The design makes the bike looks small even though it’s not actually small. Maybe my subjective opinion. A Hunter 350 looks bigger.
BHPian Deepak George recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Triumph Speed 400 quick test ride impressions:
So I landed at Keerthi triumph at sharp 10 AM today. There was not much rush and the showroom personnel were fresh and eager. Got a ride within 5mins after my details were noted down and license verified.
Did a test ride with multiple rounds in and around the showroom area with a mix of traffic and sparse roads . Total time spent with the bike was around 25 mins. Here is my summary:
The horrible:
The horn. Reminded me of a Bajaj sunny from the nineties. Haven’t heard a Meeker horn than this one even in the current range of scooters.
The bad:
In the first gear, I felt the throttle response jerky and the bike tends to lurch if you are not careful. Did back to back test drives with the RE Scram 411 and Hunter 350 and they have more linear low end torque is what I felt. However this is a matter of getting used to is what I feel.
The oil cooler mesh in the front did not seem well fitted in a few of the demo bikes seen. It was shaky and the clips seemed loose. Apart from this I could not find any flaws in the overall fit and finish.
Some amount of vibration once you cross 6000 RPM which dampened the overall premium feel until then.
Exhaust note felt very commuterish. Equivalent to or a tad better than TVS Ntorq, that’s all. RE bikes , Honda Highness etc are no comparison at all. From my albeit poor memory, I think even dominar sounds better. Maybe others can confirm.
The design makes the bike looks small even though it’s not actually small. Maybe my subjective opinion. A Hunter 350 looks bigger.
What also left me confused was the handlebar position. It felt slightly extra longer and it’s inward curve was not too comfortable for me. I cannot exactly explain what was the problem. But in back to back test rides of Hunter 350 , Scram 411 and Xpulse 200T, I felt the Triumphs handlebar feel the least comfortable of all. For reference, I am 5’11.
The good:
Mid range torque is awesome. Pulls like a train.
Brake bite and feedback felt excellent to me. Quite precise.
Fit and finish is seriously good. Heck even the weld joints were finished cleaner than a tiger 1200 parked nearby. See pics.
The suspension is lovely. You don’t feel the bad roads and bumps at all. Initial few minutes I was bracing whenever I came across potholes but the bike dismissed them magically. I went and drove an Xpulse 200T immediately after the Triumph test drive to compare. I can rate it approx 70-75 percent of the Xpulse 200T (the on road focused Xpulse).
Nice gearing and would be great in the city. I was able to comfortably do 20kmph in 4th gear just lazing around. Zero knocking at all.
Other points:
Don’t be fooled by the pics. Red and Blue look great in photos but in daylight black looked smoking hot (if it’s clean). Very nicely contrasts the chrome. A dirty and dusty black speed 400 looks quite drab.
Keerthi Triumph says they are delivering around 20 bikes a day.
Any new booking now has approx 2.5 – 3 months waiting.
Accessories are currently in short supply and may take a few weeks more.
Some pics:
PS: Zoom in to compare the 1200’s weld joints that seem much cruder in comparison.
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