[nasirkaka]

Its important to understand the differences between scale models, principle testing and validation, working prototypes, batch production, full production, and the likes.

10,000 number of anything cannot be prototype, where mass manufacturing process, outsourcing, supply chain and assembly line would have been well defined & established. But as for any product development cycle including testing and validation, only so much can be done under controlled test conditions and simulations. The real world usage data and feedback is something used by all to better their products and systems. So whatever be the brand, there will be some level of tweaking after the product is launched and initial real world feedback is collected. companies like RE may leave a lot to be corrected post the first batch launch (basis their previous reputation) and we can hope that companies like Triumph to have better done their homework so the initial batch buyers do not have to face much niggles.

[Senotrius]

I agree with nasirkaka. No point thinking about pre-production etc. Most of the international bike and car launches are described as pre-production units by default by the journos during launch/reveal. Or they say near-production. It's very common imho. Coming to the Speed 400- it will have niggles being first lot. I have booked knowing this cause the price is only going to increase year on year. And i think i know what all to( possibly) expect being bajaj influenced- low speed stalling or engine cut off issues, fuel pump issues, battery, poor back brake etc. The second lot, Gen 1, D390 i bought for similar price on road as the T400 ex showroom. . Now it's almost 3lakh ex-showroom for a D390 which is not worth imho. Rather spend a bit more and get the Interceptor.

Hopefully Triumph has insisted on resolving some of these issues for their Bajaj made engine.

[Axe77]

Good to see the last few posts bring some balance into this discussion. The bikes were indeed described as pre - production units to us IIRC but that doesn’t mean its a “prototype” or beta version or similar.

In that regard:

- Just because the test ride units are described as “pre - production” doesn’t mean half ready products are going to be peddled as beta testing to customers. No mainstream manufacturer will be expected to do that - lets please give mainstream credible manufacturers that much credit.

- Even though they were ‘tagged’ pre - production, the build quality, fit and finish etc was to a very high order.

- Yes, its possible some early batches might have niggles but that’s the case with almost any new product. If anything, the test bikes have only impressed on most fronts. I think potential buyers will fall into two distinct camps based on their risk appetite - to wait it out a year or so and then take the plunge or alternately go for it right away with the fear that prices may increase one year down the line. Both are of course perfectly fine and completely a personal choice.

- There were about 35 - 37 bikes IIRC. Some or many of these might possibly find their way into test ride / demo fleets of dealers - that’s not unimaginable.

Let’s please bring the discussion back on track to the bike itself, sales, deliveries and what not. I feel the pre - production related discussion has run its course and some helpful posts immediately above in this regard.

[k_ajay]

It was interesting to note that Varun Painter from PowerDrift YouTube channel, had called the Triumph Speed 400 to be a good urban/ city bike, while he also claimed a longer test ride for a complete review cycle, was needed to share opinion on the motorcycle's touring/ highway abilities.

But he did also mention buzz/ vibrations on the Speed 400 beyond 110-115 kph?

Btw, for Bangalore folks, especially East Blr, there is a new Triumph showroom that's coming up on Whitefield main road, Mahadevapura/Narayanapura (right next to Yamaha Whitefield and Benelli Whitefield showrooms).

[sk_cheek13]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Btw, for Bangalore folks, especially East Blr, there is a new Triumph showroom that's coming up on Whitefield main road, Mahadevapura/Narayanapura (right next to Yamaha Whitefield and Benelli Whitefield showrooms).

I did see the showroom while coming from work today. And this cropped up just in one day Bajaj may be getting all the new showrooms ready in time for the test rides.



Note: My first post here. Please excuse if anything wrong. Also so excited about my speed 400 booking and my first >150cc bike.

[Senotrius]

So, my hope is bajaj gets these Asc's ready for the first free service or the first 'paid' service atleast. Unfortunately, zilch news regarding this for kochi or kerala as a whole.

[Vulken Auto]

Booking set at INR 10000 now. I booked a week back it was INR 2000. By the way how can we interpret bookingID in terms of Number

[antz.bin]

Originally Posted by Senotrius

So, my hope is bajaj gets these Asc's ready for the first free service or the first 'paid' service atleast. Unfortunately, zilch news regarding this for kochi or kerala as a whole.

First paid service is after 1 year of delivery. That is almost September 2024 for the earliest deliveries. Plenty of time for Triumph to set up more touch points. The commitment is for 100 touch points by March 2024.

There will probably be more if this is a sales success by the time September rolls around.

[The_Medic]

I hope triumph succeeds because I want a thruxton 400 as my daily driver 4 years later once my RC390 is old.

[vzvish91]

Shumi/Motorinc take on Triumph Speed 400:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...r54twD1wR890mu

https://youtu.be/sRKuBLPaSWs

[shailinder]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

First paid service is after 1 year of delivery. That is almost September 2024 for the earliest deliveries. Plenty of time for Triumph to set up more touch points. The commitment is for 100 touch points by March 2024.

There will probably be more if this is a sales success by the time September rolls around.

The first paid service might be after a year, but the first service will be at 1000 km, right? Does anyone have an update on whether that will be chargeable or not?

I know I contradict my first line, but whether a general checkup at 1000 km will also be charged - i.e., just for a check-up, will they charge?

[Senotrius]

Originally Posted by vzvish91

Shumi/Motorinc take on Triumph Speed 400:

https://Youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...r54twD1wR890mu

https://Youtu.be/sRKuBLPaSWs

So, according to him, excellent ride quality. This is one of my main criterias. The ergonomics can be adjusted to an extent with pullback handlebar risers.

[nasirkaka]

Booking set at INR 10000 now. I booked a week back it was INR 2000. By the way how can we interpret bookingID in terms of Number

These cheap tactics are something that takes the reputation of a Brand down, at-least in my eyes.

To begin with, the booking amount should have been 10k right from the very beginning. (Amounts to about 4% of cost of the bike). Just because they wanted to achieve the 10k bookings quickly, they reduced the booking amount to 2k. Half the folks who have booked would have thought twice before booking if the amount was 10k.

Increasing the booking amount from 2k to 10k in less then 15 days of launch does not send the right signal.

I am also miffed with the fact that they showcased the Street 400 and Scrambler 400 together but only released the price of one. Also the media test rides of only the Street 400 and not the Scrambler. Get their Idea of pushing the sales of Street 400, in which case they could have showcased the Scrambler a little later with price launch and media test rides.

[bharath79]

Originally Posted by Senotrius

So, according to him, excellent ride quality. This is one of my main criterias. The ergonomics can be adjusted to an extent with pullback handlebar risers.

It was also mentioned that it may be easy to get bored with this bike eventually in 6 months to a year! I think that was a strong statement.

[neil.jericho]

First off, a massive tip of the hat to friendly moderator Axe77. From what I have seen and read; this is easily the most comprehensive review of the Speed 400 out there.

A few thoughts on the launch and post launch pricing fiasco
- Seeing the fit and finish of the bikes at the launch, I was dead certain that the Speed 400 would be priced above the Ninja 300 and that the Scrambler 400 would be Rs 25K more than the Speed 400. Had Bajaj and Triumph given the Speed 400 an on road price of Rs 4.5L in Karnataka and Kerala, I would have even gone as far as to defend them for it.
- The ex-showroom price was jaw dropping, indeed.
- Bajaj and Triumph were riding a massive wave of momentum and good will in the community, when it all came crashing down a few days after the price reveal. For existing Triumph owners, the reason wasn't surprising at all.
- Triumph's most (in?)famous dealer released the tentative on road pricing with a steep delivery (aka handling) charge of Rs 17K baked in. This is exactly what most, if not all of Triumph's dealers have been doing for their premium motorcycles. However, a tweet to Bajaj Auto (which unfortunately got taken down) set things in motion. Bajaj and Triumph then released state wise pricing with a much more reasonable, but equally illegal, handling charge of Rs 1,500.
- Though Ive had my fair share of problems with Syama Triumph (the Cochin dealership), I did feel bad for both Bajaj and Triumph. They have obviously put in a ton of work to give the market 2 motorcycles that are extremely desirable, but everything almost fell apart, due to the old habits of the existing rotten apples in the Triumph ecosystem.
- While I am eager to see how Bajaj and Triumph will upscale their service network, I will caution riders to keep in mind that the service quality may not necessarily be as premium as the sticker on the fuel tank. If you have owned Bajaj and KTM motorcycles, you would have dealt with their service network. The same people are not going to be able to give you top notch service overnight. Not only is technical training called for, but soft skill training, as well. Im sure Bajaj and Triumph are well aware of this challenge and will be putting in serious efforts to tackle this in the coming quarters.

Coming to the exciting motorcycles themselves,
- the Scrambler 400 seems to be a bike that is after my heart (and wallet). If I ever get around to trimming down my garage, I could very easily see the Scrambler sharing the parking with my Royal Enfield Continental GT 535. Bear in mind, that Im a Triumph owner who has got his fingers burnt by Syama Triumph. So, for me to seriously consider buying one of these bikes, Bajaj and Triumph must have done something really right!
- Im not the biggest fan of the Trident inspired paint job. The Speed 400 would have looked so much nicer in plain colours. Other than the tank, the rest of the motorcycle looks stunning.
- I agree with Axe77's observations on the dash. Its a little uninspired.
- If I were booking a Speed 400, I would insist on getting one with the Apollo Alpha H1 tires. They are a great set of tires for the Rs 11K price point. That said, I can see a lot of Speed 400 owners shifting to the Road 6 tires, once the OEM set wears out.
- Most owners in India arent going to have the confidence to stretch out the service intervals to the offered 16,000 kms. It is great that Bajaj and Triumph have been able to engineer the motorcycle in a manner that gives such extended intervals. Also, how many owners are really going to ride that many kilometers in a year?
- Did someone say something about vibrations???
- Im suprised that Bajaj and Triumph set the suspension to the softest setting. Most of the trusted reviewers did talk about the handling not being as sharp as the KTMs. The softest setting could have played a role in that.
- Seasoned KTM riders have proferred that some parts on the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 do bear a striking resemblance to those on their much more expensive hooligan cousins that come draped in orange. That is no bad thing in my books.
- I foresee several riders getting the new, light weight alloys from the KTMs and slapping them on these Speed 400s, with Road 6 tires, for good measure. Stiffen up the rear suspension and add preload adjusters at the front end, and you could have a very fun motorcycle.

Bajaj and Triumph have done a phenomenal job from a manufacturing perspective. Now, what remains to be seen is if the service network can match the expectations of both, the companies and potential customers.

Going through all the reviews, it almost feels as though the Speed 400 is actually a modern day Pulsar 400, in snazzy international clothing. This isnt the most technically advanced offering (which the OG Pulsars were) but a very competent motorcycle, at an affordable price point (which the current Pulsars are) that can shake up the market, in a way that the original Pulsars did.

The launch of the Speed 400 and the Scrambler 400 makes it look as though the long whispered rumours of Bajaj buying out Triumph, will come true, sooner rather than later.