2024 Triumph Speed 400 & Scrambler 400 X Review – First Ride

The folks in Hinckley have been busy in recent years bolstering Triumph’s reputation as a two-wheeled powerhouse of tech and performance. In the past six months or so, however, it’s also been releasing new models across its product line and entering highly competitive segments that are new to the British marque in the modern era. Now, with its new 398cc liquid-cooled, four-valve Single, the company is poised to attack the lightweight/entry-level class.

Triumph has set out to build an affordable motorcycle that retains the level of quality that has become synonymous with the brand. To compete in this price sector, the new 400s are the first motorcycles produced in partnership with India’s Bajaj Auto – a partnership that has allowed Triumph to set an MSRP of $4,995 for the Speed 400 and $5,595 for the Scrambler 400 X. Has Triumph sacrificed in any critical areas to meet a price point? We hopped on a short flight to Valencia, Spain directly from the Ducati DesertX Rally press event in Morocco to find out.

TR Series

Both models are powered by the all-new “TR-series” engine. Named for the TR5 Trophy that Triumph raced at the 1948 International Six-Day Trial, the TR-series engine is a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 398cc Single with a four-valve DOHC cylinder head and a counter-rotating balancer shaft. Triumph claims a peak output of 39.5 hp at 8,000 rpm and 27.7 lb-ft. at 6,500 rpm. While we expect those numbers to be a bit lower at the rear wheel on the MO dyno, it does slot the engine’s performance in-line with other power plants in the 400cc range.

On the highway, vibes become readily apparent north of 6,000 rpm which is, perhaps not coincidentally, where the meat of the new engine’s power begins to really come into play. With the engine solid-mounted to the chassis, the single counterbalancer has its job cut out for it and doesn’t quite keep up toward the latter half of the rev-range. On canyon roads, there was quite a bit of vibration felt while keeping our... ahem, spirited pace as the 9,500 rpm redline was never far away. In that case, the vibes aren’t bothersome, but while droning along at 75 mph or more on the freeway, it’s hard to think about much else.

In terms of electronics, Bosch brings switchable traction control to both models with the Scrambler 400 X getting an “Off-road” ABS mode that disables ABS entirely. All this information and more can be found in the dash which uses a combination of a classic analog speedo complete with dummy lights and LCD display. Everything was fairly straightforward here, although when switching TC or into the Off-road ABS mode, there is a specific amount of time one must hold down a button. This took more than a few folks more than a few tries to get the hang of.

The steel frame and bolt on subframe are shared between the two models, as are the 43 mm fork and monoshock. The difference here is that the Scrambler 400 X gets 0.4 more inches of travel up front and 0.8 inches more travel out back resulting in 5.9 inches of travel at both ends. Triumph has also added two links to the chain on the X and simply pulled the rear axle back in the cast aluminum swingarm and extended the headstock out a bit to give the Scrambler a bit more stability.

Here’s where we start getting into the differences between the two 400s that end up delivering a substantially different riding experience.

Scrambler 400 X

The Scrambler 400 X sets itself apart with a 19-inch front wheel leading a 17-incher in the rear – both cast aluminum and wrapped in aptly named Metzeler Karoo Street tires – they’re fine for scraping foot pegs on-road, but don’t offer much off-road performance. To accommodate the larger front wheel, Triumph extended the headstock out by 0.8 inches. This, coupled with the larger wheel, made the bike handle somewhat awkwardly at low speed, but not so much that one couldn’t get used to it.

I mentioned the minimal extra suspension which results in a bit of extra ground clearance, but also a taller seat height at 32.8 inches. That’s nearly two inches taller than the Speed 400’s saddle. The steel handlebar is also just over an inch wider than its sibling and uses a taller riser than the Speed. Using a somewhat crude, but simple foot peg bracket, the Scrambler’s footpegs come out slightly wider from the bike in addition to being a bit lower and more forward. All of this lends to the Scrambler 400 X feeling like a full-size motorcycle whereas the Speed feels closer to a three-quarter bike. Of course, that’s for better or worse depending on your size or what you’re looking for. During our short stint off-road, the seat height made some of the less experienced riders a bit uneasy.

While railing the bikes through mountain roads, the Scrambler 400 X’s geometry and accoutrement do lend to slower handling, but that didn’t stop me from hustling the bike through non-stop switchbacks and hairpins – it was only once I jumped on the Speed that I realized just how much quicker it could be, but more on that in a tic.

One surprising bit was the front brake. Triumph used a slightly larger 320 mm single rotor on the Scrambler’s front wheel but opted to use a pad with less initial bite to make it easier to use on loose surfaces. The four-piston ByBre caliper will get the job done, but the lack of initial bite and mediocre stopping power had me pulling the lever much closer to the grip than I would have liked.

The suspension also ended up surprising, albeit in a different way. Typically, for a bike playing in this realm, suspension is a weak point – whether it’s softly sprung or crudely damped. The Scrambler 400 X suspension isn’t mind-blowing, but the fact that it can handle a fire road and aggressive street riding while not constantly blowing through the stroke or pogo-ing down the road is, well, surprising. The fork held up well under hard trail braking and never did anything unexpected. Likewise, the shock was compliant throughout the ride, too – even with 200-plus pounds of ham-fisted rider.

After swapping bikes at lunch once the road gave way into the mountains and we began to get to the good stuff, I caught myself turning into the first few bends much too quickly, needing to correct mid-corner. This was, of course, after having ridden the Scrambler 400 X all morning. The difference in handling between the two is considerable thanks to the Speed’s smaller front wheel, shorter wheelbase, and steering geometry – and the Speed 400 manages to do this without being twitchy in the least.

Another big difference that took some getting used to was braking performance. Despite the 20 mm smaller front rotor, the sintered brake pads that come stock on the Speed provide immediate – bordering on too immediate – bite and somehow didn’t feel as soft at the lever once you’re into the meat of the braking power. Triumph did tell us that the pads are swappable between the bikes, which would be the first thing I’d suggest Scrambler owners do. It’s an absolute night and day difference.

As mentioned previously, the Speed 400 feels like a three-quarter bike, or maybe five-sixths. Whatever fraction we land on, I mean that even for a guy who’s 5-foot 8 inches with a 30-inch inseam, the motorcycle feels small. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, because it makes managing the bike that much easier. While the cockpit is tighter than the Scrambler’s, it never felt cramped for me and I enjoyed the ride on the highway just as much as I did in the canyons, despite the vibration. Bigger folk might have another take. The Speed’s 31.1-inch seat height also makes throwing a leg over it, or getting a foot down at a stop easy, which is a big confidence boost for new or shorter riders. Both bikes can maintain American highway speeds, though you’ll likely need to drop out of sixth gear if you plan on overtaking.

In its new partnership with Bajaj, Triumph has managed to build two motorcycles that burgeoning and seasoned riders alike will be proud to own. Both machines do an excellent job at hiding all of the things you don’t want to see (as Triumph is wont to do) – and both offer three different color options and a slew of accessories. Per Triumph’s studies, cost of ownership is lower than its competitors and service intervals are set at 10,000 miles. At the price Hinckley’s managed to offer these two machines, I won’t be surprised if Triumph sells a (metric) ton of them. For a new rider or someone looking for a classic small displacement motorcycle, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better value.

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