Mash Roadstar 400

Mash Roadstar 400
Manufacturer	Mash
Production	2016
Engine	Four strike, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves
Compression ratio	8.8:1
Ignition	Digital electronic
Transmission	5-Speed
Frame	Tubular steel frame
Suspension	Front: 35 mm Hydraulic fork, adjustable Rear: Dual-shock, adjustable preload
Brakes	Front: Single 280 mm disc, 2 piston caliper Rear: Drum
Front Tire	90/90-19
Rear Tire	130/70-18
Seat Height	780 mm / 30.7 in
Weight	151 kg / 333 lbs (dry),
Fuel Capacity	13 L / 3.4 US gal / 2.9 Imp gal
Manuals	Service Manual

Engine

The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four strike, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves. The engine featured a 8.8:1 compression ratio.

Drive

Power was moderated via the Wet, multi-plate.

Chassis

It came with a 90/90-19 front tire and a 130/70-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 280 mm disc, 2 piston caliper in the front and a Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a 35 mm Hydraulic fork, adjustable while the rear was equipped with a Dual-shock, adjustable preload. The Roadstar 400 was fitted with a 13 L / 3.4 US gal / 2.9 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 151 kg / 333 lbs.

Photos

Overview

Mash RoadStar 400

With just 29bhp, the Roadstar easily fits into the A2 licence category, but it should also fit the bill for those with a full licence looking to downsize. Why? Because it’s very easy and unintimidating to ride, to the extent that 20-somethings might want a bit more of a challenge. For everyone else, the Mash has an upright riding position that catches the wind at high speed but is comfy enough below 70mph. The Roadstar is small, slim and lightweight, and in fact it would make a decent commuter, assuming the finish holds up through UK winter salt and slush. All right, this bike is made in China, but it does appear to be pretty well put together, with neat welds, nice paintwork and a lot of stainless bolts. The UK importer is promising a whole list of options, including a centre stand and three different screens. And fitting in with the need to build a new brand, Mash jackets and helmets will be on offer as well. The Mash is that rare thing in motorcycling; an entirely new brand. Yet the Roadstar 400 is based around 1980s technology. This bike is really about its cool retro styling – a canny mix of late 1960s British with late ’70s Japanese. Launched in Europe in October, bikes are now trickling into UK dealers. The idea, says the British importer, is for a simple bike that should be easy to ride, cheap to run and able to hit a nostalgia chord with those of a certain age, plus attract younger riders as their first step up from a 125. If the engine looks familiar, and your memory stretches back as far as 1985, that’s because it’s Honda’s old XBR unit; an air-cooled overhead-cam four-valve single with contra-rotating balance shaft. Even in the ’80s, it was a bit of a retro, powering the XBR500, which Honda hoped would be a modern equivalent to the Gold Star or Velocette, especially to misty-eyed Brits. It didn’t quite turn out like that, but still, with those lovely alloy cooling fins and compact size, it suits the retro Roadstar to a tee. Of course, it isn’t the same engine Honda dealers were trying to sell us 30 years ago. For a start, it’s not made by Honda any more, but by Shineray in China, that builds the whole bike. It’s smaller than the original, down to 398cc from 498cc, and has acquired Siemens fuel injection. To thoroughly clean the emissions up, small catalysts are hidden inside the ’60s style silencers, of which there are two, with twin pipes sprouting out of the twin-port head. The gearbox, as Honda intended, is a five-speeder, though this should offer enough ratios, given the single’s relaxed power delivery. No ABS, no linked brakes, no traction control or multi-adjustable suspension… the Roadstar has a supremely simple chassis, with everything held together by a straightforward tubular steel cradle frame. At one end are non-adjustable 35mm forks, and at the other twin shocks, though they can be adjusted for pre-load (with a C-spanner – none of your remote control here). It has to have spoked wheels of course, and the rims are chromed steel, not alloy, while the tires are Chinese-made Kenda Cruiser S/Ts. The brakes are deliberately retro, with a 160mm drum at the rear supplementing the single 280mm front disc, though this does have a more modern two-pot caliper, because you can take this retro thing too far. The geometry is relaxed, something underlined by the 19-inch front wheel, with an 18-inch rear. This bike is designed with B road fun in mind, but nothing more ambitious than that. With just 29bhp, the Roadstar easily fits into the A2 licence category, but it should also fit the bill for those with a full licence looking to downsize. Why? Because it’s very easy and unintimidating to ride, to the extent that 20-somethings might want a bit more of a challenge. For everyone else, the Mash has an upright riding position that catches the wind at high speed but is comfy enough below 70mph. The Roadstar is small, slim and lightweight, and in fact it would make a decent commuter, assuming the finish holds up through UK winter salt and slush. All right, this bike is made in China, but it does appear to be pretty well put together, with neat welds, nice paintwork and a lot of stainless bolts. The UK importer is promising a whole list of options, including a centre stand and three different screens. And fitting in with the need to build a new brand, Mash jackets and helmets will be on offer as well.

Review: Peter Henshaw,

Make Model.	Mash RoadStar 400
Year	2016
Engine Type	Four strike, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves
Displacement	397 cc / 24.2 cu in
Bore X Stroke	85 x 70 mm
Compression	8.8:1
Cooling System	Air cooled
Lubrication System	Dry sump
Exhaust	Two-into-one
Induction	Siemens 2.0 EFI
Ignition	Digital electronic
Starting	Electric
Max Power	21.6 kW / 29 hp @ 7000 rpm
Max Torque	30 Nm / 3.06 kgf-m / 22.1 ft-lb @ 5500 rpm
Frame	Tubular steel frame
Clutch	Wet, multi-plate
Transmission	5-Speed
Final Drive	Chain
Front Suspension	35 mm Hydraulic fork, adjustable
Rear Suspension	Dual-shock, adjustable preload
Front Brakes	Single 280 mm disc, 2 piston caliper
Rear Brakes	Drum
Front Tire	90/90-19
Rear Tire	130/70-18
Dimensions	Length: 2130 mm / 83.8 in Width: 740 mm / 29.1 in Height: 1130 mm / 44.5 in
Seat Height	780 mm / 30.7 in
Dry Weight	151 kg / 333 lbs
Fuel Capacity	13 L / 3.4 US gal / 2.9 Imp gal

External Links

• http://www.morebikes.co.uk