Honda’s Four-Cylinder 400 Returns After 26 Years, Clutch Optional

Honda will put a four-cylinder engine back into a 400cc sport bike for the first time since 2000, confirming the CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch for a September 18 launch in Japan at ¥1,199,000, or roughly $7,395. The bike answers Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-4R, which has had Japan’s small-bore four-cylinder screamer class to itself since 2023, and it lands Honda’s clutch-optional E-Clutch system on the one nameplate built for riders who supposedly want nothing automated at all.

Honda first asked skeptics to trust that tech back in November 2023. Three years and eight model lines later, the company is betting the same system on a screaming inline-four revival that Japanese enthusiasts have wanted back since the millennium.

Honda Confirms Its Four-Cylinder 400 for September

Honda Motor Co. will release the CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch through Honda Dream dealerships nationwide in Japan on September 18, 2026, according to specifications the company confirmed in mid-July. The full-fairing sport bike runs a newly designed 399cc water-cooled DOHC four-valve inline-four, internally coded NC70E, making a claimed 57.2 horsepower at 11,500rpm and 28lb-ft of torque at 9,750rpm.

Wet weight comes in at 412 pounds (187kg), with a seat height of 30.7 inches (780mm) that keeps the bike approachable despite its race-bred intentions. Riders get a 5-inch full color TFT (thin film transistor) display running Honda’s RoadSync smartphone pairing, a USB-C charging port, a KYB inverted front fork and radially mounted Nissin brake calipers backed by Honda subsidiary Astemo’s ABS. Two colorways will be offered at launch: a silver Beta Silver Metallic scheme and a Matte Ballistic Black Metallic option.

This is a distinct model from the twin-cylinder CBR400R that Honda already sells in Japan. The FOUR badge exists specifically to separate the new four-cylinder machine from that existing parallel-twin sport bike, and Japanese trade outlet Webike pegged the new model at roughly ¥200,000 more than its naked sibling, the CB400 Super Four E-Clutch, which reaches dealerships first on August 21 at ¥998,800.

The 400cc Rule That Built a Whole Class of Bikes

None of this exists by accident. Japan’s Road Traffic Act splits motorcycles into displacement tiers, and the line that matters most sits at exactly 400cc. Anything up to that figure falls under the standard, or ordinary, motorcycle license, available from age 16. Cross 400cc and a rider needs the harder-to-earn large motorcycle license, a separate category that Japan has kept distinct since 1996.

That regulatory quirk is why Japan built an entire era of screaming 400cc sport bikes that barely existed anywhere else. Japan’s own regulatory review of motorcycle licensing rules shows regulators explicitly weighing the safety case for splitting licenses at that displacement line, a debate that shaped decades of product planning at every Japanese manufacturer.

Honda’s own four-cylinder 400 lineage ran through the CBR400RR, a bike that ended production in 2000. The new CBR400R FOUR arrives 26 years after that, reviving a format Honda has not built since. The FOUR name itself traces back further still, to the Honda CB750 Four of 1969, the model that first taught Honda’s badge to mean an inline-four engine underneath.

Kawasaki Broke the Silence First

Kawasaki ended Japan’s four-cylinder 400 drought first. The Ninja ZX-4RR launched in 2023 and, according to Kawasaki’s own engineering documentation, its four-cylinder architecture outperforms the twin-cylinder Ninja 400 by more than 60% and the older four-cylinder ZXR400 by more than 30%. It has functioned as the only modern four-cylinder small-displacement sport bike on sale worldwide since, a gap other outlets have noted Honda would be leaving open at its own risk.

Honda’s answer positions the CBR400R FOUR as a direct response to that dominance, trading some of the Kawasaki’s outright rev ceiling for E-Clutch convenience. Here is how the two compare on paper.

The Kawasaki still wins on peak rpm, revving to a screaming 16,000rpm redline with a bidirectional quickshifter and fully adjustable suspension in RR trim. Honda is chasing something different: the same four-cylinder theater, wrapped around a clutch system built for daily riding rather than lap times.

A Clutch Lever You Never Have to Touch

Honda unveiled E-Clutch on November 7, 2023, calling it a world first for production motorcycles. The system uses two small motors to pull in and release the clutch automatically whenever a rider works the foot shift lever, while leaving the clutch lever itself fully functional for anyone who wants to use it. Honda’s own technical breakdown of the system describes a compact drive unit built specifically to bolt onto existing manual gearboxes rather than replace them.

Our Honda E-Clutch is designed to offer motorcyclists a new kind of experience that can make their riding even more fun and exciting.

Junya Ono, Honda’s large project leader for E-Clutch, said that in comments describing the system’s goals. The technology has since spread far beyond its debut platform, and the version landing on the CBR400R FOUR has been re-engineered again: German outlet Motorcycles.news reported the clutch actuator has moved from the right side of the engine to the left, shrinking the whole unit further.

The rollout, mapped chronologically, shows how quickly Honda scaled a technology it once tested on just two models.

1. November 7, 2023: Honda unveils E-Clutch worldwide on the CB650R and CBR650R at EICMA in Milan.
2. September 2024: E-Clutch arrives in US showrooms on the updated CB650R and CBR650R, per Honda’s 2024 US model announcement.
3. Late 2024 into 2025: Honda extends E-Clutch to the Rebel 250, CB750 Hornet, XL750 Transalp, CBR500R, CB500 Hornet and NX500.
4. March 2026: Concept versions of the CB400 Super Four and CBR400R Four E-Clutch debut at the Osaka Motorcycle Show.
5. July 2026: Honda confirms production specifications and Japanese pricing for both models.
6. September 18, 2026: The CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch reaches Honda Dream dealerships.

That expansion is the real test of Honda’s original bet. E-Clutch did not stay a beginner accessory bolted to commuter bikes. It is now standard on the exact nameplate built to satisfy riders chasing the highest-revving, most mechanically involved small-displacement sport bike Honda makes.

Who Actually Gets to Buy One

For now, the CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch is a Japan-only proposition. Honda Motor Co. is targeting sales of 2,500 units through its Dream dealership network, according to Japanese trade coverage of the announcement. That is a modest number by global standards, in keeping with a bike built around a displacement class that barely registers outside Japan and parts of Asia.

The engine’s roots reportedly reach further than Japan alone. Motorcycles.news reported the 399cc unit is a downsized version of a 502cc four-cylinder Honda showed in September 2025 at the China International Motorcycle Expo for the Chinese-market CB500 Super Four and CBR500R Four, built through the Wuyang-Honda joint venture. Despite that connection, the same outlet reported the smaller 400cc versions are earmarked for production at Honda’s own Kumamoto plant in Japan rather than the cheaper Chinese line, a choice that underlines how much the displacement figure itself matters for this specific market.

Honda now runs E-Clutch across a genuinely wide spread of its lineup:

• CB650R and CBR650R, the 649cc inline-fours where E-Clutch debuted in 2023
• Rebel 250, Honda’s beginner cruiser
• XL750 Transalp, a mid-size adventure bike
• CB750 Hornet, a naked middleweight
• CBR500R, CB500 Hornet and NX500, Honda’s A2-license-friendly 500cc trio
• CB400 Super Four E-Clutch and CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch, the newest additions

That is ten nameplates spanning cruisers, adventure bikes, naked streetfighters and now a genuine sport bike revival, according to Cycle World’s coverage of the expanding lineup. Buyers weighing the total cost of a new sport bike might also want to check how motorcycle insurance rates vary by country before committing, since a four-cylinder sport bike typically costs more to insure than the twin it replaces on a spec sheet. British trade press has also flagged rising demand for small four-cylinder machines, pointing to the incoming QJMotor SRK421RR as another new entrant chasing the same buyers.

Will the CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch Come to the US?

Honda has given no timeline for a US or European version, and nothing confirmed so far suggests one is close. A Honda spokesperson told Motorcycle News, “We have no comment to make at the moment on possible future additions to our European line-up.”

That is a sharp contrast with how Kawasaki handled the ZX-4RR. Wikipedia’s own production history aside, contemporary coverage shows the bike launched in the United States, Asia and Australia within the same window it debuted in Japan back in 2023, rather than sitting as a Japan-only model for years first. Honda’s four-cylinder 400 platform, by comparison, is arriving as a Japanese-market machine built around a Japanese licensing quirk, with no announced plan to cross the Pacific.

Riders outside Japan hoping for a taste of the four-cylinder revival will likely need to wait for Honda’s next move, whichever displacement it lands on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Honda CBR400R FOUR E-Clutch Come to the US or Europe?

Honda has not confirmed any market beyond Japan. A company spokesperson told Motorcycle News it had no comment on European plans, and no US announcement has followed the July 2026 production confirmation. Kawasaki’s rival ZX-4RR, by contrast, launched in the US within months of its Japan reveal in 2023, so Honda’s silence marks a notably different rollout pattern.

What Is the Difference Between Honda’s E-Clutch and Dual Clutch Transmission?

E-Clutch automates only the clutch, leaving the rider to shift gears with the foot lever, and the clutch lever still works manually at any time. Honda’s separate Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), used on bikes like the Africa Twin, Gold Wing and NC750 series, automates both the clutch and gear selection, removing the foot shifter from the equation entirely.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Ride a 400cc Motorcycle in Japan?

Riders can obtain Japan’s standard motorcycle license, which covers everything up to 400cc, from age 16. Anything above that displacement requires the separate large motorcycle license, available starting at age 18 and requiring a more demanding skills test.

Is the CBR400R FOUR the Same Bike as Honda’s Existing CBR400R?

No. Honda’s existing CBR400R is a parallel-twin sport bike that already offers E-Clutch in Japan. The CBR400R FOUR is an entirely new, higher-performance nameplate built around a fresh four-cylinder engine, priced roughly ¥200,000 above the naked CB400 Super Four E-Clutch it shares a platform with.

How Does E-Clutch Keep the Rear Wheel From Hopping During Hard Braking?

On the CBR400R FOUR, the E-Clutch system works with the bike’s throttle-by-wire to detect rear-wheel hop during sudden deceleration and respond with half-clutch control, smoothing out the kind of chatter that can unsettle a bike when downshifting hard into a corner.