First incarnation of the CBR400s came about in 1983 as the CBR400F as a naked. The following two years, it came as semi and fully faired as the F3 Endurance. 1986 saw the fully faired CBR400R released featuring the Tri-Arm braced swing-arm. This was superseded the following year by the CBR400RR NC23 and the Tri-Arm was carried over. The last of the CBR400s came in the form of the CBR400RR NC29 Fireblade with the Gull-Arm swing arm with production ending in 1994. The NC23 engine followed over.
The NC23 is often referred as the Tri-Arm and the NC29 as the Gull-Arm to distinguish between the two models.
The CBR400RR, or 'BabyBlade', is the older brother of the Fireblade or CBR900RR series. The CBR400RR preceded the 900 cc Fireblade by several years, going through one major rework and a year or so of production in its new form before acquiring the Fireblade name. The original CBR400RR was the NC-23. Early bikes were known as the 'Tri-arm' after its racing inspired braced swingarm.
The CBR400RR-J (1988) and CBR400RR-K (1989) are referred to as NC-23 bikes. The NC-23 has a standard extruded beam frame, the rear of the seat unit slopes forwards, and the seat unit subframe is totally separate from the main chassis of the bike. The later machine, the NC-29 (only type 7 & 8 models of this bike carry the Fireblade name) had several modifications to the frame. The main rails were of a 'cranked' design, the seat support structure had a larger rail that was welded to the frame, the rear of the tail section now had a slight recurve to it and the swingarm was given a gull-wing shape on one side to give ground clearance for the exhaust link pipe. The bodywork was reshaped to comply with changing aesthetic tastes. That reshaped swingarm earned the bike the sub title 'Gullarm'. The CBR400RR-L (1990 & 1991), -N (1992 & 1993) and -R (1994 onwards) are designated NC-29 bikes.
Developed mostly for younger Japanese riders, the 400 cc engine still had enough power to drive the bike up to a speed-limited 110 mph The in-line 4 cylinder engine produces pleasing power anywhere in its rev range, and the bike is light and relatively easy to control. The small capacity of the engine and manageability of the whole package makes this bike a favourite of new riders from all areas where the bike is available. This bike was only available outside of the Japanese market known as an “grey import”.
Technical information;
Manufacturer - Honda
Named - BabyBlade, CBR400
Class - Sport bike
Engine - 400 cc, liquid cooled, 4-stroke, in-line 4, gear driven DOHC 4-valves per cylinder.
Power - 55 bhp
Top speed - 110 mph
Transmission - 6-speed, maunal, chain driven
Frame type - Twin-spar box-section aluminium
Suspension - Front; 41 mm oil-damped Showa forks
- Rear; gas-damped single shock
Brakes - Front; double-disc, 2 piston Nissin callipers
- Rear; single-disc, 1 calliper.
Tyres - Bridgestone BT-090 or something similar
Wheelbase - 1370 mm
Weight - 179 kg