Honda’s reentry to the small-capacity four-cylinder market has been an unusually drawn-out process, but the unveiling of two new models marks a significant step forward, confirming the project is aimed at the international market. If the CB400 Super Four, a retro-naked with a famous name, and the CBR400R Four, a fully-faired sportbike aimed squarely at the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R, look familiar, it’s with good reason.

As a refresher, Honda introduced visually identical 502cc versions of both models at the CIMA show in China last September, but even six months on, it has released minimal information and there’s still no sign of official specifications or pricing—even in China, where they will be built by the Wuyang-Honda joint venture. Both of the 502cc models were designed, at least in part, as a response to the surprise boom in the market for small, four-cylinder machines in that country. However, the 400cc versions unveiled at the Osaka trade show are expected to be made in Japan at the Kumamoto plant.

A roughly 100cc difference in displacement is nonsensical in western markets, but the CB400 models’ downsized engine caters to the Japanese market (among others), which offers license, insurance, or tax benefits to incentivize owning a vehicle with a smaller-capacity engine.

Type-approval documents confirm the CB500 models use a four-cylinder engine displacing 502cc and producing a claimed 71 hp. The documents also indicate a weight of 415 pounds. The smaller-displacement models are expected to come in at around 399cc, with a commensurate dip in power—expect an output of around 60 hp. The engine itself is brand new, unrelated to the one that powered the previous-generation CB400 Super Four, which had a 30-year production run (from 1992 to 2022). The engine is paired to a new, more compact version of Honda’s E-Clutch, which retains the clutch lever but eliminates the need to operate it manually. The system automatically controls clutch engagement and disengagement (unless the rider chooses to override the system), making it impossible to stall the engine.

Trademark rights to the CB400 Super Four name were registered in Japan in January of this year and in Thailand in February. International markets where there are no regulations incentivizing the ownership of sub-400cc motorcycles are likely to get the larger 502cc models. Of note, Honda already has a range of two-cylinder CB500 models, so it hasn’t needed to make widespread trademark applications for that title. It has, however, gained protection for the name “CBR500R Four” in multiple countries around the globe.

There’s no clarity yet on whether either the 400 or 500 models will reach the US market, but trademark applications show that Honda does intend to offer the bikes in some South American countries, as well as in Europe and Asia. Kawasaki has clearly concluded that there’s a viable business case to sell the four-cylinder Ninja ZX-4R in the US, so Honda could come to a similar conclusion and offer a legitimate rival.