I was in my ancestral town of Thrissur and passed by the Triumph showroom all too often not to stop by for a test ride. Then had a couple of test rides on the Triumph T4. So I'll share a few thoughts

BHPian DesertLynx34 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Firstly, excellent customer service. Like I mentioned, not one but two test rides and no questions asked. Because the first one was all too short and - I never thought I'd ever say this about Thrissur roads but - the designated route contained all well paved roads.

For a quick verdict - It's sitting on top of my list right now. (I also tried out the RE Scram 440, Honda CB Highness and CB300F).

Secondly, coming to the bike itself

1) I liked the engine character. Torquey, refined and calm. Has enough power and then some for my usage patterns which is primarily the city and state highways. Very similar to the Scram but smoother and quicker. The first ride was mostly in traffic and I didn't have to shift too often. 2nd gear speed breaker? 4th gear trotting in 40s behind the way-too-cautious Wagon R uncle and then overtake and disappear in the same gear? Checked. No problem.

2) Build quality is a thumbs up. Cheapest Triumph does not translate to cheap equipment by any means. The new livery feels classy and the colours are beautiful. The steel exhaust returns to standing ovations. Overall design? It gives justice to the “modern classic” tag even if the rear gives me mixed vibes but overall I liked the looks. Not too flashy but yes I'd turn around to look after I parked.

3) It felt like I was sitting tall which is weird for a “modern classic” but I'm not complaining as the ergonomics suited me well. Neither the seat height (806mm) nor the weight was concerning (180kg wet - the bike had half tank of fuel if the guage is to be believed). I'm 170cm, the slender type.

4) The brakes were fine. I have rather weird braking/riding habits so I'm not a good judge in this department.

5) Too much was talked about downgrading to conventional forks upfront. Now, I don't know about the other two 400s and I didn't ride the T4 on any curvy or sweeping roads but I did take it on some fairly broken roads on the second go, and it held on well. I didn't find it uncomfortable at all and I wasn't riding too fast nor too slow. How fast were I? I can't tell because…

6) The clock is definitely in the cons category. I can't read anything without actually taking my attention off the road. Maybe the gear indication is visible. Nothing else.

7) Heat dissipation is another concern but I can't comment after such short rides. The fan was on a few times and the heat was felt, but then I was wearing joggers and running shoes.

Overall, high on my list. The current revised pricing of 1.99L is great value, but I was told it may be hiked again. In Kerala the sub-2L bikes attract a lower tax and if it stays under it is a good proposition. The base model Scram 440 and Highness 350, that I also rode, also sit at 1.99L just for that reason, since the on-road figures of their next up models are sometimes a whopping 30k apart.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Speed T4 is the more affordable version of the Speed 400.

Triumph has revised the prices of the Speed T4 by Rs 18,000. The bike now costs Rs 1.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Speed T4 is the more affordable version of the Speed 400. It was initially launched at Rs 2.17 lakh, Rs 23,000 less than the Speed 400. Triumph had announced a discount of Rs 18,000 in December last year.

The Speed T4 comes with fewer features compared to the Speed 400. The bike gets a semi-digital instrument console and a single-piece seat.

The Speed T4 is powered by the same 398cc, single-cylinder engine that is restricted to 30.6 BHP and 36 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The suspension is more conventional with a telescopic fork at the front and a mono-shock at the rear.

The Scrambler 400X felt slightly intimidating (not as much as the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450) but the ergonomics were right in place.

BHPian ss11011988 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

So, I got a chance to test ride all 3 of the 400cc offerings from Bajaj-Triumph last weekend. I went to Khivraj Triumph, Hosur Road to take the test rides. The staff were courteous around, addressed my request really quickly and promptly provided the test ride bikes. Rode the bikes in the following order along with my partner as a pillion and this is what I felt:

Triumph Scrambler 400X

Felt slightly intimidating (not as much as Himalayan 450), however, the ergonomics were right in place and off we went. I will be honest here on the fact that I couldn't enjoy the bike much as this particular one was heavily abused and there were telltale signs of the same. However, the suspension soaked in the imperfections with ease, the engine was tractable and nice, and the line of sight was clear. I felt the initial gears were quite short as compared to the Speed 400.

All went well till I had to execute a U-turn, and I faced difficulty here and I believe this is owing to the very nature of the particular platform, so not exactly a deal breaker for a good many. I believe it might get better in a month or two into ownership, however, initial impressions weren't very reassuring. My pillion mused about the high seating position as well.

Triumph Speed 400

I really liked this bike. Spot on ergonomics, nice, clean linear pull and quite sprightly, almost to the point where I felt the bike being slightly busy and pushy. Maybe years of riding a slow-revving UCE engine had its effect on me that made me state the previous statement. It's not as pushy as say a KTM, but you will feel it at times, especially if you are coming from long strokes. My pillion was fine with the rear seat ergonomics as well, she couldn't find much to complain about.

Felt fine as long as I was making use of the low-mid range grunt to shift up and get onto likeable speeds, as revving the bike out also brought in vibes, which though not as bad as some old and new bikes out there will get to you at times. However, did I feel like I was riding a 40BHP bike? I guess not. Probably that's how the bike's designed, not to be snappy and unforgiving to first-timers or to the level-ups. Need to spend more time with the bike.

Triumph Speed T4

Now this one was interesting. Everything felt the same till you start riding. You can immediately feel the lazy, easy-going nature of the bike. You can also feel the higher inertia crank at work. It felt easier to get accustomed to, compared to the Speed 400, and the lack of 9BHP was never felt thanks to the torque wave coming in early. This means you could easily cruise at lower rpm in higher gears, with fewer gear shifts, which means commuting will be a relaxed affair.

I felt this to be a better proposition for those who are looking to buy, say a Hunter 350 or Meteor 350 for that matter. However, if I were to choose between the Speed and the T4, I would definitely go for the former considering the fantastic package that is, and the amount of goodies the latter loses for not so much of a price difference. And also because power corrupts, and power corrupts absolutely.

PS: Opinions are personal, and you are most welcome to disagree with me.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Harley Davidson X440, Honda CB350 RS, Jawa 42 FJ, Hero Mavrick 440 and Bajaj Dominar 400 are the other motorcycles included in this comparison.

BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Triumph Speed T4

What you'll like:

• Brings all the positive attributes in terms of design and build quality of the Speed 400 at an affordable price point
• Great ground clearance (gotten better) in real-world riding
• Torquey nature of the engine makes it easier to ride in the city. Power delivery is smooth and refined with hardly any vibrations
• Revised suspension setup offers a plush ride and good stability on the highway
• A non-intimidating bike that is very beginner-friendly while also being easy to recommend to older riders getting back to some easy riding after a gap

What you won't:

• For Rs. 23,000 more, the Speed 400 comes across as a better value for money proposition
• Loses out on a fair amount of kit compared to the Speed 400 (Ride by wire, traction control and engine immobiliser)
• Manual throttle means you experience slight jerks on closing the throttle at low speeds
• Non-adjustable brake and clutch levers, although they are light and easy to operate. Adjustable levers would have been a nice touch.
• Analogue + Digital speedometer could have been better executed. Currently, the rpm meter is hard to read.

Review Link

Triumph Speed 400

What you'll like:

• Quintessential Triumph design that can stand proud next to the rest of its modern classic range
• Build quality, fit and finish are of a high order - arguably the best in the broad segment it straddles
• Stunning price proposition! Bajaj and Triumph have launched it at a price that leaves no doubt that they're gunning for a thumping success
• 39.5 BHP engine is reasonably tractable with a strong pull. Smooth & refined power delivery at a kerb weight of ~176 kg, results in a fairly peppy performance aided further by a slick 6-speed gearbox
• Great ground clearance in real-world riding, combined with a reasonably plush ride
• Exciting but not intimidating - the bike is very beginner-friendly and will be easy to recommend to newer riders as well as older ones getting back to some easy riding after a gap
• A very generous 16,000 km / 1-year service interval. Parts and service costs are also expected to be kept competitive

What you won't:

• Absence of some features like connected tech, riding modes etc.
• Very tall folk may find themselves gravitating towards the Scrambler 400. The Speed 400 looks just a tad small for very heavyset / very tall riders
• Non-adjustable brake and clutch levers, although they are light and easy to operate. Adjustable levers would have been a nice touch.
• Analogue + Digital speedometer doesn't suit the bike's character. They should've gone in one of these directions, either the simple round style similar to the Trident or the gorgeous twin dials of the 1200 classic
• Only single-sided saddle bag luggage is being offered by Triumph as of now. You will have to look at aftermarket solutions for double-sided saddle bags
• The entire service experience remains uncharted territory with Triumph leaving a negative perception on this front in some parts of the country. Whether one can have a positive dealership experience under Bajaj’s watch is something that remains to be seen

Review Link

Royal Enfield Hunter 350

Ownership Review

Honda CB350 RS

Ownership Review

Jawa 42 FJ

First Look Review

Hero Mavrick 440

What you'll like:

• Single-cylinder, 440cc engine has good low-end torque to make city riding comfortable. Fairly responsive mid and top-end keep highway cruising engaging
• Superb ride comfort; gobbles up bad roads without letting the rider, or even pillion feel them
• NVH and refinement are really good. Combined with good ergonomics, you can cruise at 80-100 km/h all day long
• Features such as standard dual-channel ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation etc. are standard on all variants. Top variant gets e-sim connectivity
• Hero's sales and service network is unparalleled, even in tier 2 and 3 towns
• Well priced for what it offers. Undercuts most competitors

What you won't:

• Very basic instrumentation cluster in terms of look, feel and functionality
• Missing features such as riding modes, traction control, upside-down suspension fork, etc.
• Built to a cost. Cost-cutting is evident in a couple of areas
• Ride gets unsettled at higher speeds
• To many people, the Hero brand doesn't have the badge cachet of Royal Enfield, Honda or Harley-Davidson
• Long-term reliability of the new engine is unknown

Review Link

Harley Davidson X440

What you'll like:

• Single-cylinder, 440cc engine has good low-end torque to make city riding as well as highway cruising comfortable
• NVH and refinement are really good. Combined with good ergonomics, you can cruise at 80-100 km/h all day long
• Well priced. It is on par with its peers, albeit with an extra ~40-90 cc
• Built by Hero, who knows the Indian two-wheeler consumer extremely well
• Decent level of kit - standard dual-channel ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, connected features, etc.

What you won't:

• Design and styling can be polarising. Not your typical Harley
• In a segment that has heated up with lots of new offerings, the X440 doesn't ace any specific aspect
• No riding modes or traction control. Essentially not a lot of ways to customize your ride
• This is the first product of the Harley Davidson - Hero partnership. Sales, after-sales and service support and experience are unknown

Review Link

Bajaj Dominar 400

Ownership Review Link

Here's what BHPian Nilesh5417 had to say about the matter:

Was so tempted to go Jawa 42FJ but settled for Speed 400.

Jawa has improved leaps and bounds, looks smashing in some new colors and the engine revisions make it a nice bike to ride. The fact that you can flat foot is a bonus. But CL has some way to go in terms of fit finish and A.S.S reach.

The Speed 400 on the other hand to me has redefined the 400cc segment. I like the engine, fit finish is top notch and gets decent equipment. Just that it's a smallish bike so lacks road presence. Triumph also seems to have fixed the initial gremlins.

3rd position for me is the H440. Great bike to ride at least in the city where i took a trip. Let down by Harley in looks and fit, finish department. And not everyone understands that paper figures around bhp mean much less when you actually ride a bike. Wish Harley had upped the power into 30s.

For some reason, I never ever warmed up to the Hunter 350. I myself don't know why but the exhaust note just sounds very funny and somehow it again feels like a very dainty bike unlike what RE is used to churning out. Good that it's setting sales charts on fire for RE but I just couldn't get myself to like it inspite of a few rides.

Here's what BHPian ostrish had to say about the matter:

Rode the Speed 400 in Himachal for a few days. It was an unlikely choice, after days of riding the H411 and later the H450.

Found it delightful. Small and light, very confidence inspiring. Great fit and finish. Enjoyed it in cities and on the twisties, which means it is good at commuting and enthusiastic riding.

It was a little boring on the wide highways, buzzed a bit much. But IMO highway riding is the most boring riding there is, I would much rather take smaller roads and Speed is great at that. This bike made me question why I am keeping my 650 when it is not good at anything.

In absolute contrast to the 650, this bike is very uninteresting and lacks any engine character, yet is so much fun to ride and good at so many things. Some times motorcycles try too hard to be the end, instead of the means to an end. Where you are going is at least as important as how you are going (if not more), and I found the Speed 400 takes you where you want to go with minimum fuss.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

While a deficit of 9 BHP might seem like a lot on paper, keen-eye observers would notice that both power and torque, come significantly earlier compared to its counterpart, making them a lot more useable.

Riding the Triumph Speed T4

The characteristic of the engine is the biggest differentiator between the Speed T4 and the standard Speed 400. It is the exact same 398cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder unit as the Speed 400 but comes in a lower state of tune putting out 31 BHP @ 7,000 rpm and 36 Nm @ 5,000 rpm (40 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and 37.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm in the Speed 400). While a deficit of 9 BHP might seem like a lot on paper, keen-eye observers would notice that both power and torque, come significantly earlier compared to its counterpart, making them a lot more useable. In fact, according to Triumph, 85% of torque comes in from as low as 2,500 rpm. This has been achieved by adding 31% more inertia in the crankshaft assembly compared to the Speed 400. Combined with the taller gearing (it gets a smaller 39 teeth sprocket at the rear), makes it a very tractable motorcycle. Even with a pillion, I hardly felt the need to shift down into the first gear or even second gear at times while crossing an average-sized speed-breaker. The presence of a manual throttle body means that you do feel slight jerks on closing the throttle at low speeds in lower gears.

Out on the highway, the engine feels relaxed with hardly any noticeable vibrations at cruising speeds between 80-90 km/h with the rpm meter resting somewhere around the 5,000 mark (hard to gauge in the tiny digital rev meter). I preferred not to cruise faster than this for a prolonged period owing to the significant wind blast. Also, minor vibrations can be felt through the footpegs post 100 km/h. The taller gearing comes in handy here too as the engine easily pulls ahead from 50-55 km/h in sixth gear. When required though, you won’t have anything to complain about the gear-shift quality as it feels slick and quick to operate thanks to the light slipper-clutch. Triumph has also tweaked the exhaust system. As a result, it sounds more bassy compared to the Speed 400 and offers a good amount of thump (especially at idle).

Speaking of heat management, both libranof1987 and I noticed the radiator fan turning on frequently, despite a fairly overcast day in Pune. That being said, the heat emitted from the engine never felt excessive enough to make me uncomfortable. We'll have to wait for ownership reviews to see the effect on the fuel economy due to all the changes.

Refinement & NVH

Another upside to the engine working at lower revs is that it feels a lot more refined and smoother on the Speed T4 compared to the standard Speed 400. The vibrations have been kept in check for most parts and it is only when you rev above 6,000 rpm that you start feeling slight vibes through the footpegs.

Ergonomics and comfort

There are a couple of changes in the ergonomics department. First, the ground clearance has gone up to 170 mm on the Speed T4 from 158 mm on the previous version of the Speed 400 (MY25 Speed 400 gets 164 mm ground clearance). Second, the seat height too has gone up to 805 mm (from 790 mm). While this shouldn’t really be a problem for taller riders, Triumph has reprofiled the front section of the seat and made it slimmer to help shorter riders easily rest their feet down. The seat itself offers good cushioning (neither too soft nor too hard) for both city and highway rides. The width of the fuel tank also feels perfect to grab on to.

Suspension and Handling

Apart from using conventional telescopic forks, Triumph has also revised the steering geometry on the Speed T4. As a result, the wheelbase now stands at 1,406 mm (20 mm longer than the Speed 400). The effect of this in the real world is a slightly lazy front end. That being said, the motorcycle still feels nimble enough to make quick direction changes in city traffic and the longer wheelbase helps in straight line stability.

The rear continues to get a monoshock, albeit with 10 mm less travel. Overall, the suspension setup delivers excellent ride quality. Sitting behind libranof1987 while riding on a broken piece of tarmac, I hardly felt any bumps make their way up my spine, except for a couple of really sharp ones. This is further helped by the extra padding for the pillion seat. On smooth tarmac, the Speed T4 feels stable and I never felt the motorcycle losing its composure at any point. We didn’t try any hardcore cornering but I feel the Speed T4 will easily manage most corners unless you decide to channel your inner MotoGP rider and push it outside its comfort zone.

Braking

Braking duties on the Speed T4 are handled by 300 mm front and 230 mm rear disc brakes. The difference here (compared to the Speed 400) is that it gets axially mounted brake callipers and organic brake pads. While the stopping power is sufficient, the front brake lever does lack feel and bite. The dual-channel ABS works as intended and I never found it to be too intrusive.

Closing Thoughts

To sum up, the Speed T4 is a very well-rounded product. It retains all the positives of the Speed 400, especially the premium build while offering a very different riding experience at a more affordable price tag. But for Rs. 23,000 more, the updated Speed 400 offers a lot more kit, bling and power, making it seem a better value for money proposition. So, why should you buy the Speed T4?

As ironic as it may sound, the Speed T4 is not for someone looking for speed and power. It is for someone who likes to ride in a relaxed manner and the Speed T4 manages to do that quite well. The Hero Mavrick 440 (priced between Rs. 1.99 - 2.24 lakh, ex-showroom) and its American sibling, the Harley-Davidson X440 (priced between Rs. 2.40 - 2.80 lakh, ex-showroom), are two motorcycles in this segment that offer a similar riding experience, but the Triumph manages to one up them in terms of power and build quality. The Speed T4 also manages to outclass the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 in the aforementioned characteristics and more, but the latter is significantly more affordable at Rs. 1.75 lakh, ex-showroom, so that is something to keep in mind. All said and done, both the Speed T4 and Speed 400 are two well-rounded products and no matter what you choose, you won't be left wanting for more.

Continue reading the discussion on the Triumph Speed T4 on our forum.

What you see here is the new Speed T4, the most affordable Triumph motorcycle on sale in India currently.

Triumph Speed T4 Pros

• Brings all the positive attributes in terms of design and build quality of the Speed 400 at an affordable price point
• Great ground clearance (gotten better) in real-world riding
• Torquey nature of the engine makes it easier to ride in the city. Power delivery is smooth and refined with hardly any vibrations
• Revised suspension setup offers a plush ride and good stability on the highway
• A non-intimidating bike which is very beginner-friendly while also being easy to recommend to older riders getting back to some easy riding after a gap

Triumph Speed T4 Cons

• For Rs. 23,000 more, the Speed 400 comes across as a better value for money proposition
• Loses out on a fair amount of kit compared to the Speed 400 (Ride by wire, traction control and engine immobiliser)
• Manual throttle means you experience slight jerks on closing the throttle at low speeds
• Non-adjustable brake and clutch levers, although they are light and easy to operate. Adjustable levers would have been a nice touch.
• Analogue + Digital speedometer could have been better executed. Currently, the rpm meter is hard to read.

Read Team-BHP's detailed Triumph Speed T4 Review here.