Topic: 550F question. How come Honda didn't go all the way?

[GroovieGhoulie]

How come Honda didn't go the entire way with the "Super Sport" motif like on the 400F?

I mean, on the 400F you had the 4-into-1 exhaust, slabside tank, low bars and semi-rearsets, but the 550F really only had the exhaust.  How come Honda didn't put rearsets, low bars or a different tank on the 550F, even as options?  It would have been more differentiated from the K as well.  I would have preferred the 550F to have been more of a "400F on steroids" instead of a K with a different exhaust.

I know that I was torn between the 400F and 550F in my search for a SOHC Four, but the deciding factor, (for me), was the "cafe" details of the 400F over the 550F.  Even though the 550 would be more powerful, the 400F seems to be more "pure-sporting" to me.

Thoughts?

[Einyodeler]

Probably because the 400F wasn`t selling well at all in the U.S. You`ll notice that the last year of the 400 they went to higher bars to get away from the cafe look because it never really caught on over here the way it did in Europe and Japan. American`s at the time were into the bigger the better mindset.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Probably because the 400F wasn`t selling well at all in the U.S. You`ll notice that the last year of the 400 they went to higher bars to get away from the cafe look because it never really caught on over here the way it did in Europe and Japan. American`s at the time were into the bigger the better mindset.

Certainly true and I agree.  But they could have at least offered a "Cafe" option package with the features for the 550.

I just got my backordered Classic Bike magazine about the 400F and in the UK, it sold until '78 unchanged from the '75 introduction (placement of pillion pegs notwithstanding), which is very telling to me about the market differences.

Also, there are pics of the UK 750F and it has the low 1"-rise bars like the 400F.  Big difference from the "regular" bars we were stuck with.