Triumph Speed T4 Review - More That Just A Cheaper Speed 400

The Triumph Speed T4 is the British bike maker’s latest entrant in the Indian market, and is now the most affordable Triumph motorcycle you can buy. On the surface, it looks just like the Speed 400, and you’d be justified into thinking that the T4 is nothing more than a cheaper variant of the 400. But look a little deeper and take a ride on the bike, and you realise that there’s a lot more to the T4 than meets the eye, or even the spec sheet. So does the T4 make a compelling case for itself on its own merits, or should you buy it just because you find the Speed 400 outside your budget?

How is the T4 different from the 400?

Both the Speed T4 and Speed 400 look very similar, but the difference you can spot at first glance is the fork. Now the T4 gets a conventional 43mm telescopic fork while the 400 gets a golden upside down fork, making it look quite premium. Then of course you have the mirrors which on the 400 are bar-end mirrors, which too look premium, while the ones on the T4 gets stalk type mirrors from the Scrambler 400x.

While they do function really well, they just don't look as nice as the ones on the 400. The other noticeable difference between the T4 and the last-gen 400 are the exhausts. They are identical in their overall design (albeit with a slight retune for the T4), but the one on the previous 400 got a brushed metal finish while the one on the T4 is matte black. If matte black is your thing, the T4 might be the bike for you. And it also makes the bike look a little bit slimmer compared to the last-gen 400. That said, the MY25 Speed 400 also gets the same matte black exhaust as the T4.

Once you get into the weeds you start noticing more differences as well. For example, on the T4 the handlebar, the rear brake pedal and the shift lever are all steel, while the same bits on the 400 are more premium aluminium. And when it comes to components you start seeing some differences in the brakes as well. Both bikes get the same size disc brakes - 300mm front and 230mm rear, but the 400 gets a radial front calliper, while the one on the T4 is axial. And then of course you have the tyres. Now the 400 gets radial tyres, with the last gen bike getting Apollo or MRF rubber , while the the MY25 gets Vredestein radials (110/70 R17 front, 150/60 R17 rear). The T4 has bias-ply tyres from MRF, with a slightly slimmer rear tyre too (110/70-17 front, 140/70-17 rear).

Coming to the differences that you can’t see - the engine. Now both these engines have the same capacity, same bore and stroke, but the one on the T4 makes 9 PS and 1.5 NM less compared to the 400. 

Of course Triumph has tried to compensate for this by giving the T4 better bottom end torque with a heavier flywheel. And also the T4 gets a mechanical throttle as opposed to the ride-by-wire throttle on the 400. Now both the T4 and the 400 have the exact same 6-speed gearbox with the same gear ratios and a slip-and-assist clutch. But the T4 gets taller overall gearing thanks to a smaller 39-tooth rear sprocket, while the 400 has a larger 43-tooth rear sprocket.

How’s the difference in performance between the T4 and the 400?

Now is the T4 as quick as the 400? Of course not! Even by Triumph's own claims the T4 takes 1.3 seconds longer to go from zero to 100kmph (8.9s for T4, 7.6s for 400). But does it feel slow? Not really! Because the T4 has much better low end torque compared to the Speed 400. In fact, even though the T4 makes less peak torque than the 400, it actually makes more torque from 2,500 to 5,500rpm than the 400. Which means if you're in the city, this motor is really responsive and super tractable, making it easy to ride. So if you want to carry low speeds in high gears, it’s really easy to do that. Even doing 30kmph in fourth gear or 40kmph in fifth is a breeze. And even at these speeds if you open the throttle hard, there is barely any juddering at all. 

So what about the highway? Here, the T4 has a trick up its sleeve and that is its smaller rear socket, giving it overall taller gearing. This means that at 100kmph in sixth gear, the T4 is doing just 5,450rpm, compared to 6,150rpm in the same situation for the 400. That allows the T4 to stay at 100kmph pretty much all day long, without breaking a sweat, and feeling quite smooth at this speed too. But if you want to go faster than that, the T4 does feel a bit out of breath.

But what about throttle response? Well, as we mentioned that the Speed 400 gets a ride-by-wire throttle, while the T4 gets a mechanical throttle body. Now actually I prefer the T4’s mechanical throttle over the 400’s ride-by-wire system, because the 400 can feel a bit jumpy, especially during on and off throttle transitions. The T4’s throttle response feels much smoother and predictable, especially at slow speeds. It's almost like you have a direct connection between your right wrist and the engine.

Is the T4 fun to ride?

The Triumph Speed T4’s ride quality is quite plush for the most part. Both the T4 and 400’s front suspension has 140mm of travel, but the T4’s rear setup only has 120mm travel compared to the 400’s 130mm. This has been done to accommodate the slightly taller section of the T4’s rear tyre.

The front suspension feels soft enough to absorb most bumps quite well, but the rear feels slightly stiffer. If you take larger bumps at speed, the rear suspension feels a little jarring and can toss you off your seat a little. At lower speeds, this isn’t an issue, but we feel that, overall, the Speed 400 has a slightly more plush ride quality compared to the T4. 

 That said, the T4 is actually quite a nice bike when it comes to handling. Where the Speed 400 feels a bit too quick to steer, and can catch newer riders by surprise, the T4 steers a bit slower, and feels more predictable. It’s not lazy by any means, and cutting through traffic is super easy. And those MRF bias-ply tyres hold up pretty well, even on wet roads.

Now we haven’t tested the braking performance of the T4 yet. But we’re fairly certain that given the difference in the tyres and brakes, the 400 will stop quicker than the T4. Surprisingly though, the T4’s front brake actually has better feel compared to the 400s, and is easier to modulate. 

Should you buy the Triumph Speed T4? 

That depends on who you are. If you're someone who likes fast bikes and is already used to riding 30+ horsepower bikes, and also want a neo-retro roadster that is quick and good for highway use, then the Speed 400 might make more sense for you. But if you're someone new to big bikes, and are just starting off your mid-capacity bikes by graduating from 150-160cc bikes, the T4 makes a lot of sense. Also don’t discount the T4 if you primarily want to ride in the city with occasional highway use.

Where the speed 400 is more revvy, like a modern motorcycle, the T4 feels actually more retro and a lot more easy going…It almost reminds us a little of the Jawa 42 - chilled out, yet quick enough. And given recent options in the market like the Hero Mavrick 440 and Harley-Davidson X440, we do believe that there are takers for more easy going 400s in India. 

But the one place we think that Triumph India would have done much better is the pricing. Yes, at Rs 2.17 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it is Rs 23,000 cheaper than the Speed 400. But given the difference in equipment we think the price could have come down to 2 lakh rupees or a little lower and then that would have been absolutely perfect.