We had an exclusive opportunity to do a first ride on the all new Triumph Speed 400.
Read the full review here: https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/triumph-speed-400-exclusive-first-test-review/
Read the full review here: https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/triumph-speed-400-exclusive-first-test-review/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Welcome to Cycle World, I'm Adam Child, European Correspondent for Cycle World
00:04 and we've got a genuine world exclusive test for you today.
00:08 This is Triumph's new Speed 400.
00:11 Now the bike was launched to the international press at the end of June
00:14 but we've got this unique opportunity just to have a little taste of what this bike's about.
00:19 This is not a full-blown road test, we're going to do the full launch in November.
00:23 This is just a little sample of what to expect from this new bike from Triumph.
00:28 Now this is a really important bike for Triumph because it's the first time they've entered into that entry segment.
00:34 This is the first time they've had a bike under 500cc for probably 40 or 50 years.
00:40 But this is a partnership between Triumph and Bajaj in India.
00:44 This is a brand new platform for Triumph and this isn't a parts bin of something else.
00:50 So they've not grabbed an engine from somebody else and some forks from somebody else.
00:54 This is a completely new bike for Triumph for 2023.
00:59 Let me run you through some little facts and figures.
01:01 So it's 398cc, we're at 39.5 HP, 27 foot-pounds of torque, 3.5 gallon tank, it's 375 pounds with fuel
01:13 and the seat height is 31.1 inches off the ground.
01:17 So it's quite a small bike, it's quite lightweight and it's single cylinder.
01:22 As I say, today we've had the opportunity just to get a taste of what to expect.
01:26 And when you kind of ride these bikes, you already have a preconception, a pre-idea of what the bike's going to be like.
01:33 Because we know Triumph have said the bike's going to be price competitive.
01:37 So it's competing with bikes like KTM's 390 Duke, BMW's G310 and the Royal Enfield 350 that I rode on the world launch.
01:46 So you have an idea of what to expect and an idea of what the price is.
01:51 But it's very different from those bikes.
01:53 For me it feels like a grown up motorcycle, it feels very mechanical, it feels very robust.
01:59 It's not a rev-happy single like the KTM.
02:02 I was really surprised by how much torque there is from 3.5, 4,000 RPM up to 8,000 RPM.
02:09 Obviously it's a 400 capacity single, so we're not breaking the land speed record.
02:14 But I was really surprised, I thought I'd have to come back a few gears to get it to drive and accelerate to overtake cars.
02:19 But it's a single cylinder bike that you can overtake cars quite comfortably and quite safely.
02:24 We managed to cruise at 70-80 miles an hour and it does that very, very comfortably.
02:28 And when you accelerate from 80 to 90, you don't have to wait a week.
02:32 It does accelerate, it does keep going.
02:34 It's really surprised me in that terms.
02:36 I've tried to pick faults with it, I've tried to find faults with it.
02:39 Because when manufacturers build bikes for this entry level, they kind of cut corners somewhere.
02:44 And after you've ridden the bike for a while, you end up finding where they've sneaked it and where they've saved a few pounds.
02:50 But we've got proper Metzeler rubber.
02:52 Everything feels like a Triumph, as it should.
02:55 If you remove the badges and remove the logos, that is a Triumph.
03:00 There's nothing anywhere where I've gone, "Oh, where's that?" or "Where's this?"
03:03 We've got traction control, we've got ABS.
03:06 Okay, it's not lean sensitive, but never is any other bike in this class.
03:09 In terms of a first impression, it's really impressive.
03:12 It's going to be interesting when we get to put some serious miles on this bike.
03:16 Whether that's with the team and the guys in California, or when we ride the bike in November, which will be at the world launch.
03:22 But this bike sent the internet into meltdown at the end of June, when Triumph unveiled it.
03:27 And now we've actually ridden the bike, it's ticked all the boxes.
03:30 It's hit everything that we expected and more.
03:33 This engine has got torque, it actually sounds good, the clocks are informative.
03:37 And every time I look at it, and every time I try to pick a fault with it, and see where they've scrimped the costs,
03:42 I can't do it.
03:43 So let's see what it's going to be like in November, and let's see what it looks like when we get it against the competition.
03:47 But in terms of the first impression, hugely impressive.
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