Triumph has launched its duo of entry-level adventure bikes in India. They sport a 400cc Single cylinder engine with styling inspired by the bigger Speed Twin 900 in the case of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 900 in the case of the Scrambler 400 X. More importantly, they are the first bikes to be launched under the partnership of Bajaj and Triumph. This partnership is similar to what Toyota and Suzuki have wherein they share technologies as well as platforms to reduce development costs. This development has happened in the twin triumphs with Speed weighing 170kg and Scrambler 400 X weighing 179 Kg. These are one of the lightest bikes available in the market for their engine size. But there is a lot more to the British Indian Initiative.
Firstly let’s start where we left off, the engine. The Triumph Duo comes with a 398cc single-cylinder engine producing 40hp and 37.5 Nm of torque. These numbers are similar to the KTM 390 lineup with peak power and torque coming in and 8000 rpm and 6500 rpm respectively. The highlight is that these engines come with liquid cooling as well as DOHC architecture which helps the power to come in early as compared to the KTM engines. Talking about KTM, the Triumphs have a 6-speed gearbox too. More interestingly, the more powerful 900cc engines of Triumph still have a 5-speed gearbox. The engine also features cooling fins that have a machine look and are there for stylistic reasons at best. The engine resembles the larger 900cc engines, especially with the characteristic triangular frame housing.
The chassis is another interesting aspect as it is a hybrid spine and perimeter frame built from tubular steel. The crazy part is that it is different for each model quite noticeably. The speed 400 has 17-inch wheels wrapped in sporty Metzeler Sportec M9BR. The scrambler comes standard with a 19-inch/17-inch alloy wheel ensemble and they are wrapped in less premium more road-focused Metzeler Karoo Street Tyres. Both bikes come with a suspension similar in concept but different in practical life. They share a 43mm big piston fork and mono-shock suspension. The scrambler gets more suspension travel with 150mm of travel on each end while Speed gives you travel of 140mm at the front and 130mm at the rear. There is also a break difference. The scrambler gets a slightly larger 320mm front disc compared to 300mm in speed. This may be because it is a heavier bike with a 9 kg difference between them. As a result, the scrambler also has a higher seat height at 835mm compared to the speed at 790mm.
Traditionally, Triumphs are very well-loaded bikes which are feature rich. This is also the case with the Speed/Scrambler duo. Standard features include all LED lighting, ride-by-wire, switchable traction control, dual channel ABS, an immobilizer, USB-C Charging Port as well as a Semi Digital instrument cluster to give a modern classic vibe. The dash has an analogue speedometer with an LED Screen beside it. The information on the screen includes a digital tachometer, gear position, trip data, and fuel gauge. A heated grips symbol is also seen here and Triumph could offer it as an optional extra. In Scrambler, triumph says dual-channel ABS can be switched off in off-road use scenarios. Triumph will make these machines available on July 5 with deliveries starting a little later. We estimate the price tag to be somewhere in the 3 lakh range as it is a fairly feature-loaded adventure bike so it can command a price tag, especially with the goodwill of the Triumph Brand. As a bike, it is a great buy especially when the Bajaj x Pulse only comes with a 200cc engine. The higher power would come in handy in offroad uses and it is a better buy than the KTM Adventure 390 as it is not a whole lot different than the Duke/RC counterparts also the fact that triumph is renowned for making adventure tourers makes it a must buy over the KTM at least for now
