Triumph Speed T4 review: Less is more

Is Triumph's entry-level offering more value for money than the Speed 400? We find out.

Published on Sep 29, 2024 05:00:00 PM

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Make : Triumph

Model : Speed 400

The new Speed T4 has some significant mechanical changes from the Speed 400 and it's rare to see something so different come out just a year after the birth of a new platform. As it turns out, this was one of the iterations in the development stage of the Bajaj-Triumph 400 platform and that’s why Bajaj was able to bring it out so soon.

At its core, this is the same 399cc single cylinder unit, but power has seen a big drop from 40hp to 31hp. There’s also a small 1.5Nm reduction in torque, but it’s still a healthy 36Nm that is now produced 1,500rpm lower at 5,000rpm. These changes have been executed through a new airbox, a smaller throttle body (no ride-by-wire here) and new camshafts. More significantly, crank inertia has increased by a sizeable 31 percent. The idea behind all these changes is to create a more Indian-city-friendly riding experience and the Speed T4 scores well here.

Triumph Speed T4 review side pan

Ride it back to back with a Speed 400 and you’ll notice that the T4’s throttle response is smoother and more mellow. The torque now feels more widely spread and easily accessible – you can hold third gear as low as 20kph without complaint. The engine isn’t as rev-happy, and as a result it’s a motor that doesn’t want to be revved as much as the Speed 400, which means vibrations are even less of an issue here.

Within the city, the T4 feels more enjoyable than the Speed 400, but it does sacrifice some of the latter’s outright performance. The T4 doesn’t feel slow by any means and I suspect it will clock a sub 8-second 0-100kph time, but it lacks the same energetic high-rpm acceleration as its bigger brother. On the highway, a 100kph cruise feels fairly relaxed at around 5,500rpm and the bike has enough in reserve to surge up to 120kph. Progress above that is slow and you should see a top speed of somewhere between 140-150kph on the speedometer.

Triumph Speed T4 review front

There are quite a few changes with the chassis as well, the most obvious being the move to a telescopic front fork. The front brakes now use an axial caliper with organic brake pads and the T4 gets the same MRF bias ply tyres as the Pulsar NS400Z.

Naturally, none of this sounds very appealing, but I found the tyres, brakes and suspension to be more than adequate for the generally calm way this bike enjoys being ridden. Nevertheless, perhaps sticking with the USD fork would have been wise because the new suspension setup makes the T4 easy to spot as the ‘budget option’ and it also makes an already skinny bike look even more so.

Triumph Speed T4 review front wheel

The taller tires have also raised the seat height from 790mm to 804mm and this is something that folks shorter than 5’7” will notice. Other cost-saving measures can be seen in the move from aluminium to steel for things like the handlebar, foot levers and headlamp mounts. The T4 also misses out on adjustable levers, traction control and engine immobiliser.

All this results in a lower price of Rs 2.17 lakh (ex-showroom, India), which is Rs 23,000 less than the 2025 Speed 400. On the one hand, that price highlights how the Speed 400 is still phenomenal value, but on the other, it also brings the T4 right into the space occupied by the popular 350cc Royal Enfields as well as the new Jawa 42FJ.

Triumph Speed T4 review headlight

Within a Triumph showroom, the Speed 400 will surely seem more appealing for ‘just’ Rs 23,000 extra. But the new T4 has a rather endearing riding experience to offer that I found more fitting in a bike like this – it will certainly appeal more strongly to the hordes of 350cc RE buyers that Triumph is trying to tempt away. If, like many others, you find yourself a bit underwhelmed by what this bike looks like on paper, give it a test ride. It might just surprise you.

Also see:

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 vs Triumph Speed 400 comparison

Updated Triumph Speed Twin 1200 duo revealed

Updated Triumph Speed 400 launched at Rs 2.4 lakh, gets more features