The Tiger was in for a service today, so I borrowed the dealerships 400X Scrambler for a few hours.
It’s a handsome machine, I like it, quite tall and certainly not a small bike. Overall the fit & finish is very good, belying its price. The only area I would pick up on is the switch gear and its plastic housings, which look a bit cheap and cheerful, but feel solid enough and work well.
I like the way it rides, the riding position is good, quite roomy with wide bars and a comfortable seat. The suspension was a bit firmer than I expected for a scrambler style bike, but not harsh and it handles very well. The only issue I had was with the gear lever, which I struggled to get my toe under for up-shifts although I’m sure I would get used to this in time - it just always felt a bit awkward.
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. It pulls quite adequately up to about 60 or 70 mph and on the small b-roads around here that’s about as fast as I’d want to go on any bike. And small b-roads is where this bike is at its best, feeling very light and agile - lots of fun.
It’s quite low geared, which undoubtedly helps it’s low speed performance (it feels quite peppy up to 60 mph), but 60 mph = 6000 rpm so by 70 it’s feeling quite buzzy and sounds like it’s revving its little single cylinder head off! I’ve no doubt it would hold 70+ mph without a problem - you just wouldn’t want to. It also makes a nice noise, but Triumph have always been good at making their bikes sound nice as standard in my experience.
The display consists of a large analog Speedo and an LCD display which gives you loads of additional info, including a tacho which is too small to be very useful, but frankly a 40hp single cylinder bike doesn’t need a tacho any more than it needs rider modes or traction control. Speaking of which, it does have traction control (which you can switch off) and an “off road” mode. The display includes an average mpg reading which read 81mpg when I picked it up - very good when you consider this a demo bike.
So, overall I was very impressed. It’s a lot of fun on minor roads, where it’s in its element.
Would I buy one? Absolutely yes!
Will I buy one? Not for the time being.
I can’t justify to myself the cost of buying and running a third bike, especially when I know it would get very little use, and I certainly wouldn’t be prepared to sacrifice my Tiger 900 or Speed Twin for one. If I decide in the future to change bikes, then the 400X Scrambler will certainly be a contender.
Talking with the sales chap, he told me that they pre-sold their entire 2024 allocation. They have managed to get some additional bikes coming through, but no more Khaki green versions until September. They have a few black and red coming through for June.
In other news, my Tiger 900 service came to £339 
Blimy! Another reason not to add a third bike. I am just a poor pensioner these days.
)