Why I chose the Triumph Speed 400 over the CB350 & Harley X440

Dominar, Jawa, Bullets felt too heavy to lift off the stand so not considered. Duke appeared too sharp and edgy for my age (50 Yrs)

BHPian ajay0612 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I Bought Speed 400 today at an introductory price of Rs 2.23 L from Krishna Automobiles, Chandigarh.

Requirements:

For the last many years, I have been looking to buy a bike for solo drives, especially among mountains (Cars are a bit limited due to their size, one has to be careful, and also parking is an issue). So wanted the bike to have good torque, power, and suspension.

Further, perhaps it was going to be my last bike purchase, so had to be chosen wisely. The budget was Rs 3L ex-showroom max.

Other bikes considered

Dominar, Jawa, and Bullets felt too heavy to lift off the stand so not considered. Duke appeared too sharp and edgy for my age (50 Yrs), IMO a modern-retro bike would be a better fit.

CB350:

Since its launch, I have been quite impressed by its look. It felt not too heavy. However, the response was lethargic and the gears never felt right. 60kmph in 5th gear was barely manageable, as it would take ages to increase speed further. The response felt delayed in 2nd gear onwards. Reluctantly rejected.

Harley x440:

The specs seemed all alright. Booked on launch. The seating position was quite comfortable. It didn't feel too heavy. However, during the test drive, it also felt lacking in power in 5th and 6th gear. Booking cancelled.

Himalayan 450:

How could one ignore it after so many rave reviews? Booked it when the price was revealed. Nevertheless, I was apprehensive about its weight and seat height ( I am 165cm tall, and have 67 kg wt). When it arrived at the showroom in my city in Nov, I went to check it out. It seemed quite beautiful. However, when seated, I was tiptoeing and was not able to even lift it off the side stand. Was extremely disappointed. Booking cancelled.

However in the meantime went through many articles, blogs, and quora replies to understand which seating position is best for long touring. Most recommendations were for having a seating position slightly forward leaning and feet under the hips. So Speed 400 came into consideration.

Speed 400:

Just to take a chance, sent a WhatsApp message to Triumph and got a reply that the introductory price was still available till 31 Dec. However still wanted to see if I could handle it (as Jawa had similar weight but felt too heavy to me). Called Krishna Triumph Chandigarh (a nearby showroom to Uttarakhand) to find out if somebody in my city had taken a delivery. They, after talking to a customer from Dehradun, provided his number. He graciously agreed to let me try it. Surprisingly the bike felt quite light (similar to other 200-250cc bikes) and was easy to handle. Immediately booked it and took delivery today.

Drove it from Chandigarh to my home in Haridwar, a 235km ride. Boy, what a ride it was! The bike pulls in all gears, there is always power on tap. I could slow down to 50kmph in 6th and it could gain brisk speed without stalling. The engine never felt stressed, with no heat. It gave me a triumphant feeling, a feeling of being connected, not being cowered down by large vehicles et al.

This bike is the best thing that happened to a person of my size, middle class, and the biking community in general. Its fit and finish are impeccable and among the biggies in the Triumph showroom, it does not feel outclassed. Considering our roads, I don't need anything more.

Thanks a lot.

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