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-   -   Triumph Scrambler 400 X Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/272090-triumph-scrambler-400-x-review-22.html)

I guess there has been some confusion from Triumph's end. The new color was shown with blacked out exhaust and sump guard. But actually only the color has changed with no change to exhaust and sump guard finish (which is evident from all the videos).

Yes, it’s possible. Well I have searched the internet and came across only two videos of white one. I am sure you saw those two posts only. lol:

Triumph created bit of a mess with incorrect render on instagram and no online info addition on their website.

Well looks like they have corrected their goof up and are back with the original render. Although the bash plate is still black.

Hey! I just checked, and they reposted with the correction you pointed out. lol:
Yes, they didn’t change the bash plate color. I checked the first picture they posted at time of launch (khaki green color) had same black color bash plate.

Preface

I used to ride a 2017 Apache 200. The bike was showing its age with almost 55k on the odometer. Although I had no hurry to change it, the itch to upgrade was not letting me sleep or spending countless hours on teambhp reading reviews. Meanwhile, I have been constantly riding a friend's BMW 310GS for long trips to the mountains & Super Meteor 650 in the city. So I was pretty clear about wanting the bike in a similar 400cc space or better say ~40bhp bikes.
My major run is in the city with a maximum of 2-3 trips to the mountains a year. So the bike had to be Delhi/Gurgaon traffic-ready.

The Huge Dilemma

I am a very confused person in my life. This trait also helped me short down on a bike pretty quickly, just short of a whole year.:uncontrol
I took a test ride of every bike available within the 2-4 Lacs bracket. I will not go into what I liked/disliked in the bikes I test rode, I'll just mention the names and the conclusion.

I test rode Yamaha R15 V4, Suzuki Vstorm 250, KTM 390 Adventure, Yezdi Scrambler/Adventure, Honda Highness 350, TVS Ronin, Xpulse 200 4v, Harley H450, RE Interceptor, Guerilla, Himalayan, KTM Duke 390/250. And in the end, I only giggled when I test-rode the 390. So why did I end up in this thread?

Buying Saga

On a lazy Sunday after countless days of discussing bikes every day with my wife & best friend, we decided that a bike would be booked today. The major three contenders are the KTM Duke 390, Himalayan 450 & Scrambler 400x.

I went to the Triumph showroom first, saw the bike in black took the quotation took a test ride (3rd time) & liked it. Booked it right away. By the time there was another person with a Himalayan 450 in the showroom & I figured out the bike was too big for my daily running. It would be like getting a 7-seater car while I mostly have to commute within the city alone.

For the KTM. I did not visit the showroom as I knew I would end up buying one if I saw it/ride it. Everybody knows the pros of the KTM (That engine!), but a few points steered towards the Scrambler 400x more:

• KTM was small in size. After riding the 310GS and SM650 i was used to the heft & appreciated the big bike feeling
• I am married & have responsibilities. I thought thke KTM was too maniac & i would risk myself more on KTM
• It was not available in a muted black/orange color
• Touring wouldn't be easy on KTM.

Phew! You can feel that I still have a soft corner for the Duke & the problems stated are not true. I just had to convince myself.

Yes, So back to the Scrambler 400x was bought along with 4 accessories: Front high ride mudguard, Luggage rack, Engine lower guard & tank pad.

Things I like

• Looks - The bike looks very clean yet classic. The fuel tank shape, round headlight, and scrambler bits are in the design. It is a very simple yet elegant design. The big bike feels is also there, which was completely missing in the Speed 400.
• Engine - The low-down torque is very usable, while for other bikes I had to wait to get in the rev band, the Scrambler pulls right away from 2000 rpm, even with a pillion. This trait also helps me potter very easily around in traffic. While the RPM is locked till 1000 km, I did not feel that I was short on power up to the 6,000 rpm limit. It is very easy to reach 80-90 without even realizing it.
• Handling - Despite the 19" wheel, and 835mm seat height, the bike is very clickable once you get a hang of it. The weight is centralized and it does not feel top-heavy. I could easily weave through choked traffic, despite the bike feeling big. Standing up position is also very natural.
• Exhaust note - My Apache had a great exhaust note & this is just better. The exhaust is the right amount of bassy & sounds very good at low revs. In my opinion, it is one of the better-sounding single-cylinder engines.
• Suspension - It is not as plush as a GS310, as phenomenal as a Himalayan 450, but it is quite good for the Scrambler. Soaks low-speed bumps pretty well, and is pliant at high speeds. I'm yet to test it at some trials.

Things I don't

• Headlight: They are just there, they look good. That's it. With the headlight grille, the beam is obstructed quite a bit. I don't do night riding much so they work as of now. Will look for Aux lights or ones from Vaishno Lights in the future. As of now I also pasted Trip machine, Headlight X, because there is no visibility anyway, at least it should look cool.
• Handlebar position: Maybe this is because I am vertically challenged (5'7) or maybe my hands are short. The reach to the handlebar is 80% extended by arms. So in traffic when I do full lock to either left or right, it is a bit of an effort. I am evaluating Zana handlebar risers in the future.
• Instrument console: No not complaining about Bluetooth or Google Maps being there. Most of us will use our phones mounted anyway. But the design itself is confusing. I wish they just swapped the speedometer to a digital display & tachometer to analog. As of now, the tachometer is hardly visible. The fuel range is 10% accurate. Sometimes I hit reserve with a 240km trip with 140km with the same riding pattern.
• Vibrations: It is butter smooth till 80, or 6000 rpm. But after that, there are good amount of vibration in just the foot pegs which is a bit annoying. From 80 to 90 the speedometer/mirror vibrates. Haven't checked on speeds above 100kmph.

Accessories

• Front high ride mudguard - Makes it feel more like a scrambler. Mud protection is yet to be tested.
  
  
• Luggage rack - I do not plan to use the top box shortly, I just bought it because of the 10% discount + no labor on accessories & it was better looking than a third-party luggage rack. Installed it, felt it ruined the look, removed and kept it at home. Will install if required for long rides.
• Engine lower guard - I am not into big crash bars from Zana or another third party as it ruins the sleek look of the scrambler. So 400x already had a leg guard, and a lower engine guard just completed the protection kit for me.
• Trip Machine handlebar grips and headlight X - Great quality grips & they look very good. The coffee tank color on the black bike is a nice contrast.
  
• Some Generic mobile holder/BOBO copy - Does what it needs to do, hold my Motorola edge 40 pretty well
  
  
  

Final thoughts

I am quite happy with the Scrambler 400x & do not fail to look back every time I park this beauty. There are times when I still wonder about the KTM 390. But I am planning to give the bike and year or two, if the feeling remains, who knows the orange alien might happen. But as every day goes the bond with the Scrambler gets stronger!

There seemed to be some questions around how the new white Scrambler looks. I was briefly at the Triumph showroom in Ballard Estate over the weekend to meet a friend. Saw these white Scramblers parked there. Sorry didn’t take too much effort as there were a few people around and didn’t have the space to park it properly for better pictures.

"Looking at these pictures, it does seem that the khaki green and red does more justice to the Scrambler badge. In the white avatar, that rugged Scrambler feeling mellows down.:unhappy

DIWALI WEEKEND BIKE TRIP

It was the long Diwali weekend and 4 of us rider friends decided to go on a bike trip from Bangalore. The destination locked was Kodaikanal and its surroundings. The trip was for 3 nights and 4 days. The chosen places to stay were off the beaten path and not easily accessible.


4 musketeers on their steed. Two BMW 310GS, my 400X and a BMW GS1250.

It was a wonderful trip comprising of good national highway, some country roads and lots of twisties and hairpin bends. We choose the route to include less travelled roads. The road conditions were such that it could be placed under off-road category. We all love trails so bad roads were not at all an issue. Not to mention the views were breathtaking, weather was great, and camaraderier was top notch.







We stayed at couple of lovely remote place on the hill and in forest, where the scene around was changing like a kalidoscope. One moment its nice and bight and the next moment the entire valley is engulfed in fog. And throw in some intermittent rain to make things interesting.







We did some general exploratory ride around the Kodai and Kookal region. As this was long Diwali weekend, the regular tourist spots including the entire Kodai town was heavily crowded. We tried staying away from the crowd as much as we could. We encountered multiple waterfalls, lakes, valleys, and beautiful and lush green terrace farming.











We also encountered some rains on the hill but were adequately prepared for the same. There was a brief period of anxiety when i misplaced the bike key due to sudden onset of rain and us rushing to a near by shelter. But the key was soon found to a big relief from the group. Phew! ( i was carrying a spare key, which was at the place of our stay).



Food has always been an integral part of our trips. We try and look for outlets which are known for local delicacies and relish the same. So much that the food is mostly over by the time the thought of taking a picture crosses mind.



That brings to the end of a lovely weekend outing to the Kodai hills, the clouds and the fog. Some paced highway riding. Puttering along some scenic country roads. Lots of ghat sections, never ending & winding mountain roads and even road blockage due to fresh land slide. On the way back, we did enounter the heavy rush of long weekend returning traffic but being on two wheels made it all passable. It was sad to see the folks stuck in their 4 wheelers on long jam of crawling traffic.



The 400X performed fairly well across various riding conditions. Like a true jack of all. I was a bit worried on spending long hours on the saddle without any wind protection. But there was no issue at all as along as one was mainntainig sane speed.

On the hill, bike did have a stationary fall. I had parked and walked a few steps away when I had a heart wrenching 'thud'. Turned back to see the bike fallen on the road. I suspect it was due to the bike standing too straight on the side stand. I have decided to reduce the length of the side stand to increase the lean angle, will share the DIY details on the thread soon.

The stationary dead fall did result in some damage to the bike. The tip of front brake lever broke. the plastic knuckle guard on the brake lever side cracked and broke. There were scratches on the lower engine guard and the silencer. The bike had the Hepco top box as well, but thankfully it held fine with some minor scruff marks.

All in all It was a memorable trip and ride experience.

Hello all, finally pulled the trigger after much wait and she’s home.:Cheering:

Hey guys,

I'm looking at getting a new bike and with the current endless options in the market, Im still confused. My needs are 70% highway and 30% city. i will never venture "off road". I am not looking at any cruiser bikes so Im left with the RE guerilla 450 and the triumph twins and maybe the duke 250? Im looking at the scrambler as i am 5.10 and 100kg built, the speed looks too small.

I have a couple of queries if anyone can help.

1. Has anyone upgraded the stock tyres to something more grippy in wet conditions? instead of block pattern has anyone gone for different size road tyres?

2. From what I've gathered, the necessary upgrades on day one are aux lights and sintered pads, any more opinions on effective aux lights? have seen maddog installation on this thread. Any more owners are planning to install aux lights in future?

3. I have got a rough idea of the service costs and it doesn't seem to be too costly like the usual triumph bikes, is this translated to cost of parts as well or they have an added triumph premium to it?

Thanks

As your usage is road based, have you looked at offerings from RE. We have so many options in 650 platform from Bear to Classic 650. They wont look too small either. You also have bikes like RS457, which are road biased, smooth and agile.

Scrambler 400X is a good bike and would suit your requirement. with 19" front, it wont be as sharp in handling as some of its competitors or the sibling. 19" front would be restrictive when it comes to typre options which are plenty in the 17" segment. However, the stock tyres on 400x are very good, even in wet.

Aux lights are required if your usage includes good amount of night riding. And there are endless choice in lights from basics like HJG to mid range like maddog, to expensive ones like denali, baja, to supere expensive ones like clearwaters. All depends on the budget.

Service and spares cost for the Triumph 400 is very resobale. Recently I bought a handlebar for scrambler and its only some 700rs. Whereas a handlebar from any of the accessory brands like zana, Art of motorcycles, etc are much more expensive in comparison.

Hi,

The Scrambler 400x in my group has upgraded the stock tires to Apollo Tramplr XRs, and they are even better than the stock. He's planning on Pirellis for the next change. He also just changed the stock bulbs in the headlights to brighter ones from Phillips, and he had also looked at options from Vaishnu. The parts are in many cases similar to Dominar or Duke parts, and not very expensive. So far he's replaced a side panel, a side stand, a handlebar, the handguards, and a crash bar, all under a total of 5k.

Can one replace the stock headlight LEDs? I thought it's a sealed whole unit like Dominar.

Thanks for the detailed reply.
My budget is around 3.5 onroad. The RE 450 guerilla has a jerky throttle response and average low end torque.It might improve with an ECU update but thats to be seen.The looks of the RE 650 ranges doesnt appeal to me though ill still take a hard look at the interceptor again. The Aprilla was my first choice and was willing to seriously stretch my budget but the riding position for me is too committed and a deal breaker. Had hopes that 457 tuno would look like its older sibling the 660 tuno but im not wiling to overstretch for a naked bike.


Great to hear about the tramplr XRs performance.

No idea, honestly about how he did it, but the lights are brighter for sure.