Triumph has boldly entered the realm of small displacement motorcycles with its latest offerings, the 2024 Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X. Discover the impressive performance, unique features, and distinctive qualities of these new bikes, helping you determine which one best suits your riding style.
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 If you want to look like Steve McQueen riding a Triumph, it was gonna cost you $10,000.
00:05 Now it's half that with the introduction of the all-new Scrambler 400X and Speed 400.
00:11 There's some key differences that make one a Scrambler, one a Roadster,
00:14 but they both use the same 398cc single-cylinder engine.
00:18 Let's go for a ride and break down the differences.
00:22 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:24 These bikes are very similar with the same power plant.
00:34 This 398cc dual-overhead cam, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, four-valve head.
00:43 Both bikes use that same engine, and they make a claimed 39.5 horsepower at 8,000 rpm
00:53 and 27.7 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm.
00:59 So pretty good for a little single.
01:03 They're gonna be competing with bikes such as G310R and G310GS,
01:08 and we recently had one of those on our dyno back in California, the G310GS,
01:14 and it made right around 30 horsepower at the rear wheel.
01:17 So we're just working our way out of Valencia right now,
01:21 and then we'll be up hitting some twisty canyon roads and get a little dirt stop at some point.
01:27 As you can see right over there, that's the Speed 400.
01:30 So that bike is gonna have less suspension travel.
01:34 They both use the same 43-millimeter inverted big-piston fork.
01:39 The Scrambler that I'm on has 5.9 inches, somewhere right around there,
01:44 5.9 inches of suspension travel front and rear,
01:47 where the Speed 400 has a little bit less than that.
01:51 I believe it's 5.1 at the rear for the Speed 400, and 5.5, something like that, 5.6.
01:58 It also has a rally mode where it disables--or I think they call it rally mode or off-road mode.
02:04 We'll play with that once we get in the dirt.
02:06 But it disables traction control and ABS, which is pretty nice.
02:12 Where on the Speed 400, you are able to disengage or disable traction control,
02:19 but ABS will always be on, being it's the roadster.
02:23 The torque curve is pretty flat.
02:25 The power delivery is pretty linear.
02:28 And so that's good for riding it in all different conditions, roads, off-road.
02:34 But also it makes it very usable and friendly for newer entry-level riders.
02:40 And we're dealing with some morning rush hour here in Valencia.
02:44 People on their way to work and school.
02:46 So it'd be nice to see how this bike is for dicing up traffic in an urban landscape.
02:54 It's got some really light steering.
02:57 Throttle response is direct, but it's not--it's smooth.
03:02 It's direct, but smooth.
03:05 Just did a photo pass on both bikes.
03:07 I've spent the majority of our few miles already this morning on the X.
03:12 And the X has a lot more of an open rider triangle.
03:16 The footpegs are a little bit lower.
03:18 Again, the frames are similar, but the--look at this, the head stay.
03:22 It's stretched out a little bit forward towards the front of the bike
03:25 to give it a little bit more relaxed steering geometry.
03:28 Also make room for the increased suspension travel and that 19-inch front wheel.
03:34 And the seat height on this Scrambler X is--it's right around 33 inches.
03:40 So pretty big boy-size seat height.
03:43 We're on the Speed 400. It's right around 31 inches.
03:46 And right away, on the Scrambler X, you feel like you're on a full-size motorcycle.
03:51 But it's still relatively light at a claimed 395 pounds.
03:56 Each model has its own suspension tuning as well, or valving.
04:00 So the Roadster, the Speed 400, is going to be a little bit stiffer
04:07 while the Scrambler X is going to have a little bit softer suspension for that off-road riding.
04:13 You get a little more comfort absorbing bumps and bruises and rocks in the road.
04:17 And just in the first little photo pass we did around about right over here,
04:23 I could feel, going from one bike to the other, I could feel that the Scrambler X feels a little bit softer.
04:29 There's a little bit more weight transfer when you're going on and off throttle,
04:33 where the Speed, that wasn't as noticeable.
04:38 All right, we've been cruising on this sort of highway road.
04:42 We've been doing roughly 70 miles per hour indicated the whole time.
04:47 And what I'm really impressed by is the fact that you don't feel like you're on a little small, lightweight, single-cylinder engine.
04:55 Cruising at 70 miles per hour, it's not very buzzy.
04:58 And you're not super high up in the RPM range.
05:01 You still have plenty of power and gear to work with.
05:06 So it's funny, I kind of forgot for a little bit that I was on a lightweight, sort of entry-level, single-cylinder motorcycle.
05:16 Both because of that engine having plenty of legs to carry you well past 70 miles per hour comfortably.
05:23 But then also just the big footprint this bike has, especially the X with the tall seat height, the open ergonomics.
05:32 It really gives you a big bike experience.
05:37 All right, here we go. We're getting into the twisties.
05:40 It rolls onto the side of the tire very nicely.
05:43 I like to lug bikes, so always kind of short shift in.
05:47 And even on some of these tighter roads, we're in third gear right now, and it comes out of the hole pretty nicely.
05:54 As I mentioned earlier, throttle response is very direct.
05:58 It can be a little bit notchy down low, like when we're going through the city and stuff.
06:03 It felt on and off throttle, especially in second gear, was a little bit notchy.
06:10 But once you kind of get past that 3,000 RPM mark, it's really nice and smooth.
06:17 Man, this bike, this is fun.
06:21 I like this big wide handlebar. It makes it nice to get leverage and put the thing onto the side of the tire.
06:28 The disc is larger than on the Roadster, the Speed 400.
06:33 It uses the same Bivari four-piston caliper up front.
06:37 But on the Scrambler 400, this model right here, it has a 320-millimeter rotor with a less aggressive brake pad compound.
06:46 The Roadster, the Speed 400, uses the same caliper, but a 300-millimeter rotor with a more aggressive brake pad compound.
06:56 I've been spending most of the day on this Scrambler, and I did notice, going from one bike to the other, just for a quick photo pass, the difference in that brake compound.
07:06 The Speed 400, the Roadster, definitely has a more aggressive front brake feel, but that's what they were going for.
07:15 And it's not that the Scrambler 400 brake won't get the job done.
07:19 It's just something you notice when you're pulling on that lever.
07:24 So third gear, we're going pretty slow. Really smooth throttle response right there.
07:30 You can really modulate it nicely mid-corner, roll on the throttle.
07:35 Wow, look at this beautiful landscape. This is amazing.
07:39 It's just really nice. Quick, decisive gearbox, quick shift. The throws feel really short, so it's easy to bank gears really quickly.
07:49 It's got this slipper assist clutch with a nice, light lever pull, so the newer riders are really going to appreciate that.
07:57 This Scrambler, if you really want to get ambitious in the twisties, it will definitely do it.
08:02 So far, I haven't had any problems with the suspension being too soft or wallowing.
08:07 Granted, I do weigh around 120 to 125 pounds without gear on, so I am on the lighter side.
08:14 But right there, you can see, getting on the brakes, it has nice hold up.
08:18 It doesn't have a lot of fork dive. I really appreciate that.
08:21 But it still has some nice, supple dampening at the top of the stroke to absorb some of the bumps and bruises on this road.
08:28 This one's been pretty smooth. We've had some bumps on the other roads, but yeah, really nice package so far. Really enjoying it.
08:35 I've ridden both the Honda CRF300L and the Kawasaki Kailh X300 recently, and those are some really nice, lightweight dual sports.
08:45 Really fun, really approachable.
08:48 And I think someone who's looking at one of those bikes, maybe, but doesn't see themselves being a super hardcore off-roader,
08:56 but wants something that does have off-road performance, we'll see once we get into this dirt with this bike.
09:02 But this thing has some pretty good performance so far on the pavement.
09:07 And then if you want to have that cool Steve McQueen style, really a classic, a modern classic look, this definitely delivers on that.
09:19 See how it is standing up? Yeah. Pretty nice rider triangle.
09:25 Maybe a little bit wide in between the legs, I mean, but again, that's if you're comparing it to a dirt bike or something.
09:32 But nice position standing up. The reach to the bars is nice. Really puts you in a good, agile, sort of aggressive off-road position.
09:42 I like that.
09:44 So something I will note, I'm not feeling it on every corner, but it's happened to me a couple times where sometimes, ooh, I kind of felt it, yeah, right there.
09:53 I don't know if that's the tire or what, maybe the wheel size, suspension, I'm not quite sure.
09:59 But there is this weird sort of, sometimes when you go to really tip it in and get some, you know, a little more aggressive lean angle on the front end,
10:09 there feels like this little step off, like it, you start to roll on the tire and it kind of falls and you almost have to catch it again.
10:15 I have kind of noticed that. Again, not every corner, but it's happened to me a couple of times where it does, it kind of catches you off.
10:22 Spooked me a couple of times. I felt like the front was pushing, but it's just this, it kind of rolls off the tire a little bit weird when you start to tip it in initially.
10:32 So that's something I've noticed a couple of times today. So we'll, yeah, we'll see if that persists.
10:43 Just had lunch, spent the whole day so far on the Scrambler 400X, and now we're getting a real first taste of the Speed 400.
10:54 And really excited to ride this thing. One of my favorite motorcycles is the Speed 1200, the Speed Twin 1200.
11:05 Love that motorcycle. And this thing looks just like it.
11:08 Let's get a sound check. I don't know if you can hear this that well, but...
11:13 Nice little broppiness to it. I like it.
11:18 Already you can feel this thing has just a little bit more of a roadster feel.
11:24 You know, it's definitely a little more agile. It leads it, drops into the corner a little bit easier.
11:30 Less suspension travel, a little bit stiffer suspension.
11:33 And then also having that 17-inch front wheel where the Scrambler's got a 19-inch.
11:39 And then also too, it has the, you know, real road tires.
11:45 Yeah, but interesting too how the gearing, the gearing's slightly different.
11:49 This Speed 400 has a little bit taller gearing than the Scrambler.
11:57 And I found that the Scrambler was doing really good carrying third gear, even at low-speed corners like this one.
12:04 So let's try it, drop down into third. See how it picks up the throttle.
12:10 Felt really similar to the Scrambler. Really nice, even in third gear.
12:17 Comes out of the hole really nicely.
12:19 I'm definitely having a better front-end feeling on this bike than I was on the Scrambler.
12:24 The Scrambler sometimes had a little bit of a vague feeling on the front-end.
12:28 Right there I just got on the front brake decent.
12:31 It's nice. The suspension's pretty taut. Not a lot of weight transfer, which I like.
12:37 And the front brake definitely has a little bit more bite than the Scrambler does.
12:42 First impression, I think I'm liking the Speed a little bit more than the Scrambler,
12:47 just for it feels a little bit more glued to the ground in these twisties.
12:53 Feeling pretty planted right now, which is always nice.
12:57 Like this handlebar, you have still some pretty good leverage.
13:01 It's obviously a little bit narrower than on the Scrambler,
13:06 but still has good leverage for manipulating the bike.
13:14 This bike is 20 pounds lighter.
13:16 I mean, again, partially the suspension, the front wheel, the tires,
13:22 this thing just feels a little bit more agile, a little bit more willing to get on the side of the tire.
13:28 So I like that.
13:30 Yeah, the mid-range is nice.
13:34 In some of these tight corners you have the low end.
13:39 It rolls on and then, let's see, right around 4,000 or 5,000 RPM,
13:44 you feel that punch from 5,000 to 8,000 RPM.
13:48 Really, that mid-range comes on nicely.
13:51 Because I'm in third gear right now still, and that's a pretty good acceleration.
13:59 The Speed 400 is just quite a bit more capable on the twisty pavement.
14:04 It's a lot more confidence-inspiring.
14:06 It feels more planted.
14:08 It leads into the corners easier.
14:10 It's just a bit more flickable.
14:12 And then you also have that stronger front brake that, again,
14:16 just makes it more of a better-performing bike on the pavement.
14:22 I think, really, it's going to come down to where do you see yourself riding?
14:26 What kind of riding do you like to do?
14:29 If you're not really an off-roader, then the Scrambler might not be the choice for you.
14:36 But then also, if you really like that Scrambler styling
14:41 and you're okay with compromising just a little bit of on-road performance
14:45 to get that Scrambler styling,
14:47 then, hey, I don't think you're going to be disappointed with your decision.
14:51 When we were riding similar stuff on the Scrambler 400X,
14:55 the front tire was just giving me a lot of weird, vague feeling,
14:59 and it was kind of slipping and sliding sometimes.
15:03 And it just zapped my confidence.
15:05 And then we switched at lunch.
15:07 I'm now on the Speed 400 and riding that same kind of similar stuff.
15:12 And, man, my confidence is back.
15:15 I can just feel like I can just lay the thing over in a corner,
15:19 and it's not going to do anything weird.
15:22 Where before the Scrambler, at the beginning of the day,
15:25 before I had any moments, you know, I had the confidence,
15:29 and then I had a couple corners where the front ends started tucking on me.
15:33 And it happened a couple times where I didn't really feel like we were really at much of a lean angle.
15:38 We were kind of cruising, and, yeah, it was just kind of weird,
15:42 and it took the confidence away.
15:44 And now on this Speed 400, it's back.
15:46 I just feel like I can put the thing anywhere, crank it over,
15:49 and everything's going to be okay.
15:52 I'm really, really enjoying my time on this Speed 400.
15:57 Really great bike.
15:59 It just reminds me so--I feel like I'm on the 1200,
16:04 which is one of my all-time favorite motorcycles.
16:07 So it's just--it's giving me the same experience, just with less torque and less horsepower.
16:13 All right, we're doing a little gas stop right now, so let's check out the dash.
16:18 You got your analog on for miles per hour and stuff like that.
16:22 Little LCD display right there.
16:25 So it's showing engine off.
16:28 You got the info button.
16:31 Let's try turning it on.
16:33 Okay, so trip one, trip two.
16:35 I don't know if you can see that.
16:37 Let's see how you can turn--traction control, I think that's what that is.
16:42 Let's see, hold it down.
16:44 Is that going to turn it off?
16:47 Yep, there it goes.
16:48 So you just--you get over with this info button.
16:51 You find where it says TTC on, hold it down for a couple seconds, and now it's off.
16:57 So, yeah, it's just like the Speed 1200, very similar.
17:02 All right, cool.
17:04 Okay, we're going 20 miles per hour in fourth gear,
17:07 and it's really got a nice little low-end grunt that can kind of torque around this town.
17:13 I like that.
17:15 And I've noticed that if you're running a gear high,
17:19 the little bit of that notchiness with the throttle is not as noticeable.
17:24 So fourth gear at 30 miles per hour is very smooth.
17:30 Let's see, fourth gear on this roundabout, rolling on the throttle, super smooth, very, very smooth.
17:37 It's more just in second and first gear that you have that notchiness.
17:42 This thing's got pretty decent passing power.
17:43 Let's see if we get an opening right here.
17:46 So I'm in fifth gear.
17:50 I'm just rolling on hard in second, or excuse me, sixth.
17:54 Not bad.
17:55 I went from 70 to 80 pretty quick to get around that man.
17:58 Not bad at all.
18:00 And, of course, if I would have given at least one or two down shifts, it would have happened sooner.
18:04 I just kind of wanted to see that top gear roll on.
18:08 Pretty good, man.
18:09 This thing's got legs, that's for sure.
18:11 Both of them do.
18:13 It's pretty crazy because they have a lot of similarities as far as they share a lot of the same bones,
18:19 but they really deliver very different riding experiences.
18:23 They feel very different in motion.
18:26 So, yeah, it's really tough.
18:31 It's not just one that -- it's not just styling that separates the two.
18:38 And, yeah, having a little bit more of a dirt, off-road background,
18:44 I came in thinking I would kind of lean towards the Scrambler,
18:48 but I think as we're putting a wrap on the day, if I had to spend my money on one of these bikes,
18:54 I personally think I'm going with the Speed 400 right here.
18:58 Not only is it a little cheaper, but that's really not the point -- the reason why I would go with this bike.
19:04 It's not the price.
19:05 It's just -- it's that on-road performance, man.
19:08 I really felt really good on this bike in the Twisties,
19:13 where the Scrambler, I admittedly didn't feel very awesome.
19:18 I started the day feeling fine and then had a few scares with the front end.
19:23 Yeah, so if you're trying to make a decision between these two motorcycles,
19:29 the Triumph Speed 400 and the Scrambler 400X,
19:33 I think it's really going to come down to how much you plan on riding off-road
19:39 and how much you value the styling of each.
19:42 This is that classic roadster.
19:43 I mean, the Speed 1200 is one of my just all-time favorite bikes
19:50 because of that torque character, the look of it, the agility of it.
19:54 I just really fell in love with that motorcycle,
19:58 and this 400 reminds me of it both from an aesthetic standpoint, but also from performance.
20:05 It really reminds me of that bike other than the power delivery.
20:09 Obviously, a single-cylinder 398cc motorcycle or engine
20:14 is not going to offer the same feeling as a 1200cc twin.
20:19 But, yeah, so I think it'll come down to what you want to look like.
20:26 Do you want to look like James Bond or do you want to look like Steve McQueen?
20:30 And then also, do you plan on doing dirt?
20:34 And if not, maybe the Speed 400 you'll be happier with for the on-road performance.
20:39 But, yeah, either way, you're going to--
20:45 And even if you don't plan on riding a whole lot of off-road
20:47 and you're okay with maybe that little bit of performance,
20:50 the on-road performance compromise from the larger front wheel on the Scrambler,
20:54 the less aggressive front brake, the little bit heavier steering,
20:58 and the heavier wet weight of it, but it's not dramatic.
21:03 So if you're okay with that and you're willing to compromise that
21:09 for the look of the Scrambler 400, you're going to be happy.
21:14 You're not going to be disappointed in your decision.
21:16 And then vice versa, if you really are not someone who rides off-road
21:22 or maybe you've never ridden off-road,
21:24 maybe you're looking to buy your first motorcycle,
21:28 this 400, the Speed 400, you'll be happy with that purchase.
21:35 I really believe so.
21:36 Other than that, that's going to wrap up this onboard review
21:40 of the 2024 Triumph Speed 400 and Triumph Scrambler 400X.
21:48 Of course, there'll be a link in the description for a written article
21:51 or in-depth about both motorcycles,
21:54 kind of break down the notes I've been taking throughout the day.
21:58 Yeah, if you like what we're doing, hit that Like button, subscribe.
22:02 Let me know in the comments down below,
22:04 are you a James Bond guy or are you a Steve McQueen guy?
22:07 I thought I was a Steve McQueen guy, but today I'm feeling like Bond, James Bond.
22:14 So let me know what you think in the comments below.
22:17 We'll see you in the next episode.
22:18 Thank you, guys.
22:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]