It’s not often that a bike maker releases not only a new bike and a new engine – but also its first entry in a whole new sector. That’s what Triumph has done, though, with the launch of two new single-cylinder 400cc bikes.
The Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400 will give the Hinckley firm a brand new entry-level range, aimed at novice riders and those looking for something smaller, while also opening up massive parts of the global bike market in developing markets – where a 400 counts as a big bike, and a Tiger 1200 or Speed Triple is far too pricey for most.
The soft retro-dirtbike Scrambler 400 X shares its looks and feel with the firm’s bigger Scrambler 1200 and 900 models, thanks to an upswept twin-exit silencer, long-travel suspension, Scrambler style seat and tank and round headlight protector.
Meanwhile, the new retro roadster Speed 400 apes the bigger Speed Twin 900 and 1200, with the same café-racer styled tank and seat unit, round LED headlight and flat bars.
The two new bikes share the same basic platform, with common engine and chassis fundamentals. That all-new 398cc motor is a modern single-cylinder design, with a four-valve DOHC head, ride-by-wire Bosch fuel-injection, and 89x64mm bore and stroke. It even has DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings on the finger valve followers for reduced friction and wear.
Dubbed the TR-Series after the old Triumph firm’s historic Trial Racing singles, the engine makes 39bhp, and drives through a six-speed gearbox and wet slipper/assist clutch. The new powerplant is unique to Triumph, despite being built in partnership with the Bajaj firm in India (which will be building the bike for its home market), and was designed and developed at the Hinckley HQ.
That brand-new engine gets a brand-new chassis too, and here there are some differences between the two bikes here, to suit their different purposes. Both bikes have a steel tube spine/perimeter frame design, with different geometry thanks to altered steering head angle.
There’s also the same dual-sided cast aluminium rear swingarm design, with monoshock suspension. But the Scrambler gets longer-travel suspension and a relatively tall seat height of 835mm, to give extra ground clearance for light offroad work.
Meanwhile, the Speed 400 gets shorter suspension and a lower 790mm seat height. Both use a 43mm USD Big Piston fork design and piggyback rear monoshock, with preload adjustment only. Brakes are by Brembo’s Indian subsidiary ByBre, with the same four-piston radial caliper up front and a 320mm disc on the Scrambler but smaller 300mm disc on the Speed.
The wheels are cast aluminium, with 17-inch ten-spoke rims at both ends on the Speed, and 19-inch front/17 inch rear rims on the Scrambler, for improved off-road abilities. Overall, the Scrambler is heavier by 9kg (179kg vs 170kg on the Speed 400), and has a longer wheelbase (1,418mm vs 1,377mm).
Add on the altered steering geometry from the bigger wheel and different frame/suspension, and you should feel quite a difference between the two models on the road.
Extensive computerised riding aids suites are less common on smaller bikes, but Triumph has still given the 400s a decent set of electronics. There’s a proper Bosch dual-channel ABS setup, and a switchable single-mode traction control system.
Lighting is all-LED, and there’s a digital LCD display on the dash, alongside a traditional analogue speedometer, plus a built-in USB-C charging socket. The 400s also have a built-in factory immobiliser, again, not always the case on smaller machinery.
Triumph has kept a premium feel to the new 400s, which is pretty impressive. The tyres are proper mainstream fitments: Metzeler Sportec M9RR on the Speed and Metzeler Karoo Street on the Scrambler. The new engine has the same slick black powder coat and stainless fasteners finish as Hinckley’s bigger models, with machined cylinder head finning, and large stainless-steel exhaust downpipe design.
The gold-anodised USD fork stanchions, hydro-formed exhaust silencers and metallised badges all round off an upmarket design and feel. The Scrambler boasts a tasty sump guard/bash plate and headlight protector grille, hand guards, handlebar brace and longer front mudguard.
There’s no word on price as yet – but Triumph says it will be ‘competitive’ (which is what you’d expect them to say of course). It’s clearly aimed at the likes of BMW’s G310R and Royal Enfield’s 350 Meteor, so you can take those prices (£5,190 and £4,219) as rough guidelines, maybe with a premium for the better performance and spec on the Triumph.
Perhaps surprisingly, the new 400s will be on sale in India next month first, no doubt down to the initial production being from Bajaj. The Triumph factories in Brazil and Thailand will also be building the new 400s for the European markets, and we’ll get the 400s at the start of 2024. There are three colours for both models, black, blue or red on the Speed 400 and black, green or red on the Scrambler 400 X.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine:
| Type | Liquid-cooled, 4 valve, DOHC, single-cylinder |
| Capacity | 398.15 cc |
| Bore | 89.0 mm |
| Stroke | 64.0 mm |
| Compression | 12:1 |
| Maximum Power | 40 PS / 39.5 bhp (29.4 kW) @ 8,000 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 37.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm |
| Fuel System | Bosch electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control |
| Exhaust | Stainless twin-skin header system with stainless steel silencer |
| Final Drive | X-ring chain |
| Clutch | Wet, multi-plate, slip & assist |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
Chassis:
| Speed 400 | Scrambler 400 X | |
| CHASSIS | ||
| Frame | Hybrid spine/perimeter, tubular steel, bolt-on rear subframe | |
| Swingarm | Twin-sided, cast aluminium alloy | |
| Front Wheel | Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 3 in | Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 19 x 2.5 in |
| Rear Wheel | Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 4 in | Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 3.5 in |
| Tyres | Metzeler Sportec M9RR | Metzeler Karoo Street |
| Front Tyre Size | 110/70 R17 | 100/90 R19 |
| Rear Tyre Size | 150/60 R17 | 140/80 R17 |
| Front Suspension | 43mm upside down Big Piston forks. 140mm wheel travel |
43mm upside down Big Piston forks. 150mm wheel travel |
| Rear Suspension | Gas monoshock RSU with external reservoir and pre-load adjustment. 130mm wheel travel |
Gas monoshock RSU with external reservoir and pre-load adjustment. 150mm wheel travel |
| Front Brakes | 300mm fixed disc, four-piston radial caliper, ABS |
320mm fixed disc, four-piston radial caliper, ABS |
| Rear Brakes | 230mm fixed disc, floating caliper, ABS | 230mm fixed disc, floating caliper, ABS |
| Instruments | Analogue speedometer with integrated multi-function LCD screen | |
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHTS
| Speed 400 | Scrambler 400 X | |
| DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS | ||
| Length | 2056 mm | 2117 mm |
| Width (Handlebars) | 795 mm | 825 mm |
| Height (Without Mirrors) | 1075 mm | 1190 mm |
| Seat Height | 790 mm | 835 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1377 mm | 1418 mm |
| Rake | 24.6° | 23.2° |
| Trail | 102 mm | 108 mm |
| Wet Weight* | 170kg | 179kg |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 13 litres | |
*(90% fuel – mass in running order)