Affordable, accessible and taking the fight straight to Royal Enfield's 350 cc range, the Triumph Speed 400 T4 is meant for those who want a relaxed ride, relatively speaking. But what are the changes compared to the Speed 400 and does the T4 has what it takes to knock RE off its perch? That's what we aim to find out after having ridden the T4 for a little over half a day. It surprises you and then some more, with everything that it has to offer.
Also Read: Triumph Speed T4 Launched In India
Triumph Speed T4: Engine & Specifications
The Speed T4 gets a number of changes compared to the Speed 400, in order to make it look more rugged, make it more affordable and easier to ride. To start off, the engine has the same displacement, but makes 31 hp at 7,000 rpm along with peak torque output of 36 Nm at 5,000 rpm. In comparison, the Speed 400 makes 40 hp and 37.5 Nm, at about 1,000-1,500 revs higher. So, the torque kicks in lower and thanks to a 39-tooth sprocket at the rear, compared to the 43 on the Speed 400, the rideability is now relaxed and less hurried.
Also Read: Triumph Speed T4 vs Royal Enfield Classic 350: Specifications Comparison
Triumph Speed T4: Performance
What this essentially means is that the T4 offers more grunt in the bottom end and the mid-range, with the magic happening between 2,500 - 5,000 rpms thanks to an engine with a higher inertia crank than the Speed 400. The motorcycle is happiest between 65-85 kmph and if you want to, the speed can be as low as 35 kmph in the 5th gear. The tractability goes up by a couple of notches, which means lesser gearshifts in the city.
Triumph says that there is minimal difference in terms of acceleration and top speed. The Speed T4 does the 0-60 kmph sprint in 3.3 seconds, which is just 0.3 seconds less than the Speed 400 and the top speed drops from 145 kmph on the 400 to 135 kmph on the T4. There are a few other changes as well. The T4 now gets a manual and smaller throttle bodies instead of ride-by-wire and the traction control is given a miss as well. The motorcycle continues to get a slipper clutch and the gearbox operation is smooth. In the real world, these changes help lower the cost along with offering a different riding experience.
Triumph Speed T4: Ride & Handling
The next set of changes are quite important too. Out goes the USD fork, and in comes a regular 43 mm fork. The monoshock at the rear is still there and the travel at both ends is 130 mm. Now, the rear suspension gets 10 mm less travel, but the state of tune is comfort-oriented. The ride on the Speed T4 is a touch more comfortable, thanks to the MRF Nylogrip Zapper tyres with higher aspect ratio.
In terms of handling, the Speed T4 isn't as sharp and as agile as the Speed 400 because the wheelbase grows by 20 mm and the steering geometry is a little different too. Filtering through traffic is still easy and if you tip it into a corner, you are barely going to notice the difference, provided you already have a point of reference. If not, it won't make any difference in the real world. And the motorcycle does well to shed speed, despite getting organic brake pads and axial callipers, instead of the sintered pads and radial callipers on the Speed 400.
Triumph Speed T4: Ergonomics
The seat height isn't too tall at 805 mm and thanks to the new design, it is comfy too. The weight of the bike too is 180 kg, which is just a kg more than the 2025 Speed 400. The good news is that the ground clearance of the T4 goes up to 170 mm, as compared to 158 mm on the old Speed 400. Other changes include a hydro-formed steel handlebar instead of an Aluminium unit on the Speed 400 and a variety of parts such as the exhaust have been blacked out to give the bike a youthful and sporty appeal. Lastly, the Speed T4 gets stem rearview mirrors instead of the bar-end mirrors.
Triumph Speed T4: Efficiency
The other highlight is that the claimed fuel efficiency goes up from 26 kmpl on the Speed 400 to 30 kmpl on the T4. Now the big difference is in the way the exhaust sounds. The T4 gets a more bass-laden, burbly exhaust, which I think has more character than the one on the Speed 400.
Triumph Speed T4: Where does it fit in?
Royal Enfield proudly sits atop the modern classic segment, with a market share of anywhere between 80-85 per cent. Triumph is distant second, with just 4-5 per cent market share. And the rest of OEMs, like Jawa, Yezdi, Honda and Hero along with Harley-Davidson make up for the rest of it. It is going to take a long, long time and a lot more products from the Triumph/Bajaj partnership to knock RE off its perch but there is confirmation that there will be more products on this platform from Triumph in the coming years. Is it a nod to a Bonneville 400? Or a Thruxton 400? We are as intrigued and interested to find out as you. As far as quality levels are concerned, it is the same, if not better, than the Speed 400.
Triumph Speed T4: Verdict
The good news is that Triumph along with Bajaj is giving some serious food for thought to Royal Enfield with the Speed T4, specifically made to take on the likes of the Hunter and Classic 350, offering a motorcycle which is more modern than classic and offers a different and relaxed riding experience. With the changes that the Speed T4 gets, I believe the cost could have been slightly lower, at say about Rs. 2.10 lakh instead of the current Rs. 2.17 lakh. It is no doubt a solid product and will definitely eat away at main rival's market share but there is still some time before the alarm bells start ringing for Royal Enfield.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
