grip is all it takes.

(+1)

I don't ride 300/500/600cc sport bikes because I cannot fit on them (lol). No rice burning for me. That leaves street bikes and offroad/adventure style bikes. In terms of small engine street bikes, I view them fun for mostly urban use. "Hop "N" Go". They are also great for the odd country jaunts.

The CB1100 does heavy lifting effortlessly. I would not use the CB, say for example, pizza delivery.

 

[Cormanus]

I have a CB 500x in the garage that belongs to my nephew in Nevada. I promised him I would ride it from time to time to keep it excercised. It's a nice little bike, but with my CB and FJR sitting there I have to force myself to ride the 500. Even though I don't use 50% of the power of the liter bikes, I'd rather use 50% on those than the 100% of the power I have to use on the 500 to do the same thing.

I'm one who absolutely disagrees with the statement about it being more fun to ride a little bike fast than a big bike slow (only guys with little bikes say that). I love my big bikes. With a big bike, you can ride around below speed limit all day if you desire, nice and smooth with no effort, but when you want to feel a giant rush of power a small twist of the grip is all it takes.

(+1)

I don't ride 300/500/600cc sport bikes because I cannot fit on them (lol). No rice burning for me. That leaves street bikes and offroad/adventure style bikes. In terms of small engine street bikes, I view them fun for mostly urban use. "Hop "N" Go". They are also great for the odd country jaunts.

The CB1100 does heavy lifting effortlessly. I would not use the CB, say for example, pizza delivery.

Some have had to.

A commentator at the time observed: "The CB1100 has many fine attributes but I feel it is a little over capacity and over-torqued for a pizza delivery bike."

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Very interesting article Cormanus. Thanks for sharing.

- - -

Bringing food home on the CB is good because it has such a smooth powertrain and I have done it countless times, including soups. But for often daily deliveries - I'd leave that up to the thumpers and scooters, and hence, the pizza example.