Honda 400/4 F2

Ooh! Gorgeous! A mint, unused, 400/4 F2 (the later one with the passenger footrests mounted on extensions of the bike frame, rather than the swinging arm as on the F1 which results in the passenger's legs going up and down in unison with the rear suspension). This little beauty is up for sale at a couple of smackeroonies under £12k on eBay. Has to be one of my fave Hondas with its four cylinder engine and elegant four-into-one exhaust system. I vaguely remember an MCN article before the bike was launched which reported that the design team came to England to look at a number of different 'café racers' for styling tips. Not sure exactly what conclusions they drew but the little 400/4 has a sort of café-racer-style tank and an uncluttered look which contrasted with most other Japanese models. If I remember correctly, a third-hand F1 was my first bike after leaving college. Compared to my college runaround Honda 50 it was massive. However, bought an F2 around 30 years later and was immediately struck by how small it felt. And underpowered, compared with my previous Fireblade! Anyways..., looking back at all the bikes I've been fortunate to own, the 400/4 F2 has to be right up there as one of my all-time favourites.