Riding the Triumph Scrambler 400X has been nothing short of pure fun and happiness. Our Scrambler has covered around 5000 km which includes city commutes, two long rides and dirt track practice sessions. Here’s our review on it including the pros and cons and some of the issues we faced with the Triumph Scrambler 400X.
Pros of the Triumph Scrambler 400X
1. Engine and Gearbox Refinement
The most pronounced pro of the Triumph Scrambler 400X is the engine refinement and overall quality of the ride. Coming from a Himalayan 411, the first thing that puts a smile on my face every time I ride this motorcycle is the smoothness and the refinement. The bike feels so smooth to ride both on and off road.
There are minimal vibrations or buzz. The clutch is super light and the gear shifts are very slick and precise. There are no unnecessary noises from any part of the engine as the engine gets heated up. The smoothness doesn’t vary with the engine temperature or other riding conditions and is consistent throughout a city commute or a highway ride.
2. Low End Torque
Coming from a Himalayan 411, it was very easy for me to transition to riding a short stroke motorcycle like the Scrambler 400X. Although it has a shorter gearing ratio, each gear provided ample amount of torque to chug along any trail even at 2k rpm. The bike hardly stalls and the tractability is amazing for a lazy ride on the highway or on the off road trails.
The chugyy nature of the engine is very helpful for a beginner or someone used to torquey engines as you don’t need to rev up the engine to make use of the higher capacity like its competitors. On the other side, it’s so easy and fun to spin the rear wheel with just a slight twist of the throttle with the Traction Control off right from2k RPM on the dirt track.
3. Power Delivery
You’d expect for a torquey engine to compromise on power but the Scrambler is quick and fast! From around 3500 rpm, the bike picks up on power, accelerates like a bullet and reaches a top speed of 170 kph. The only thing that slows you down is the strong wind blast at those high speeds.
The throttle response is almost instantaneous and that makes the bike so peppy and fun to ride. The command over the responsive throttle gives you a lot of confidence in manoeuvering the motorcycle during quick overtakes on the highway. I’m so addicted to the power delivery of the Scrambler 400X. It’ll take some time to get used to the sensitive throttle but once you get used to it, you’ll have a lot of fun with it.
4. Suspension
The suspension is one of the best in class. Both the rear and front are so beautifully tuned that it absorbs all the undulations on the gravel road and just glides through pot holes. On the highways its stiff enough to have a planted feel even at 160 kmph. It doesn’t wobble or bounce over a small hiccup at higher speeds. The dual nature of the suspension – the plush cushiony feel on the dirt and stiff feel on the road makes it a perfect all rounder ready to tackle any terrain.
Both the front and rear are so well in sync that the bike feels like one unit and it gives better control over all kinds of terrain you ride on. Because the suspension travel is less than it’s adventure counterparts, you might end up bottoming out the rear suspension on hard jumps like I did. Going up on the preload solves that problem to an extent.
5. Exhaust Note
The stock exhaust note of the Scrambler 400X is very pleasing to the ears. It’s not loud but it’s bassy and throaty and has a nice aggressive grunt when you open up the throttle. I had to go for an aftermarket exhaust on my Himalayan to achieve a similar sound.
6. Build Quality
The build quality of the Scrambler 400X is exceptional for the price. Every part and screw of the bike looks much more premium than its competitors. We did a PPF coating on the glossy areas of the bike. After a dirty ride, we just wipe it with a microfibre cloth and it looks brand new. Everywhere we park, people gather around it to have a look. It sure catches a lot of attention on the road. We feel proud in owning such a premium looking motorcycle especially when it carries the name of a brand that makes motorcycles like the Tigers and Rockets.
The build quality of the parts are also so good that even after 2-3 falls, apart from minor scratches on the MX hand guards and the engine guards, none of the other parts have taken a hit. The handlebar, foot pegs and frame has held strong on off road trail rides. Just the clutch level and gear lever got bend once and we replaced it from the service centre.
7. Low Maintenance Cost
Premium bikes almost always comes with premium service cost. I expected the same for the Scrambler. But surprisingly, a service almost costs same as my Himalayan. The first service cost around 2.2k INR which included engine oil change. Also the parts are also cheap. The gear lever and clutch lever just costs under 200 INR each and the handlebar around 700 INR.
Moreover the service interval duration is 16000kms! So I’m sure the overall service cost of the bike will sit at a much lower rate than my Himalayan which requires servicing every 5000kms! Anyways I’d suggest you to take the bike to the service centre every 5000km for a thorough checkup and for top up of the oils and coolant.
8. Service Quality
Speaking of service, our experience with the service centre is top notch. I’ve heard mixed reviews about Triumph’s service but I think the overall experience largely depends on the dealerships. There are dealerships in Bangalore that offer the opposite spectrum of service quality.
Luckily we chose the better one and they have helped us very promptly in fixing certain issues along the way. The customer dealings and communication, quick redressal of the issue, quality of the labour work and availability of the parts have been very satisfactory.
Cons of the Triumph Scrambler 400X
1. Brakes
The bite and stopping power of the brakes are quite weak for a motorcycle of such power. Even though Triumph has intentionally given organic pads instead of the sintered ones on the Speed 400, I feel they should’ve given the customers an option before delivery of the bike. During the first service, they changed the brake lever and switched to the sintered pads from Speed 400 after which the bite on the front brake has significantly improved.
2. Tyres
The MRF tyres that come with the bike are more road biased. It’s a hard compound tyre and hence the wet grip is poor. I’ve not had any major skidding incident since the ABS and traction control does a great job on that front but ABS kicks in too frequently because of the tyre. I had the same issue with MRF tyres on the Himalayan as well. We will switch over to a more dual purpose tyre from Reise once these starts to wear off.
3. Vibration at 6000 RPM
The engine starts to buzz a bit and feels a little chocked at 6000rpm. This is a little annoying but you’ll quickly get used to it. The only solution is to stay below or push past 6000 rpm and its starts getting smooth again. It’s annoying because in 6th gear, bike hits 110 kmph at 6000 rpm. So cruising at 100 or 120 above is comfortable than around 110. It’s just the character of the engine and you just have to get used to it.
4. Headlight
The headlight visibility is very poor and you will need auxiliary lights or a decent aftermarket headlight for better visibility on the highways.
5. Wind blast
Wind blast is not a con of the bike but this is an issue in general with all Scramblers. Due to its tall and upright stance, the wind blast is quite strong in high speeds. So if touring is your primary use case scenario, get a tall windshield or go for an ADV motorcycle.
6. Ergonomics
The seating and standing positions on the Scrambler and the comfort it offers is a very subjective matter. We were quite uncomfortable with the slight sporty nature of the seated ergonomics. It takes a toll on the lower back and shoulders on the long hauls. This issue was taken care of by the offset handle bar risers from Zana. Know more about the accessories we installed on the Scrambler 400X here.
7. RSA
Triumph’s RSA network is poor but it’s expected since this is the first batch of motorcycles from the Triumph-Bajaj partnership. They offer RSA within a 100km range from the nearest service centre. But what’s disappointing is that it’s not available all the time like how you have from RE. We had an issue where the bike failed to start. I will make a separate video on that issue. Luckily it happened in our apartment parking space where the bike could be kept safe.
The RSA is available only during the office hours. And even when we called them during office hours, they arranged a tow service the following day only. Imagine such a situation happening while on tour. So unless you have an issue in the city premises, I don’t think Triumph’s RSA can be trusted anytime. Hopefully they expand the network and make available RSA round the clock.
Apart from the minor issues we had on the Scrambler 400X, owning and riding the bike has been so much fun and gratifying. If anyone’s in the market looking for a single cylinder do it all bike with top notch quality, just blindly go for the Scrambler 400X. You’ll not be disappointed.
