Triumph Speed 400 : Our observations after a day of riding

The engine is reasonably tractable so you can pull the bike back even if you're in a higher gear than you should be, without the engine complaining too much.

Riding the Triumph Speed 400

Triumph had organised our media ride starting from Khopoli with the riders free to ride where they please for about 3 to 4 hours before reporting at the Chakan plant in the outskirts of Pune. At Chakan, we got the chance to push the bikes for multiple laps in a controlled environment at their test track. The route ensured that our ride involved a healthy mix of beautiful smooth countryside roads, some nice twisties, broken patches, the old Mumbai Pune highway as well as some small 'no-road' sections to get to last-mile scenic locations. Basically, it had all the makings of any typical Sunday ride that most riders in this part of the country experience. In that sense, the ride was as real as it gets and counting the laps I put in at the Chakan track, my riding experience is based on approximately 150 km.

Before we embark on the ride, let's start with the heart of the matter - the Speed 400 boasts a brand new 398 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine sporting a four-valve, double overhead camshaft setup. Branded as an all-new TR series, the nomenclature being a hark back to its trophy racing years, it has been designed and developed principally by Triumph in partnership with Bajaj. Producing a healthy 39.5 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and peak torque of 37.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm delivered via a relatively linear torque curve. It has a sweet bump up at around the 6,000 – 8,000 rpm mark and it's good to see that Triumph has not cut any corners on the engine spec front.

There has been some speculation given the engine’s similar bore specs to the Dominar as to whether this is a modified iteration of the same engine. This is simply not true - it's well and truly a ground-up engine designed by the two teams with a very specific end and intent. The result is impressive indeed with the engine staying true to the DNA of these modern classics in how it delivers the entire riding experience.

The bike is smooth and measured in how it delivers its power. The engine is reasonably tractable so you can pull the bike back even if you're in a higher gear than you should be, without the engine complaining too much. 80% of the torque comes in as early as 3,500 rpm and you can feel that low-end grunt at play. Do note that the bike produces peak power towards the upper part of the rev range so you will need to rev this bike to access that power.

This is a friendly bike, right from its accessible seat height, and comfortable seating geometry to how it delivers the power. It is unlikely to intimidate a newer rider but that's not to say it's not fast or it's not fun. It can be as forgiving as it can be playful and in the right hands, it is a hoot and a half when you want to twist the throttle or throw it with abandon into corners thanks to its compact body and sharp handling.

The company claimed that 0-60 km/h comes up in 2.8 seconds and 0-100 km/h comes in 7 seconds. I didn't do any clocked speed runs but from my ride, I don't see any reason to doubt those stats. Top speed is officially rated at 145 km/h but multiple riders (yours truly included) hit a speedo indicated 160 km/h on the back straight at the Chakan track. More specifically, the 4th gear topped out at 120 km/h, the 5th gear at ~140 km/h and in the 6th gear, the bike just about hit 160 km/h. By the time it got there though we had mostly run out of track so not sure if it'll nudge slightly higher numbers on a longer straight.

With the stat attack out of the way, let's come to the bits that matter for most owners - different use case scenarios and riding conditions. This is an easy, flickable bike and combined with its compact dimensions and relatively light weight, it's going to be an excellent city runabout. Mumbai pothole navigators and Bangalore crater conquerors are going to be pleased. The ground clearance in real-world riding is excellent and not once did I face any issues bottoming out on any speed-breakers nor did the bike ever feel unsettled or skittish going through minor potholes. Coming to highway duties or Sunday rides, the bike can easily cruise at 100 - 120 km/h in the right gear. While it can go at higher speeds as well, it will feel fast if you're holding on to that over extended periods. At the end of the day, it IS a 39.5 BHP single-cylinder engine. The gearbox too is very slick to operate with a light and smooth slipper clutch to complement its operation. While adjustable levers would definitely have been welcome, I never felt uncomfortable with operating the levers and it seems well designed to work as a 'one size fits all' approach too.

At no point during the ride did I face any engine heat issues but I don't want to leave this as a conclusion since most of my riding was on open roads and I was never in any heavy or standing traffic. We'd reserve judgement on this aspect until we get a chance to ride it in heavy city traffic.

Coming to the exhaust, I'm loathe to use marketing phrases but for lack of an alternative the exhaust sound is indeed "characterful". It's not unduly loud (in a bad way) and has an absolutely lovely grunt both at idle as well as when the bike picks up its revs. I quite liked how it sounded but I'll leave it to each rider to form their own opinion.

Overall, this is a versatile bike that will do city duties just as well as it will provide the occasional highway thrills. There's no reason why solo touring should not be easy although two up with luggage may require some planning in terms of luggage management.

Refinement & NVH

The engine is very refined despite the nice throaty growl from the exhaust. I experienced no untoward buzz or vibrations during typical riding conditions, even when pushing the bike a bit. It's only a little beyond 7,500 rpm or so that the vibes distinctly start creeping in at the handlebar, which is understandable given that peak power is rated at about 8,000 rpm and the bike tops out at about 9,000 rpm. The mirrors though start blurring out somewhere post 6,000 rpm - something to be mindful of.

Suspension and Handling

The bike sports 43 mm upside-down big piston forks at the front, with 140 mm wheel travel while the rear is brought up by a gas monoshock RSU with an external reservoir and 10-step pre-load adjustment sporting 130 mm wheel travel. Each is made by Endurance, a Bajaj sister concern.

For the test rides, the bikes were set up at the softest pre-load setting (1 of 10). I don't have a lot of first-hand comparative benchmarks in this segment but at least on this softest setting, I found the ride quality supple enough for comfort. The bike went through typical Maharashtra B roads, potholes and whatnot and at no point did the bike feel skittish or for that matter bottom out. Riders going two up may want to play with the setting a bit to set it at slightly firmer levels if needed. The ground clearance too is excellent and I can confidently say it's more than capable of handling whatever our roads throw up.

Handling is sharp in typical Triumph fashion and the bike is agile and quick to change direction when you need. We were still on wet roads and the bike was new to me so I did not push it too hard on public roads but our brief session at the track was definitely a hoot. This bike can be pushed and it'll be rewarding enough. Don't expect manic performance or raw thrills - this is a more sophisticated and measured riding experience - but pushed hard, it's playful enough for most.

Braking

Brakes are by ByBRE, Brembo's budget brand that is now almost par for course in this segment with both the KTM Duke and Harley 440 X also opting for these. The front brakes are 300 mm fixed disc, four-piston radial calipers, while the rear sports 230 mm fixed disc, floating caliper. Braking duties are more than adequate and I tested some planned urgent braking on a few occasions and they were perfectly up to the mark. Again, segment standard components here give no cause to complain about their performance.