[mpp1]

Hello to all ScramblerX/Speed 400 owners!
I'm looking at the ScramblerX as a potential buy in the new year and would love to get some insight based on your brief ownership experience.

For context, I'm in my early 50's, ahem, 110 kilos and a hair below 6 feet in height and have owned various bikes over the years namely 650 and 1100 cc Yamaha cruisers overseas, and in India FZ250, Meteor 350 and currently own an Interceptor 650 and a 110cc scooter.

I'm tired of the sub-standard components that have been used on the Int650 which has forced me to try to sell it and based purely off of my experience and over expectations with RE products I've cancelled my Himalayan 450 booking as well.

Now I'm looking for a comparatively light ADV simply because of the bigger suspension travel to help with my advanced age and weight and only a couple of bikes fall in that category if you don't want RE, Yezdi and KTM products which are the ScramblerX and the XPulse 200.

Xpulse is a bit underpowered and even the upcoming XPulse 440 might be only 27HP so ScramblerX fits the bill from all angles but one thing still created a doubt in my mind which is the 6" suspenstion travel in the front, not sure if that's enough for my weight and comfort. The short test ride proved non-educative in this regard hence looking for a nuanced insight with kin-folk here.

TIA

[bharath79]

Originally Posted by mpp1

I'm tired of the sub-standard components that have been used on the Int650 which has forced me to try to sell it and based purely off of my experience and over expectations with RE products I've cancelled my Himalayan 450 booking as well.
TIA

That is sad! The 450 seems a pretty decent one and a step up may be. You should have taken a test ride atleast.

Regards
Bharath

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by mpp1

Xpulse is a bit underpowered and even the upcoming XPulse 440 might be only 27HP so ScramblerX fits the bill from all angles but one thing still created a doubt in my mind which is the 6" suspenstion travel in the front, not sure if that's enough for my weight and comfort. The short test ride proved non-educative in this regard hence looking for a nuanced insight with kin-folk here.

TIA

I hear from more than one source that the suspension setup of the Speed is better than the Scrambler's.

Also suspension travel is not really the parameter of concern in supporting your weight. It is rider sag, which is the stiffness and coiling of your springs, that is controlled by the preload.

You rider sag actually takes up most of the spring's initial ineffectual x% of total travel, bringing you closer to a spring primed to operate in its efficient area. The initial and last bits of compression of the spring typically being the ineffectual bits.

You can have a really stiffly setup track bike with just 120 mm of travel, with just 20 mm of sag. While you can have a 200 mm suspension travel dirt bike with almost 60 mm of sag.

Cheers, Doc

[theconfusedguy]

Originally Posted by davelok

Someone here said that the rev limit is supposed to apply till 3000km. Anyway, I'm supposed to take my bike to the service center tomorrow for a random stalling problem. I'll enquire about this issue and the fluctuating DTE readings also.

Hey, What did the service center say?

[davelok]

Originally Posted by theconfusedguy

Hey, What did the service center say?

I got some strange replies about all issues, which might raise new debates here. So I'm waiting for the service to be completed. I'll get clear replies then, hopefully.

[ebonho]

Was at Sheri's garage getting a reset on my KTM's ECU, and I see a geared guy ride in on a Scrambler 400X with red plates. I head in his direction to check out the bike closer, and speak to him, when I see parked next to it a black and gold Himalayan 450 and a red and white faired bike from ... Hero! That's when I realise that there are a lot of red number plate bikes around and I am actually standing in the parking lot of a auto magazine ... Car and Bike I think (saw a sticker of only Car on the door).

Looking at the Himalayan and the Scrambler side by side, it hits you what both manufacturers are trying to do. The RE guys are trying to pitch this as a BIG Adventure. Everything about the bike is normal sized, and then you see the 8 month pregnant tank.

Triumph on the other hand knows fully well that it has a sweet bike in the Speed, but knows about the Himalayan and the fetishes of the paying junta. So it makes a bigger looking bike to pitch against the Himalayan, with all the goodness of the Speed, but the size (height, not girth) in the Himalayan ballpark.

I still think the Speed is the real looker of the 3. And a proper street bike. That you feel connected to the ground on.

Cheers, Doc

[mpp1]

Originally Posted by bharath79

That is sad! The 450 seems a pretty decent one and a step up may be. You should have taken a test ride atleast.

Regards
Bharath

That is a fair point and I', being 100% ignorant but RE has seriously failed me with repeated denials of replacing several components that had failed on my Int650 6-8 months prior to the expiration of the warranty.

[mpp1]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I hear from more than one source that the suspension setup of the Speed is better than the Scrambler's.

Also suspension travel is not really the parameter of concern in supporting your weight. It is rider sag, which is the stiffness and coiling of your springs, that is controlled by the preload.

You rider sag actually takes up most of the spring's initial ineffectual x% of total travel, bringing you closer to a spring primed to operate in its efficient area. The initial and last bits of compression of the spring typically being the ineffectual bits.

You can have a really stiffly setup track bike with just 120 mm of travel, with just 20 mm of sag. While you can have a 200 mm suspension travel dirt bike with almost 60 mm of sag.

Cheers, Doc

This is very interesting, I had seen a Youtube video on rider sag and how to setup your suspension on modern bike by either Revzilla or Fortnine but that was a while ago. I'd go and test ride all three bikes now, the Triumph twins and the Himalayan 450 as well. Thanks for the input.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by mpp1

either Revzilla or Fortnine

Both excellent sources.

Suspension really is a black art. Its obviously much more than just travel and sag. For most riders, they are happy as long as it does not bottom out.

And it is instinctive for us when going on tour with the back end loaded, or riding extensively (versus one off) with a pillion, to make the rear shocker stiffer.

What that does is not make the suspension better or stiffer for the increased weight, or the chances of bottoming out less.

It simply prevents the new combined weight (rider + luggage and/or pillion) from eating into the effective meat of the suspension movement (travel) due to increased sag - which not only eats up the initial useless bit, but a now significant portion of the useful travel as well.

And by ensuring that you have a rear suspension that allows you that adjustment leeway (in the form of preload settings at the very least), you also then can for the load fine tune the suspension so that front and rear sag are near about the same and the bike remains in a neutral horizontal stance vis a vis the ground.

If the sag at the rear is too much, then the rear will sink lower than the front under the rider's weight, and your headlight beam will point upwards instead of parallel straight, and the handling of the front will becomes light and without much feedback. As well as your front braking will be less effective.

Cheers, Doc

[vinbex]

Got a chance to ride both the speed and the scrambler and must admit, its well put together. Looks amazing in person with top notch fit and finish. Really good exhaust note. Rode the speed and scrambler back to back and following are my observations
- The speed feels a lot smoother and refined compared to the scrambler.
- The riding position the of the scrambler needs a bit getting used to.
- Noticed heating from right side on my inner calf/ankle. Was riding during noon and there was traffic.
- The engine refinement if excellent. At 80-90kmph in 4th gear, it felt rock solid and vibe free
- The power delivery is also very smooth and not jerky(unlike the RTR310)
- Seat felt a bit hard
- The console was not readable at noon as sun was directly overhead and creating glare.
- At 3.07 lakhs on road, I feel its a great bike to have as a second option.
- I went with the intention of getting the scrambler, but liked the speed more.

My R3 still takes the cake! Completely my point of view.

Attaching a few pics

[davelok]

I installed the Carbon Racing windscreen and number plate mount today. It would be great to get some instructions with the packages, but anyway what's life without a little adventure.

The windshield comes with a box of all fasteners and mount points. You just need to figure out what goes where. Luckily, there are a couple of YouTube videos where the windshield is being installed on other bikes. These videos are very helpful, but you have to watch them carefully because there are a few crucial differences from bike model to bike model.

The assembly and installation are pretty straightforward and can be done by just one person. You'll need 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, and 10mm hex screwdriver bits, and nut sockets (or small spanners) of the same size AND a pair of needle nosed pliers.

If you are going to mount the license plate to the windscreen using the mounting plate sold separately, you will need to remove the license plate holder from the bike first, before you do final assembly of the windscreen. This is important especially if the license plate has been fixed with rivets.

There are two bolts on each side of the headlight that hold the OEM license plate holder, and unscrewing them means that the headlight will also come loose from its mounting.

You need to remember to insert the top bolts of the windscreen's top mount bracket into the alternative license plate holder first, before screwing the license plate on to it. Otherwise there's no way to reach the hole later. When you fix this assembly to the windscreen, you'll need needle nosed pliers to hold the bolts at their head as you tighten the nuts from behind. Of course, if the license plate has been screwed into its holder in the first place, you don't need to jump through these hoops.

When you fix the assembled windscreen to the bike, remember to use the supplied headlight bolts and put away the OEM ones, or there is a risk that you'll break something expensive. These supplied bolts come with a set of plastic spacers and washers, and once you see them, you'll immediately get how to fix it.

Lastly, the handlebar mounts that hold the steel rods attached to the windscreen go on the thick part of the handlebar, which is the part near the middle, where it's attached to the stem. Just remember that the bottom mount of the windscreen goes outside the silver headlight mount of the bike, not inside. The spacer goes in between the two, in the depressed part of the screw hole.

Once the job is finished, check the alignment of the headlight and adjust it before fully tightening the mount bolts.

Here are some photos that might be helpful to anyone who is interested in diy jobs.

[pratik_terni]

Originally Posted by davelok

I installed the Carbon Racing windscreen and number plate mount today.

What impeccable timing!!!
I logged to in ask for suggestions for a windscreen and I see your post.
Did you consider any other screens, like the one listed as the Triumph official accessory, for example?

Please do comment on how this screen performs.

[davelok]

Originally Posted by pratik_terni

What impeccable timing!!!
I logged to in ask for suggestions for a windscreen and I see your post.
Did you consider any other screens, like the one listed as the Triumph official accessory, for example?

Please do comment on how this screen performs.

Hi, I did consider the OEM flyscreen accessory, but it's too small to be functional. It's more ornamental. The one I have installed is larger and deflects wind away from the torso. The head still gets a lot of wind blast when riding fast.

[pratik_terni]

Originally Posted by davelok

The one I have installed is larger and deflects wind away from the torso. The head still gets a lot of wind blast when riding fast.

That's a bummer. Your screen looks big enough. Anything bigger is going to look really wierd and disproportionate.
What's your height, if i may ask?

[davelok]

Originally Posted by pratik_terni

That's a bummer. Your screen looks big enough. Anything bigger is going to look really wierd and disproportionate.
What's your height, if i may ask?

Yes, well you'd need a Harley sized windscreen to protect the head, but this one also works as intended. I'm 5'8", and sit a bit more upright now after having installed pullback handlebar risers.