Unlike its bigger sisters – with larger displacement – the Honda CB 400 Four has never been a proper racer: always considered as the heir of 1972′ CB 350 F, this bike was introduced in 1975 to complete a line-up that included the more performing and captivating CB 750 Four (introduced in 1969) and CB 500 Four (introduced in 1971).
Then there was the successor of the CB 350 (with no ‘F’), the CB400T, introduced in 1978, and that was by far the less performing bike of the lot.
However, its 43 hp engine was also quite reliable, to the point it got used for many other models in the following years: it is not hard to find a perfectly working one around even these days.
A while ago the nice guys from Tampa-based Steel Bent Customs has found a CB400T, and surely they just knew what to do with it: they added the rear section of a CB650 as well as the front section of the CB550, two 4-cylider bikes.
Then they did what was required to turn it into a proper cafe racer: they added ‘racing’ handlebars, an in-house built saddle and a typical 70s tail which conceals the electric system and wiring.
Last but not least, they gave it a nice 2-into1 exhaust system courtesy of SBC.
The resulting motorcycle is the Honda CB400 cafe racer by Steel Bent Customs that we can admire in these pics, a really nice and sexy bike that boosts a very clean and simple design.
This model is just the latest output from Steel Bent Customs, a company that clearly seems to have a taste for Honda’s mid-size bikes of the past.
If you want to know more about their creations, check out their official website by clicking here.
View the full Honda CB400 cafe racer by Steel Bent Customs photo gallery