Honda X-4

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Honda X-4
Manufacturer	Honda
Class	naked bike
Engine	1298cc water-cooled inline 4
Wheelbase	165cm
Seat Height	73cm
Weight	249kg (dry), 270kg (wet)
Related	Honda CB1300, Yamaha VMax

The Honda X-4 is a 1298cc motorcycle produced by Honda from model years 1997 through 2003, after which production was discontinued.

Its powerful transverse-mounted, inline 4-cylinder, water-cooled engine was later used in the Honda CB1300, but the X-4 version was geared to provide more low-end torque. The bike's visual appearance is distinctive, marked by its low-slung profile, solid disc rear wheel, bulbous yet angular side panels, and stubby, large-diameter chrome exhausts.

Created as an answer to the Yamaha VMax, the X-4 was sold primarily in Japan, but a number of bikes found their way to Europe, notably Germany, where, like David Hasselhoff, the X-4 enjoys a cult following. (In fact, the German version of Wikipedia includes a farily detailed article on it.)

[edit] X-4 LD

In the 2000 model year, a new version, the X-4 LD ("Low Down") was introduced. It offered a slighly lowered seat and overall frame, improved suspension (with "piggyback"-style Showa rear shock absorbers), and minor cosmetic differences including an unpainted engine block (versus the black of the original) and lightweight latticework inner rotors on the front brakes (the originals were solid discs). In 2003, the final model year, the LD was offered in a special "black edition", in which many of the body parts were colored black or dark charcoal grey. Very few of this edition were produced.