·RIDING.:IMPR.ESSION 1996 Honda XR400R
center
was
helpful, but not
required, and the
automatic decompression system makes
the manual-decompression lever on the
handlebars seem like overkill.
Once the restrictive baffle is removed,
a healthy exhaust note is emitted by the
new style muffler. Unlike the bigger
XR600, which sounds "hollow," the 400
has a deep, throaty sound that is reminiscent of a highly modified engine. The
motor revs cleanly and quickly, and
without even clicking the bike into gear,
it's obvious that there's some serious
power l~king inside the new XR motor.
Clutch action is incredibly light, and
through most of our test session, the
action and feel remained consistent. One
finger is all that's needed to disengage
the clutch. The gearbox is typical Honda
- action is light, yet precise. Missed shifts
were never a problem, and shifting
under power was a breeze.
The best way to describe the feel of
the motor is that it is very "free-revving."
Twist the throttle and the rpms rise and
fall quite quickly for a four-stroke. Power
delivery of the 400 is quite peppy. The
motor revs much quicker than the larger
600, and at the same time produces an
~he XR400 is a dasy ......."de.
~ and to the guys at A.aaeria..
adrenaline surging burst of power. Lowend and midrange power is good, and is
easily the motor's forte. Throttle response
is good right off the bottom, and carburetion was spot-on for our Michigan test
site. Power starts down low and pulls
steadily throughout the middle of the
powerband. First, second and third gear
wheelies are accomplished with a simple
twist of the throttle, and a minimal
amount of clutch work will send the
front end skyward in fourth. The engine
is equally at home being revved or
chugged - we preferred the former. Riding in too high a gear? No problem - a
stab or two at the clutch lever will get
things going. Top-end power is
respectable, though not awe inspiring, as
it seems to flatten out a bit up high.
With the muffler baffle installed, the
bike was incredibly quiet. We've heard
lawn mowers that were louder. Surprisingly, power was still fairly good - lowend throttle response suffered the most
with the restrictive piece affixed.
Once we got over our initial infatuation with the awesome motor, we began
to pay attention to the way the bike felt,
handled and cornered. W~thout beating
around the bush, the XR400 is one of the
finest handling four-strokes that we've
would be riding sweep, and I fully
C'Jlf*"ed to be peeied oil die truDk 01 a
Micl.jp" bee by die former BuItiOW-toVeps~late!' ill the day.
As it IumN oat, Illy lack 01 eff-l'OIld
experience _ CODlpe_ted for by the
XR4OO"s Dimbfe !laDdJiftg, light weight
and forgiving suspension. Oh, yes, I
Honda. anytbil« less thaD a daisy iIIbolIuction would have beet ,,_ epblllJe.
Thus, ~ of the ......."de pna
were imited to spend two ~ clip
in the woods just
outside of Grand
Rapids, Michigan,
riding the new XRs
on the seemingly
did clip a tree or
two, but all in all, I
endless loamy single-track trails that
was surprised to
are plentiful in the
escape unscathed.
area.
My photographer
Joining the ediKimley Jones, howtors and photograever, wasn't so
phers in the dirt
lucky. After stopwere Honda's offping to snap a few
road-rider-extraorphotos, the two of
dinaire-turnedus upped our pace
R&D-guy Bruce
in an attempt to
Ogilve, and legendcatch back up to the
in-his-own-mindrest. As I chased
guy Dirk VandenKinney through the
berg. While Ogilve
woods, it occurred
played a huge part
to me that - comin the development
plete
with
50
of the new bike,
pounds of camera
Vandenberg assistequipment strapped
ed with the testing
to his back - Kinney
and
was
also
was going awfully
instrumental in planning out the two-day fast aboard his big XR600. Then it hapexcursion in the Baldwin, Michigan, pened. As I rounded a particularly tight
wOoUS about the separate us. I think that my trusty little
ride, and the veins that bulged from Van- XRlOO may just have big brother at its
denberg's forehead didn't do much for side in my gar&ge._
my confidence, either. At Jeast osnye
(Right) The bike I. 811m,
comfortable, and _y to
lNIMU..... on.
(Below) With the twi8t 01 til,..
Dzus fastel18l'll, the air filter
may be serviced. The lid 8UIy8
attached to the I'Ht 01 the
aJrboL
ridden. Thanks to the low center of gravity and ielatively low weight, the bike felt
very light and maneuverable. Surprisingly, the XR seemed to comer as well as
any CR MXer we've ridden, and it
soaked up the whoops and ruts on the
trails like they weren't even there.
Though the XR400 weighs a good 25
pounds more than a CRSOO, one might
actually believe that it weighs less than
the big CR. The bike is super -easy to
flick around, and never felt like a handful, no matter how rough or tight the
going got.
Suspension action is superb for both
slow and fast trailing. Initial travel on
both ends is plush enough to comfortably soak up just about anything the trail '
can throw your way, yet stiff enough
towards the end of the suspension stroke
to soak up those same obstacles at speed.
In high-speed whoops, the rear end
tracked straight and true. As a matter of
fact, we can't recall a single swap in the
time we spent on the bike.
The new-style conventional forks
seem to have the perfect amount of rigidity for off-road riding. In a particularly
fast single-track section, our tester lost
control in a deep groove and the front
wheel began to claw against the side of
the rut. Inverted forks probably would
have spit the rider over the high side, but
the conventional Showas flexed just
enough to keep things under relative
control At the same time, however, the
forks are rigid enough to steer the front.
end out of such ruts, should the rider
decide to initiate such a directional
change. And thanks to the below-axle
underhang, catching the sliders in deep
grooves was never an issue.
But what about the bike's ergonomics? Sitting on the newest XR just feels
right. Everything on the bike is smooth
and easy to maneuver on, and the bike is
incredibly thin for a four-stroke - especially near the rider's boot area. The seat
is neither too soft nor too hard - and the
dual-thickness seat cover showed no
signs of wear from our tester's offensive
knee braces. As a matter of fact, the
Kevlar panels on our riding pants gave
way before the seat cover even flinched.
As usual, the controls were excellent.
From the grips to the levers, and from the
handlebar bend to the foot control place-
ment, everything was comfortable. Both
the front and rear brakes were excellent,
and needed very Ii,ttle break-in time
before they gained maximum strength.
Even under extensive dragging, the rear
brake refused to heat up, fade or squeal.
At $5099, the XR400 isn't cheap, but
before you scoff at the price, consider
your other Red options: For $4999, you
can get a '96 XR6OO, but even though the
bike is $100 cheaper, it's also bigger,
heavier, and not as trick. The '96 CR250
will cost $5499, and the CR500 will set
you back $5399. Though both are faster
and lighter, neither will last as long or
yield as many on-trail smiles. We won't
even get into the comparable bikes
offered by the competing manufacturers...
The XR400 is scheduled to hit dealership floors in early September, and
though Honda won't reveal how many
units will be produced, Ogilve did smile
and confirm that they expect to sell ev~
unit made. Ever see a line of die-hard
fans camping overnight in line for concert tickets? Don't be surprised to see a
similar spectacle in front of your local
Honda dealer's front door.
(N
While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers cmly and
.should not be relied upon in determining the performance or safety of the vehicle(s). The reader
should make his or her own investigation.
Honda XR400R
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