Triumph Speed 400 review – Is it a real Triumph?
Of all the motorcycle manufacturers out there, Triumph makes some of the best all-rounders. Its bikes are beautifully made, high quality, very capable, and generally very good value for money. That last point was hammered out of the park when Bajaj announced the ₹2.23 lakh price for this Speed 400. Today, we’re going to see what this bike is like to ride and how well it lives up to that badge.
Design & Quality: A True Triumph
Park the new Speed 400 next to a bigger Street Twin 900, and it becomes clear just how well these new bikes preserve that Triumph design identity. The family resemblance is evident in the overall shapes and silhouettes, but the Speed 400 feels authentic even in the smaller details like the design theme of the mirrors or the shapes of the engine cases. If anything, the new Speed 400 gives the Street Twin design a breath of fresh air and a more modern taste while keeping those classic good looks.
And then there’s the beautiful quality and attention to detail. You can see this in the expensive-looking metal finishes, the clean, high-quality bolts, and in the great efforts taken to hide away all the cables, hoses, and wires. Even the exhaust looks like it follows one clean sweep, and the designers have cleverly hidden away all that emissions-related ugliness that lies underneath. This is the best fit and finish that you will find at this price point, and there’s only one big thing that Bajaj has left to prove: we really hope that these bikes will end up being reliable and free of any big or small issues right from the get-go.
The Speed 400 is, overall, a really handsome motorcycle, and I really like this minimal tail section. However, it should be said that this is not a very large motorcycle; in fact, it stops just short of the point where you could call it a small bike. In person, in terms of its proportions and overall size, it does look a little larger than the Hunter 350 or the Honda H’ness, but again, this is not a large motorcycle.
Ergonomics & Comfort
Either way, the riding position is pleasantly roomy. While smaller folks will be happy with a 790mm seat height, larger riders will also have enough comfort and space. There’s even a good amount of room at the back, and your passenger will find this to be a reasonably comfortable motorcycle.
The seat itself is quite soft and cushy, which is great for short durations, but some riders may want a more supportive seat for longer rides. Triumph does have a slightly taller and thicker accessory seat that might address this issue.
Compared with that new Harley-Davidson X440, this Triumph has more of a roadster riding position with foot pegs that are a little further back. But the footrest placement is not at all committed, and the handlebar keeps your upper body in a nice upright position.
The Engine: A New Powerhouse
Right now, let’s get to one of the points that has stirred up a huge amount of debate online, and that’s the new 400cc engine. Yes, it has the same bore as the KTMs and the Dominar, and yes, it makes the same 40 horsepower as the Dominar. But Bajaj shows us that this is where the similarities end. Apart from the bore figure, they tell us that this is a brand-new motor designed from the ground up with different priorities in mind.
One of the things that suggests that this is indeed a brand new engine is the fact that the chain drive is on the right side, whereas it’s actually on the left for the KTMs and the Dominars. To move that over on an existing engine would be a significant engineering effort. To go through all that effort and cost on an existing engine just to match the look of the right-side chain on the bigger Street Twin 900 wouldn’t have been worth it.
And you will realise that this is actually a different engine once you ride the bike. While the typical single-cylinder sound is similar to the KTMs, it does have a somewhat different tone and beat. Once you’re on the move, the big difference, though, is in the power delivery, because the Triumph engine swaps the KTM’s high-RPM rush for a superbly strong mid-range drive.
About 30 Nm of torque, or 80% of the peak torque, is available all the way from 3,000 RPM to 9,000 RPM. That mid-range pull above 3,000 RPM can be surprisingly strong when you first experience it, especially in the lower gears. In fact, I’d say that this is the strongest mid-range performance that you will find on any Indian single-cylinder bike. There really is no reason to rev this engine all the way to its 9,200 RPM redline unless you want flat-out acceleration.
When you do that, the motor does get quite buzzy above 7,000 RPM, but again, if you ride this bike the way it was designed, it is enjoyably effortless and quite a smooth yet quick experience. A 100 kph cruise on the highway is easy to hold, and the vibrations just about start to arrive at about 110. You can take the speed up to almost 130 kph before the vibrations become hard to ignore. Keep the accelerator pinned open and you’ll see a top speed of about 170 kph on the big analogue speedometer.
However, our tests show that there’s quite a bit of speedo error, at least on these pre-production bikes that we were riding. For example, an indicated 80 kph on the display actually works out to a true speed of about 72 kph. Nevertheless, we managed to test the bikes for both performance and fuel efficiency, and here’s what those numbers look like.
So all that does sound quite good, but I suppose the question is, what does this engine have to offer against a wide spectrum of rivals, with the angry and aggressive KTMs at one end and the super-chill Royal Enfields at the other?
Overall, I think this level of performance, especially the sort of speed that this bike can generate, is closer to the KTM, but it’s a lot more mellow. It’s a more mature riding experience. The KTMs never really feel right if you hold a gentle riding speed, but on the Triumph, you could stick it in fifth gear at 40 km per hour and it’s quite happy; it doesn’t feel like it’s doing something it doesn’t want to do.
From the 1,000 to 3,000 RPM mark—that point where we spend so much time in traffic—this engine is again nicer than the KTMs. It’s not as lurchy and jerky, and the clutch feel is a little nicer. However, you still have to modulate the throttle a little carefully, or it can lurch forward. And that is where this engine differs from the air-cooled singles in the Classic 350 and even the Harley X440, because those motors are all about the smooth, solid bottom-end talk that this one doesn’t quite have. It is a different riding experience at the end of the day.
Chassis & Handling
As for the chassis, it uses a brand new tubular steel unit with a bolt-on subframe and a slim aluminium swingarm. At 176 kilos, the Indian bike weighs 6 kg more than the international version, and that’s because of India-spec things like the saree guard, bigger grab rail, wider rear fender, front number plate, and tougher alloy wheels.
Despite that added weight, the Speed 400 feels beautifully light and easy once you’re on the move. It’s a pretty precise and somewhat sharp handler as well, but it never feels aggressive. There’s more than enough cornering clearance, and you won’t be scraping the footpegs around corners unless you try quite hard, at which point you’ll notice that the suspension feels quite soft.
In essence, this certainly won’t bother a KTM around a racetrack, but there is much more capability than most customers will want. The same goes for the brakes. While they don’t bite very aggressively, they build up their power nicely. The dual-channel ABS can be a little easy to trigger, and the brake lever goes a little soft after repeated hard braking, but again, that’s not the focus of this bike, so it’s not a significant issue.
Essentially, this bike handles exactly like you would expect from a Triumph. It’s very easy, very encouraging, and completely trustworthy. It follows your every input, and it never surprises you. In that sense, it’s an easy bike to ride, but it also has more than enough capability to put a big smile on your face.
Ride Quality & Everyday Use
What is far more important, though, is how it deals with bad roads, and the little Triumph impresses here too. The suspension has a well-cushioned, plush feel to it, and it absorbs potholes and jittery concrete roads really quite nicely. Heavier riders may find the rear to be a bit too soft at higher speeds, but the shock preload is set quite low from the factory, and raising this will help.
In the city, the Speed 400 feels very light and easy to manoeuvre. And while the clutch is slightly heavy, it’s nice that you can simply release it without feeding in any throttle, and the bike smoothly moves forward. You will feel some warmth from the engine when you get stuck in jam traffic, mainly along the left side of the bike in the seat and thigh area. Thankfully, there’s a little plastic shroud over the radiator fan that diverts the hot air blast away from the rider.
The only real bother in traffic is that those pretty bar-end mirrors will restrict your ability to squeeze through tight gaps, but then again, you could always install the standard mirrors from the Scrambler 400 X.
Features & Verdict
Features-wise, the Speed 400 is also quite well-equipped with switchable traction control, LED lighting, dual-channel ABS, and an immobiliser. The display isn’t a TFT, but I like its classy look, and my only problem is that the rev counter is hard to read, although some people may also miss having Bluetooth connectivity and adjustable levers.
Nevertheless, as you’ll find with Triumph’s big bikes, there’s also a range of well-designed accessories available for the smaller 400s. In India, these bikes will be sold out of a unique Triumph dealer network, and Bajaj aims to have up to 120 of these showrooms open across the country by the end of the financial year.
At the end of the day, the Speed 400 remains quite true to the Triumph experience, at least as far as a single-cylinder engine can manage it. It looks and feels special, and it’s easy to ride, but it also has a good level of performance and capability. Mostly, though, this bike will appeal greatly to all those riders who want KTM levels of power but don’t want to associate with the KTM’s aggressive sportiness or its rowdy image.
Honestly, what you’re getting for your money is nothing short of incredible. At its introductory price, the Speed 400 costs ₹1,000 less than the Classic 350 Chrome, which is the top Classic variant. It even costs less than a Bajaj Dominar 400 and the KTM Duke 250. Above that, this bike has a 16,000 km service interval, which is better than any other Indian bike on sale today. The value for money here is outstanding, and these motorcycles are going to fly off the shelves.
We will eventually do a comparison review with a whole bunch of motorcycles, but even now, I can stand here and confidently tell you that this is an easy bike to recommend.