Triumph Speed T4 First Ride Review: Sensible Speed

It was in July 2023 that Bajaj and Triumph showed off their first couple of bikes of the partnership and the killer takeaway from the launch was the stunning prices. The Speed 400 was launched at an incredible ₹2.34 lakh (ex-showroom) and an even more desirable discount of ₹10,000 was offered for the first few customers. And despite the surprisingly low asking price, the bike was built to the incredibly high standards of the British marque. Twelve months in, the Speed 400 has become pricier with a few feature updates. But in order to keep the Indian buyer happy, the two brands have also created the Speed T4, which happens to even undercut the original Speed 400’s introductory price. The thought that pops is that does the T4 feel like a compromise of any sorts?

Same Speed-ish

Not a lot has changed in terms of appearance as the whole sense of this being still a Speed was essential. It does not have that lean muscular presence of the Speed 400 as the USD fork makes way for a simple telescopic one. The front brake and tyres are also simpler, no bar end mirrors but conventional ones from the Scrambler and even the handlebar is made from steel and not aluminium.

Even the throttle body cover, while it seems made from plastic, is actually aluminium. The dark theme for the exhaust uses high temperature resistant paint. And overall, the quality levels on the T4 are still pretty high, definitely befitting the Triumph badge.

There’s no compromise even in terms of features also. The same LED lighting, semi-digital console and USB-C charging slot are present. There’s no electronic rider aids except ABS, though.

Easier Commuter

The core focus with the Speed T4 was to make it better suited for our urban conditions. Hence the ergonomics also are tweaked. The bars are noticably higher and wider giving you better control in tight traffic situations. The seat height (806 mm) has gone up by 10 mm because of the larger diameter of the tyres. But on the T4, Triumph has narrowed the seat profile to make it just as easy as before for shorter riders to find their footing.
Because of the bias ply tyres, steel handlebar, larger front mudguard, bigger saree guard and a lot more minor revisions, there is a 4kg weight gain from the 2023 Speed 400. It doesn't really feel that much heavier to move around the parking lot, though. Overall, the bike feels like it has a nicer posture for urban riding.

Tuned Relaxed

Much like the larger 900 and 1200s Bonneville series engines that get a sporty tune and a calmer relax engine tune, the same has taken place with the 398 cc TR-series engine as it is now making just 30.6 bhp and 36 Nm, considerably lower than the Speed 400. With changes to the engine internals, primarily a heavier flywheel, the performance has been tuned to deliver better low end rideability.

The T in T4 stands for torque and given the tuning changes, the motor has become a lot more tractable and nicer at extremely lower speeds. Unlike the standard 400 that struggles below 3000rpm, the T4 allows you to ride away comfortably in higher gears in the city. 40 kmph in fifth gear and 50 kmph in sixth gear can easily be kept. Even on the highway, it can sit at 100-110 kmph in a calm manner with a light buzz to accompany it.

However, this engine doesn't like it when you rev it out too much. It has a hard rev limiter at 8000 rpm and above 5500-6000 rpm is when it gets annoyingly buzzy. It serves its calm intention well and asks you to look at the Speed 400 if you want the thrills.  

The lack of ride by wire isn't felt as the fuelling is neatly done. There's no slow speed jerkiness like there is on the Speed 400 that requires you to keep the engine revving a bit. You do miss the traction control though but I'll get to that in the handling section.

Triumph claims that thanks to the engine revision, the fuel efficiency gains are going to be far more pronounced. The claims are that it will return around 30 kmpl, which is 4 kmpl more than the Speed 400. However, we shall verify this on our thorough road test.

Damping Needs Work

Perhaps the best part of the Speed 400 turns out to be the biggest letdown on the T4: the suspension tuning. And no it isn't the front that is the problem but rather the tossy rear. It fails to soak in the large crater-like potholes that the monsoons have left behind and one needs to be cautious when going over them.

Compounding matters are the not so grippy MRF tyres. They tend to break traction rather easily, especially because you have a lot more torque available at far lower revs. And when the roads on our test became slippery, the bike ended up being rather nervy. The tyres hold you back from enjoying the bike in the bends and the lack of traction control doesn't put your mind at ease. We rather enjoyed the Speed 400 during our recent comparison with the Guerrilla and the X440 and the grippy Apollo tyres really came to our aid. Hence compromising in this regard, shouldn't have been done.

Compromise? Nah!

Is the Speed T4 a compromise? Not at all. It is a rather sensible, calmer bike with typical easy riding mannerisms that Indians associate with a retro roadster motorcycle, unlike the Speed 400 which is rather energetic and pacey. It doesn't compromise on quality and still feels premiumly put together. Yes, we would've liked the suspension tune to be more absorptive and better tyres are definitely welcome.

But since the T4 (₹2.17 lakh) undercuts the new Speed 400 (₹2.40 lakh) by nearly ₹23000, it presents a worthy case for itself. Only for the thrill seeking roadster lovers would we suggest spending that bit more and get the Speed 400, something that I would pick of the two. But as making the brand more accessible, this T4 does a rather good job.