The best mod for Triumph Scrambler 400X - 15t front sprocket

The Triumph Scrambler 400X’s highly responsive and peppy nature of the throttle on the road can be a little too much and intimidating off road. There are two solutions to it. Either you can practice a lot and get used to it, or spend 250 INR and get the 15t front sprocket.

The one nature of the Scrambler 400X that we loved right from the time we test rode the bike is how responsive the throttle was. The bike is quick to rev even with the slightest throttle twist.

However when we started taking it off road, we found that nature to be quite uncomfortable especially when riding an unknown challenging terrain. The extremely sensitive nature of the throttle made it difficult to slowly manoeuver through the trails. The bike jumps even with the slightest throttle movement which gets intimidating.

So I decided to try the Speed 400’s 15t sprocket on the Scrambler 400X. It costs around 270 INR, labour cost excluded.

And now we did more than 4000 kms with it out of which 3000 kms were done in Ladakh and Kashmir. Long story short, it’s the best mod the Scrambler so far. So here are the pros and cons to the 15t sprocket on the Scrambler 400X.

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Pros of the 15t front sprocket for the Triumph Scrambler 400X

1. Less Jerkiness

The biggest improvement is the reduced jerkiness especially at low speeds when riding off road. This makes the throttle response a lot more predictable and pleasant.

2. Less Aggressive Engine Braking

Just like the decrease in the jerky throttle, the engine braking also becomes less aggressive and smoother. This is again more useful off-road especially in sandy or slushy conditions. When you cut off throttle in these terrain, the sudden deceleration causes the wheel to dig in. The 15t sprocket smoothens it out and then engine braking is now more manageable and useful.

3. Taller Gear Ratios

The scrambler has very short gear ratios. Even in the city traffic I used to find myself in 6th gear if I wanted to ride in the lower half of the rev range. And while on dirt we found ourselves changing the first 3 gears quite often. With the 15t sprocket, the gear ratios have panned out perfectly.

The first gear is actually usable off road and you don’t need to frequently change gears in city traffic anymore. Surprisingly I didn’t notice any drop in lower end torque as expected. I think it’s mostly because Scrambler has more than enough low end torque to spare.

4. Higher Cruising Speed

One disadvantage of the Triumph Scrambler 400X is that the bike seems to get chocked up around the 6000rpm which roughly translates to 110 kph. Now since the ratios are taller, the bike sits at 300-500 rpm less at a particular speed compared to the 14t sprocket. So now you can cruise comfortably at 120 kph.

5. Smooth Running

Overall, owing to the above mentioned points I feel the bike in general has become smoother and comfortable.

6. No Change In Mileage

I have noticed a slight improvement in mileage on my Himalayan when I made a similar sprocket change. However in Scrambler I think there’s not much change in the mileage. We got a mileage close to 35 kmpl in Ladakh but there in general all bikes get good mileage and so I can’t attribute that to the sprocket. But there’s no drop in mileage for sure.

Cons of the 15t front sprocket for the Triumph Scrambler 400X

I’ve not noticed any con so far. Usually with a higher teeth front sprocket you tend to lose some of the low end torque but surprisingly that wasn’t the case with Scrambler. The bike is still damn responsive and engaging.

Still you can spin the rear wheel on dirt with a slight twist of the throttle and still it climbs steep hills like the high passes in Ladakh in low rpms with ease. That’s why I think the 15t sprocket is the best mod you can get for your Scrambler 400X.

The best mod for Triumph Scrambler 400X – 15t front sprocket