Triumph Scrambler 400 XC First Ride Review - Worth The Extra ₹27,000 Premium?

The inclusion of tubeless spoke wheels makes the new Scrambler 400 XC a better bike off-road, but does it make sense?

The Triumph Scrambler 400 X is among the most popular scrambler bikes out there and among the best ADV bikes on the market. In fact, when we compared the Scrambler 400 X vs the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, it was the Triumph, which was the winner of the comparison video. Now, Triumph has launched the new Scrambler 400 XC variant. The main highlight is the inclusion of tubeless spoke wheels, and for that, you have to shell out ₹2,94,147 (ex-showroom). So, whether you should pay the extra ₹27,000 premium or stick with the Scrambler 400 X? We get you the answer. 

What’s new on the Scrambler 400 XC?

As I mentioned before, the biggest difference is the addition of tubeless spoke wheels on the Scrambler XC. Apart from this, it gets a lower engine guard, aluminium bash plate, and body-coloured flyscreen as standard. It’s also available in three new shades—Racing Yellow, Storm Grey, and Vanilla White. Also, the subframe is finished in gloss black, and the seats get black covers instead of brown as seen on the Scrambler 400 X.

Tubeless wheels impact?

Well, if you like to go off-roading seriously, then the spoke wheels have their advantage over alloy wheels. The steering feels lighter at slow speeds, and the spoke wheels take the impact better, too, as alloy wheels might crack under hard impact. But apart from that, there’s no real advantage, and for 90 per cent of the buyers, the alloy wheels are just fine. Though I must add that it looks so much more purposeful and cooler with some wheels. However, Triumph is only offering a warranty on the rims and not the spokes and the replacement cost will be very, very expensive!

Retrofitting tubeless wheels?

The simple answer is yes. But it isn’t as simple as it sounds. The cost of the spoke wheels is almost ₹72,000. Yes, ₹72,000 (Front tubeless spoke wheel - ₹34,876, Rear tubeless spoke wheel - ₹36,875) . We thought Royal Enfield was over charging Himalayan 450 customers (₹40,645 for a pair), but Triumph has upped the ante and it is almost twice that!

RE Himalayan 450 tubeless spoke wheels cost now And if that wasn’t bad enough, Triumph isn’t even offering any warranty on the aftermarket tubeless spoke wheels for Scrambler 400 X owners. So our suggestion is to not add retrofit th as the cost is very high and weirdly enough there’s no warranty too 

Verdict

As you can see the updates made on the Scrambler 400 XC are subtle and nothing very wow. Yes, the tubeless spoke wheels help with the aesthetic and are slightly more beneficial while riding off-road, but the difference is too less. I agree, ₹27,000 sounds like a bargain when one considers the ₹72,000 cost of the wheels if you retrofit them. But if you're gonna stick to tarmac most of the time and do mild off-road riding, in our opinion the Triumph Scrambler 400 X still makes better sense and you are better off spending that extra money on riding gear or accessories.