First Look: 2024 Triumph Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400

It’s not often that a bike maker releases not only a new bike and a new engine – but also its first entry in a whole new sector. That’s what Triumph has done, though, with the launch of two new single-cylinder 400cc bikes.

The Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400 will give the Hinckley firm a brand new entry-level range, aimed at novice riders and those looking for something smaller, while also opening up massive parts of the global bike market in developing markets – where a 400 counts as a big bike, and a Tiger 1200 or Speed Triple is far too pricey for most.

2024 Triumph Scrambler 400 X

The soft retro-dirtbike Scrambler 400 X shares its looks and feel with the firm’s bigger Scrambler 1200 and 900 models, thanks to an upswept twin-exit silencer, long-travel suspension, Scrambler style seat and tank and round headlight protector.

2024 Triumph Scrambler 400 X

Meanwhile, the new retro roadster Speed 400 apes the bigger Speed Twin 900 and 1200, with the same café-racer styled tank and seat unit, round LED headlight and flat bars.

The two new bikes share the same basic platform, with common engine and chassis fundamentals. That all-new 398cc motor is a modern single-cylinder design, with a four-valve DOHC head, ride-by-wire Bosch fuel-injection, and 89x64mm bore and stroke. It even has DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings on the finger valve followers for reduced friction and wear.

2024 Triumph Speed 400

Dubbed the TR-Series after the old Triumph firm’s historic Trial Racing singles, the engine makes 39bhp, and drives through a six-speed gearbox and wet slipper/assist clutch. The new powerplant is unique to Triumph, despite being built in partnership with the Bajaj firm in India (which will be building the bike for its home market), and was designed and developed at the Hinckley HQ.

2024 Triumph Speed 400

That brand-new engine gets a brand-new chassis too, and here there are some differences between the two bikes here, to suit their different purposes. Both bikes have a steel tube spine/perimeter frame design, with different geometry thanks to altered steering head angle.

There’s also the same dual-sided cast aluminium rear swingarm design, with monoshock suspension. But the Scrambler gets longer-travel suspension and a relatively tall seat height of 835mm, to give extra ground clearance for light offroad work.

Triumph Speed 400

Meanwhile, the Speed 400 gets shorter suspension and a lower 790mm seat height. Both use a 43mm USD Big Piston fork design and piggyback rear monoshock, with preload adjustment only. Brakes are by Brembo’s Indian subsidiary ByBre, with the same four-piston radial caliper up front and a 320mm disc on the Scrambler but smaller 300mm disc on the Speed.

Triumph Scrambler 400 X

The wheels are cast aluminium, with 17-inch ten-spoke rims at both ends on the Speed, and 19-inch front/17 inch rear rims on the Scrambler, for improved off-road abilities. Overall, the Scrambler is heavier by 9kg (179kg vs 170kg on the Speed 400), and has a longer wheelbase (1,418mm vs 1,377mm).

Add on the altered steering geometry from the bigger wheel and different frame/suspension, and you should feel quite a difference between the two models on the road.

Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X

Extensive computerised riding aids suites are less common on smaller bikes, but Triumph has still given the 400s a decent set of electronics. There’s a proper Bosch dual-channel ABS setup, and a switchable single-mode traction control system.

Lighting is all-LED, and there’s a digital LCD display on the dash, alongside a traditional analogue speedometer, plus a built-in USB-C charging socket. The 400s also have a built-in factory immobiliser, again, not always the case on smaller machinery.

2024 Triumph Scrambler 400 X

Triumph has kept a premium feel to the new 400s, which is pretty impressive. The tyres are proper mainstream fitments: Metzeler Sportec M9RR on the Speed and Metzeler Karoo Street on the Scrambler. The new engine has the same slick black powder coat and stainless fasteners finish as Hinckley’s bigger models, with machined cylinder head finning, and large stainless-steel exhaust downpipe design.

Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X

The gold-anodised USD fork stanchions, hydro-formed exhaust silencers and metallised badges all round off an upmarket design and feel. The Scrambler boasts a tasty sump guard/bash plate and headlight protector grille, hand guards, handlebar brace and longer front mudguard.

There’s no word on price as yet – but Triumph says it will be ‘competitive’ (which is what you’d expect them to say of course). It’s clearly aimed at the likes of BMW’s G310R and Royal Enfield’s 350 Meteor, so you can take those prices (£5,190 and £4,219) as rough guidelines, maybe with a premium for the better performance and spec on the Triumph.

Triumph Speed 400

Perhaps surprisingly, the new 400s will be on sale in India next month first, no doubt down to the initial production being from Bajaj. The Triumph factories in Brazil and Thailand will also be building the new 400s for the European markets, and we’ll get the 400s at the start of 2024. There are three colours for both models, black, blue or red on the Speed 400 and black, green or red on the Scrambler 400 X.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine:

Type
Liquid-cooled, 4 valve, DOHC, single-cylinder

Capacity
398.15 cc

Bore
89.0 mm

Stroke
64.0 mm

Compression
12:1

Maximum Power
40 PS / 39.5 bhp (29.4 kW) @ 8,000 rpm

Maximum Torque
37.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm

Fuel System
Bosch electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control

Exhaust
Stainless twin-skin header system with stainless steel silencer

Final Drive
X-ring chain

Clutch
Wet, multi-plate, slip & assist

Gearbox
6-speed

Chassis:

Speed 400
Scrambler 400 X

CHASSIS

Frame
Hybrid spine/perimeter, tubular steel, bolt-on rear subframe

Swingarm
Twin-sided, cast aluminium alloy

Front Wheel
Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 3 in
Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 19 x 2.5 in

Rear Wheel
Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 4 in
Cast aluminium alloy 10 spoke, 17 x 3.5 in

Tyres
Metzeler Sportec M9RR
Metzeler Karoo Street

Front Tyre Size
110/70 R17
100/90 R19

Rear Tyre Size
150/60 R17
140/80 R17

Front Suspension
43mm upside down Big Piston forks.
140mm wheel travel
43mm upside down Big Piston forks.
150mm wheel travel

Rear Suspension
Gas monoshock RSU with external reservoir and pre-load adjustment.
130mm wheel travel
Gas monoshock RSU with external reservoir and pre-load adjustment.
150mm wheel travel

Front Brakes
300mm fixed disc,
four-piston radial caliper, ABS
320mm fixed disc,
four-piston radial caliper, ABS

Rear Brakes
230mm fixed disc, floating caliper, ABS
230mm fixed disc, floating caliper, ABS

Instruments
Analogue speedometer with integrated multi-function LCD screen

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHTS

Speed 400
Scrambler 400 X

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS

Length
2056 mm
2117 mm

Width (Handlebars)
795 mm
825 mm

Height (Without Mirrors)
1075 mm
1190 mm

Seat Height
790 mm
835 mm

Wheelbase
1377 mm
1418 mm

Rake
24.6°
23.2°