Triumph Scrambler 400 X ownership review including service experience

I wanted to upgrade from my 150cc motorcycle and considered options like the Royal Enfield Hunter, Meteor and Interceptor. I also tried the new KTM 390 Duke.

BHPian al90 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Summary

I was on the lookout for an upgrade over my existing 150cc Honda Dazzler and my requirements were something about 30bhp, comfortable and should be able to tackle broken roads, you can read all about it in this thread.

The short version is that the old bike was in good condition but the riding angel combined with my weight was making it uncomfortable on my hands and the bike having done 14 years was due for an upgrade.

Enter the Scrambler 400X

Likes

• In love with the power available on tap. My average speed is now higher than what it was earlier as the Scrambler loves to pick up speed on demand.
• The power delivery is very linear and not scary. A lot of reviewers have suggested that the sweet spot for highways is between 100-110, I felt that the bike is least strained between 60-80km/hr.
• The seating is higher so the view over traffic is much better than my old commuter.
• The bike actually gives the feeling of riding a big bike but is nimble enough to glide through traffic.
• The matt green khaki colour is a looker.

Dislikes

• The headlights are a sour point but have seen people recommending taking off the headlight guard for better visibility.
• The bike becomes a bit coarse and shows resistance when you try to push it over 6000 rpm.
• I seem to have a specific issue with starting the bike, if the bike turns off while riding then I need to crank it at least 2-3 times to get it started. If it's parked for some time it starts immediately but sudden stops due to stalling or even if you park or stop for a short duration and start again, it won't start on the first crank.
• The turning radius of the bike is much bigger than what am used to and factoring in the weight turning in small spaces like the office parking and on inclines is a task.
• The paint is super scratch-prone even if it's matt, I managed to put in some micro scratches with a cardboard box.
• The bike kicks up a lot of dirt towards you from the front and the back and it's terrible during the rains, hopefully, this has now been fixed with the new mud splash kit.

The List

• Hunter 350 - too small for me plus was less than the 30bhp want.
• Meteor 350 - Was a perfect fit but did not like it, my heart was just not into it.
• Interceptor 650 (alloy) - Loved it, the weight wasn't an issue but it did strain my hands, but am thinking a handlebar riser might fix this issue.
• Speed 400 - Test rode it, loved it, booked it and cancelled as well, felt small like the hunter.
• Scrambler 400x - Test drove it but wasn't very sure.
• Speed 900 - Loved this one, test drove it in Mumbai traffic, eerily balanced bike, but dropped it considering my use case and where I would be riding it.
• V-Strom 250 - Glided over potholes, but strained my hands.
• Dominar 400- The TD vehicle was a nightmare, wasn't maintained very well chain was loose, absolutely no bite for the brakes, and noise from the engine, didn't go more than 50 meters from the showroom I returned the bike and I walked away and it also strained my hand.
• Apache RTR 200 - Seating was committed but surprisingly didn't stain my hand, but the suspension was stiff and bounced over potholes.
• CB 350 RS - again loved it had a minimal strain on my hands, booked it, saw the Speed 400 cancelled the booking, considering the value proposition.
• CB 300 R - Great bike, but it is meant for a single rider, pillions beware as the seat can be a sore point.
• Duke 390 - High revving machine, it's truly a great machine, but just not for me.

Buying Experience

All the comments by fellow Bhpians did help me make a decision but the final push to buy the Scrambler 400X was from the showroom Jai Autos in Ashok Nagar, Chennai.

This was a new showroom and the closest to me, all the other showrooms are further away and are operated by Khivraj, my initial booking of the Speed 400 was with Khivraj, where the experience wasn't bad. I had cancelled my Speed 400 booking with Khivraj and made a booking online for the Scrambler 400X with Jai Autos.

What set Jai Autos apart was that on expressing my confusion between the Speed and the Scrambler the sales representative directly offered me a longer TD, without me even asking, they gave me the bike overnight (6 pm to 10 am) and I could take it to my usual routes. TD the bike where I would be riding it 95% of the time, and this is what sold me.

After the TD when returning the bike the next day, I paid the remaining amount in full and in 30 mins all the necessary documents and processes were completed and was informed of delivery in a week.

There was a bit of confusion on the day of delivery, I was asked to come at 11 but the bike was still at the workshop about 2 kms away, they had brought in the wrong bike. I insisted on going to the workshop and getting the bike myself and bringing it back to the showroom, so an unofficial delivery was already done at the service center.

Once at the showroom they did the ceremonial key handover and explained the functions, showed me how to remove and replace the back seat, the tools and how to do basic fluid checks and was told that the service center would be able to guide me on adjusting the suspension when I go in for the 1st service.

Overall the delivery experience was good save for the mix-up and delay, which was brushed aside by the excitement of getting the bike.

Price Breakdown

• Booking Amount Paid : 10000
• Vehicle Cost (incl. taxes) : 262996
• Insurance : 24267
• Road Tax : 31560
• Registration : 975
• Processing Fee : 1800
• Affidavit : 1200
• On Road Total : 322794

Engine

A lot has been already written by much more experienced people than me on the Scrambler's engine, and I do concur with their observations, the power delivery is linear, when you want to do an overtake, just point and shoot and the bike just puts you on our target.

Am yet to push the bike over the 6k threshold, the moment it hits 6k I can see the taco flashing and reluctance to go up any further, there are vibrations, but coming from a 15-year-old bike I barely feel them. Since my commute has been mostly within the city and short distances I also haven't got a chance to push the bike.

The clutch is on the firmer side, I was expecting it to be much lighter being a slipper clutch.

Suspension, Brakes & Tires

The suspension is plush, with a pillion and rising over pot-hole-ridden roads the bike is pretty stable and manageable.

It does come with a 10-step adjustable suspension at the rear, I have it currently at the softest, will start fiddling around with it in the coming days.

I am happy with the brakes, even though they are a little scary at times, they did initially feel spongy, but I have gotten used to them and am able to use them without any issues now.

I can bring the bike to a halt when and where I want, as I have got a judgement of where and how much force to apply on the brakes. I did have a close call, but the bike did stop as expected.

But saying the above, I would get the brake pads changed once the original organic pads do wear off.

The MRFs do provide good grip but they aren't confidence-inspiring, rainy season isn't here yet but somewhere in the back of my mind I have a prejudice that these might not be that grippy in the rains, but as for the dry weather performance am ok with them, once these wear out, I would be looking for better options, or even opt for road-biased tyres considering my usage.

Lighting & Speedo

This is probably one of the weak points of the bike, the headlight isn't that great, it seems to be useful only if you are riding in absolute pitch dark, and the illumination is definitely not adequate.

This already weak headlamp is made worse with the grill on top. The high beam is also pointed straight ahead into the abyss and nowhere on the roads.

Triumph needs to provide a better solution and definitely better calibration for the headlamp.

The tail lamp and the LED indicators are sufficiently bright and complement the bike very well. There is a USB port somewhere on the speedo, realized it just as I was typing this out, I am yet to see it, since I don't have a use for it.

Triumph App & Owners Manual

The app is basic and hasn't given me any trouble yet, you can book for service via the app and then the owner's manual can also be downloaded through it.

Going through the owners manual has helped me correct a lot of my behaviors, one of which is using the kill switch to turn off the bike, as per the manual the kill switch is meant to be used only in case of emergency and to turn off the engine it's recommended to always use the ignition key. Am still reading through the manual, so guys please go through the manual, as it will definitely help you maintain your ride better.

About the speedo, a lot of people have complained that the speedo should have been digital and the taco should have been analogue. I do agree with them. I really don't find myself looking at the speedo, and when I do look it's to see which gear am in and the fuel level, both of which clearly visible along with the other indicators for Traction control, lights and engine warnings.

Service Experience

The service experience has been pretty good so far, there seem to be only 3-4 staff in the service center (Jai Triumph Saidapet), and it is a small service center as well, packed with new bikes.

But the staff at the service center haven't tried to push any unnecessary add-ons, and have been friendly and helpful enough, to take me through the basic checks and in what intervals.

• Check for engine oil once every 2 weeks but based on my riding pattern they have asked me to check every 700 kms. There are 100ml sachets available to top off the engine oil is what I have been told.
• Keep an eye on the chain, clean and lube it as and when required, if looks dry or looks covered in crud, clean and lube it.
• An eye on all the other fluids, brake oil, and coolant every 1000 kms or so.

My 2 cents

The fit and finish of the bike have been praised by a lot of people and I fully agree on this front, has the fit and finish I would expect from a 3-5 lakh bike.

Anyone over 5'10 should be able to manage on this bike, I being 5'11 am not able to fully flat foot on both sides, but I can reach both sides comfortably. The pillion seat is comfortable and the home minister has officially declared that it's the best since she has a 360 view of her surroundings as well.

My primary use case for the bike is within the city, this bike may get ridden on the highways for longer than 10kms, but that would be a very rare scenario in my case. Over the last 2 months of ownership, I have ridden only about 570 kms and most of it has been forced riding for a longer duration just so that I could at least clock 500 kms before I give the vehicle in for the 1st service.

The handlebars are comfortable but I do feel a bit of strain in my palms, nothing which a pair of good riding gloves can't fix. The mirrors are small for my liking, they do give good visibility of the rear but the visibility towards the sides is poor due to the round shape, i might get them switched at a later stage. The switchgear is nice would have liked the info button to be tactile but it's still good. IMO Triumph should have opted for the illuminated switchgear since it's Bajaj that manufactures the bikes, but there are no complaints you can find the switches even in pitch dark your finger would automatically fall in place.

So as of writing the bike has been wonderful save for the starting trouble, and at the first service did put in a few accessories which I felt would be functional.

The mud splash protection kit:

This has now been brought in after a lot of riders have complained about the bike throwing mud at the rider from the front and back and also the suspension getting covered in dirt, especially on rainy days.

• Mud splash protection Kit : 490.99
• Installation Charges : 236
• Total : 726.99

You can see from the below pics how it looks post-installation and the difference between the old and the new tyre hugger, for the front it's merely an extender for the existing mudguard but everything is aesthetically pleasing and doesn't look out of place. The rear tyre hugger is bolted on and it now is longer and covers the sides as well, but the rest, the rear and front mudguard extenders are glued on which am not too happy about, the front one should have at least been held on by screws not glue.

Notice the extensions to the sides and the new length.

The engine bars

Again an functional addon, I was in 2 minds about getting this but the thought of either someone ramming in from the sides in traffic or someone pushing the bike down and damaging the engine prompted me to add this in plus it sort of adds a brace to the existing sump guard as well.

• Lower Engine Bars: 2004
• Installation : 354
• Total : 2358

Coated Windscreen:

This was for the sole purpose so that I could stuff some Knick-knacks (papers/cloth) and use it as kind of a temporary storage. I don't think that this will give any sort of wind protection considering the small size of the screen itself, it just adds to the appearance of the bike.

• Coated Windscreen : 2095
• Fitting Kit Screen : 304
• Fitting Kit front plate : 87.01
• Installation : 354
• Total : 2840.01

Tank Pad

So this was another item that I got ever since I got micro scratches on the paint after keeping a cardboard box post purchasing my new helmet on the tank, this doesn't help in any way fix that but something is better than nothing. The service center did manage to get rid of most of it and it's now barely visible (see pic below). IMO Triumph should have given this as standard considering the side tank pads are present as standard.

• Tank Pad: 330.99
• Installation : 59
• Total : 389.99

Overall, am happy with the bike, will keep updating more as and when time passes. As for anyone who is looking for a really nice city bike to deal with potholes you can go ahead with the Scrambler as long as you can live with the height, weight and turning radius within the city.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.