Hi Dan, I have been an owner of a Speed 400 for about 5 months now and have followed the swingarm story you mentioned quite closely. The owner of the bike that had the swing arm breakage was a rental agency owner in the Himalayan town of Manali. He had rented out the bike to a customer within 3 days of getting it, at which point the bike had already done about 600 kms, which is a lot for a brand new bike (averaging 200kms a day). All this was during peak winters in the Himalayas where temps are around -20 deg C and there is ice on the roads. We dont have de-icing and salting on roads in these regions. Investigations had shown that the swing arm failure was not because of a slow highway fall that the rental shop owner claimed. It was proven that there was a high speed impact on the bike, from the side, possibly from an ice-related slip, in hard terrain. The side of the bike including footpegs were gone. No one else has reported this issue in over 20000 bikes that have been sold here. I would caution against taking anecdotal reviews too seriously. Most people in India have upgraded to these bikes from simpler and frankly, less powerful vehicles which have a lot less tech, are air cooled and can be beaten around and repaired for almost no money. Safe to say, these 400s arent in that category so a lot of mis-maintenance is visible on these groups. This should improve over time.
Had the same with my Hima(bought in 2019)…they had one (publicised) head/fork stem breakage in India on a hire bike somewhere up North in the Himalayas...the amount of stuff on the western websites was legion,...
Good comment, yes I did try to articulate that a lot of the 'reliability' issues are small in number and misappropriated. Such news doesn't seem to have impacted the launch in any meaningful way at least!
@@MindfulMotorcyclist Your reply contradicts itself. I'm not aficionado for Triumph but you know nothing of the details of that particular bike other than the story that was spun, yet you mention it and it, as it seems, a one off, and the whole world is talking about it. The immobiliser light staying on needs to be sorted, that seems very common, was the case on the test ride bike I rode.
The wife loved the 900 but found it heavy… I just put money down on a Scrambler 400X at the dealer here in the US (and they are not here yet) because other folks have already put their money down and this was the only way to get one or even test ride one…. Triumph is smart and puts the bike out ahead of other bikes and that for a killer price… This will be a world wide sales success for Triumph…
I haven't ridden my dad's Tbird but I am looking forward to that even though it is a bit heavier than my current bike. Congratulations on your new bike, I hope it all goes well and you enjoy it. Did you go green or back paint? Cheers, Sean
The “oil leak” was an oil filter badly installed by an independent service provider. Amazing how no one cares for the apologizing video that the guy published right after.
🤣 no that's how the internet works. People jump on a story and it gets propagated. You want to hope you don't get disgruntled owners who repost their bad experiences at every opportunity. I've seen that happen as well. Sad for the brands...
Yes I sat on both at Motorcycle Live and the ride height was definitely lower than a lot of bikes, most I'm on tippie toes but here I felt a little more comfortable 🙏
RE owner here(Hima/Meteor/Intercept) was going to add the new Hima 450 to the collection...however just put my money down for a speed 400 instead...last triumph I had was a 1969 Meriden Bonneville (bought in 1970...😎)
Stick with the BSA Sean, much more classic looks sound and ride, and I suspect a more engaging ride experience. You may be aware that the new series of Hairy Bikers sees Si and Dave travelling in various UK regions on BSA’s and they look and sound fantastic.
Thanks Gareth, I love the BSA but to be honest I am a little worried about the company. Dealers are a bit hacked off with them, pricing wasn't ideal on launch and the bikes and now accessories timelines are about as predictable as a tradesperson here in Ibiza. Mañana, mañana is the saying, only tomorrow never comes 😟. I was thinking about 'Scramblerising' the BSA a little with some nice tyres, a headlight guard and some other styling bits, what so you think? Maybe an exhaust to decat the bike... I am interested in what people would think especially as you mention the classic looks. Thanks.
Those mods sound interesting and would give the bike a classic scrambler look, but remember to retain all removed parts so it can be returned to original spec as modified bikes can suffer reduced resale values, also need to advise your insurer of any mods and it may affect remaining warranty
I was interested in your explicit description of the vibration levels, above 60 mph. I did not realise you had ever actually ridden one. Obviously I was wrong.
No this isn't a review, it's a commentary on how well they are selling. There are absolutely loads of reviews out there to check out now, I would also recommend the Facebook group to get a non influencer feedback from an owner. Cheers.
Good video Sean. I’ve seen many of the Triumph 400 mostly positive reviews and they don’t tick the classic/retro boxes for me the way BSA and Royal Enfields do. And I agree that gold anodized forks are a no-no for me. The most disconcerting part of your presentation for me was the photo of the broken swing arm which to me looked like very low quality metal. If true, that would be potentially life threatening if a failure occurred while riding. I would do a bit more research before buying. Thank you both for the video. Cheers, Dan ✌️🏍🇨🇦
Sorry just getting around to reply here Dan. The other thing which separates the Triumphs from RE and BSA is the engine character, the 400s are high reving, short geared and high compression compared to BSA and Enfield which are under stressed thumpers shall we say. That's true of the RE 350 and probably the BSA even tho that engine is not a long stroke lump. The RE twin is certainly quite low powered for it's capacity. Nothing like these Triumphs with 100bhp/litre. I think anyone who goes into buying one for the retro feeling will be disappointed sadly. Thanks 👍
I’m interested to try the Speed out. At that price point, I’m curious to see if it cuts into RE’s popularity here in the States. Everyone’s comparing it to the Enfield 350s, but with the power it has, it may well take aim at the 650s, as well.I hope it’s reliable and proves to be a hit for them. I’m keen to see the alleged Hunter 450, which will be Enfield’s direct reply to these. Nice to have competition like this-it really benefits us as consumers and motorcycle enthusiasts.
Hi Mark I hope you are well. I agree with this, fundamentally to have brands we like vying for market share with quality well priced motorcycles is of huge benefit to the consumer. Oh I bet at Enfield right now some engineer is placing that Sherpa engine snuggly inside a Hunter frame. It will be called Hunter 450 of course. Thanks for the comment.
Always find it strange when youtubers believe that a tiny company like Triumph are really going to affect RE sales. You have to understand that RE sells more bikes in 6 weeks, than Triumph sells in a year.
Clue is in the title, UK market specific. We all know that RE dominates the Indian home market with huge sales numbers. If REs 350 range UK sales are let's estimate 500 a month and Triumph 400s start doing even 200 a month that is eating into market share. Before you say things like 'you have to understand' get the context right first.
The ride experience between a 350 Hunter and a 400 speed would suit different people. Having to wind-on a bike to make it go often leads to excessive speed in the wrong places, though im sure it would chuff along on its torque well enough. Im still riding a 42 year old bike with 20hp, is it enough?, well, I do not get speeding tickets on any motorways, but its enough to lose a licence anywhere else. I dont understand why these bikes "buzz", when old Honda singles do not. Poor engineering?
Nice overview, and that's a mad long waiting time to get a brand new one, by which time a few will be available second hand. I think I'd rather a second hand one, it'll have been run in (hopefully respectfully) and any teething troubles ironed out. I have sat on a Speed variant, thought it was quite small, but more likely aimed at younger riders but suspect the price will rise imminently which will mean second hand ones will remain high too if the demand is there. Anyway, the kettle's boiled 😋
Hope your tea was nice Lee! At first thought it was the Scrambler that I thought about, but in on reflection I'd now have a red or black speed. You could probably accessorise it to be a little more individual (like the scrambler). The speed is smaller and lighter and 17in front which I like. Final point yes I can see a couple of hundred added to the price as soon as Triumph/Bajaj think they can get away with it! Secondhand ones might well be as expensive as new are now, but if it turns out to be a bike people offload quickly that could still flood the secondhand market... lets see! Thanks.
Personally I'm sick of all the "hype" with everyone falling over themselves telling us how good it is. For me at 6ft and a bit on the heavy side its just too small but for the trendy younger one's I can see its appeal.
Hi Ian, it's currently at the peak of its hype phase. People are going wild for this bike placing orders unseen etc, just as triumph would like 😅. it will turn out to be just another nice enough entry level bike but at the moment everyone is waxing lyrical about both the speed and the scram. Same about the Honda hornet, I spoke to a Honda dealer today and he said he hadn't sold many at all this year, all sold on the hype of last years release.
Well researched as always. Just a little correction, BSA Legacy was never £7.3k. It’s the only one the price has been static on. Original prices were £6.5 green, £6.8 stripes and £7k for the Legacy. I wander why they have not dropped it? My personal opinion on Retros - I don’t think it’s possible to compare the Triumph 400 with the BSA. The BSA is a “Modern Classic” purposefully duplication the old style and “characteristics”. The Triumph is a “Retro style” aimed at a quick glance old school look. Everything shouts shallow imitation, Bajaj are masters of high production cheap motorcycles, like the Chinese, nothing wrong with that, but mono shock, high reving with torque not coming in until near the red line? Very small bike aimed at the city and as a step through to bigger bikes. I predict short ownership cycles and higher rates of failure than Triumph are used to. But in the Indian market it will be more aspirational. A final note remember BSA being compared to Jawa as same owners - will that cross over to Triumph and Bajaj?
Hi Nigel thanks for the comment. Nice of you to pop over here, I usually chat on FB 😊 on your excellent group. I haven't forgotten about your suggestion to be posting images over there, sadly I haven't been out as been so busy with work 😟. With respect to the £7.3k I included the exorbitant OTR charges, which used to be listed on the BSA website it used to say +£300 OTR now I can't even find the pricing at all 😟. If you look on Autotraders fowlers have a Legacy at £7,300 so they must be including OTR. The BSA website seems to be changed or updated weekly. It looks like engine bars have also disappeared from there, perhaps they cannot fulfill orders? Am I being daft? I agree with your points about the 400s being revvy, I made a video pointing out that these bikes have the same compression ratio as a Honda CBR600RR 😂, you cannot achieve a specific output of 100bhp/litre without this. I would say people crossing even from a RE 350 will enjoy the extra power but perhaps not the delivery, there's no thump, thump - I used to see this on my Meteor 350 videos when editing the footage you could actually see the peaks in the audio it looked like this _I_I_I_I_I_I_I_ on the audio track. These new bikes will look like this IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI 😂. Final point, I don't think Triumph will be associated badly by these bikes, Triumph marketing seem to know what they are doing, sadly I think BSA have a journey ahead of them in this regard.
Hmmm are they earmarked for owners? Perhaps someone at marketing created a 'rumour' everything was sold out... 😂. I have seen multiple websites report that and owners saying that on FB however so I expect it is true there is now a long wait....
Thanks Malcolm, yes the BSA seems to draw a lot of attention on here and in real life. They can be picked up now secondhand for £4.5-5k, brilliant fun for the money. Cheers, Sean
Good for you! Zontes very well put together bikes generally speaking and the GK also puts out 40hp. It's also a fair bit cheaper, if you get a nearly new model say 500-1000 miles you are looking at £3.5k. You also get a TFT and bluetooth plus crash protection. Nice little package. I actually reviewed one on here. Was super fun...
They've given people the best of both worlds. Small bike prices, weight and seat height, with big bike looks, feel and power(almost). I'm a big fan of RE, but I'd choose these over the Scram and the Hunter every day of the week. I don't think the 400X is really comparable with the Himalayan....I wonder if that's what Triumph will look at next? A 400-500 Tiger could be a big hit.
Hi Ben, sorry just getting around to replying here. Yes these are a cut about the RE 350 and 411 powered bikes. They are selling like hot cakes so smaller bikes are definitely coming of age, it's a great time to be a motorcyclist. My only thought about a 400 tiger is that it might overlap with the tiger 660? Then again Triumph have 566,479 different Bonneville models so I assume they are not worried about overlap in the range!
Thanks Mark, that's really nice of you to say. I'm struggling at the moment to have time to go out and make videos on the bike (day job) so I'm doing more pieces to camera as and when possible. Appreciate that you said it still was received well. Sean
Put a deposit down end of November & had a short cold test ride in January think it's due del April though I want a further test ride as I spent a lot of the ride getting used to gears again after a scooter and it was just too cold to really concentrate on how the bike felt. I think they have the look and performance right though the gearing could do with being taller for those users planning a lot of out of town riding a sprocket modification could be popular could end up being a good entry to the triumph ownership model line up.
@MindfulMotorcyclist little screen heated grips, possibly handguards if available, front mudguard extension when available, will look at upper engine guards, back box etc in the long term. Like anyone with buying a new toy I don't want to overpay initially as many of these accessories will make their way here from India and aren't a dealer only fit.
Suzi is right there mate..., you keep that BSA and let HER get the Speed! Would be good to see you two on two bikes touring. That is the idea of this new model..., they want a slice of the RE market, that's the reason for the competetive price. If the BSA was sold in Switzerland, i'd already have one, but they are not here, and nobody wants to say if and when. So if I want a Thumper, then it will have to be a Speed 400. because the RE never got me that excited..., but I can't pinpoint why!
Hi Steve, the BSA is staying and I actually want to make it into an old school scramber... by that I mean off-road tyres, headlight guard and some styling bits, perhaps the TEC up swept exhaust. Wouldn't cost that much and would look great. I am biased but Suzie would look great on the Speed 😊.Perhaps a red one, low seat, weight and low torque so not so dangerous for a beginner. BSA are in France, now Spain (I was surprised to see the local dealer had them) US imminently so hopefully CH soon too. I mean it's a wealthy country generally, should suit a market where people want a nice Sunday bike...
@@MindfulMotorcyclist did you know that in Europe, Switzerland has the highest number of registered motorcycles, as a percentage of it's population...? But if i take an educated guess, i'd be inclined to say only about half that number are ridden on a regular basis (and even less in winter) compared to the Brit bikers.
@@MindfulMotorcyclist oh, forgot to mention, I was serious about Suzy on a Street, as it has "ideal beginner bike" written all over it. I too would pick the Red one. Beautiful maschine.
Interesting analysis guys I agree Triumph have stolen a march on Royal Enfield with these two models without doubt BSA well not sure what's happening with them surely at least one more model must be on the cards they seem a bit like Norton in that they really seem very half hearted almost it what they do, not a recipe for success in a very competitive market and as far BSA go for me it would kind of put me off going down that road although I do quite like the BSA as a second bike . The new Daytona 660 from Triumph looks pretty good any thoughts' ? Nice one guys hope your having fun out there in the sunshine 🤢🤣👌👍
Thanks Crumbly, we all can guess RE will be hitting back with a 450 Hunter as soon as they can but this huge number of orders by Triumph is quite something. I've made no secret of my disappointment with BSA on how they have marketed the bikes and over-promised on some of the accessories. I'm not sure where they are as a company, seems to be a bit rudderless, shame as the bike is fantastic. RE are powering on, releasing a bike every 4-6 months and owners then trade in and re-buy almost the same bike from the same dealer. Imagine how good that is, you almost have annual business from the same customer with RE, it's a financial gift! BSA are very much like Norton, but thankfully having a lower price point while having the huge financial backing of an automotive giant in Mahindra. Daytona 660 will be a blast, my friend actually looked at one in replacement to his 2017 675 (very late one), he was disappointed to see it down on power but all the new sports bikes are like that these days, look good but comfortable and useable day to day (almost a lightweight sports tourer). My pick would be the Suzuki GSX-8R actually as that P twin is incredible, the clips ons are above the yokes so nice and comfy albeit it will sacrifice some top end to the Triumph triple...
This is probably true, however it is unlikely. They have a track record of trying to make as many different bikes from one engine platform as possible (as do many brands). I suspect the sherpa engine will now be propagated across multiple platforms now. Hunter first, then perhaps a Classic 450 etc...
Love this video Babe, loved watching how you flow in videos and share honesty and openly your opinion and get conversations going. I'm loving this community you've drawn in more and more ❤
Hi Dan,
I have been an owner of a Speed 400 for about 5 months now and have followed the swingarm story you mentioned quite closely. The owner of the bike that had the swing arm breakage was a rental agency owner in the Himalayan town of Manali. He had rented out the bike to a customer within 3 days of getting it, at which point the bike had already done about 600 kms, which is a lot for a brand new bike (averaging 200kms a day). All this was during peak winters in the Himalayas where temps are around -20 deg C and there is ice on the roads. We dont have de-icing and salting on roads in these regions. Investigations had shown that the swing arm failure was not because of a slow highway fall that the rental shop owner claimed. It was proven that there was a high speed impact on the bike, from the side, possibly from an ice-related slip, in hard terrain. The side of the bike including footpegs were gone. No one else has reported this issue in over 20000 bikes that have been sold here.
I would caution against taking anecdotal reviews too seriously. Most people in India have upgraded to these bikes from simpler and frankly, less powerful vehicles which have a lot less tech, are air cooled and can be beaten around and repaired for almost no money. Safe to say, these 400s arent in that category so a lot of mis-maintenance is visible on these groups. This should improve over time.
Had the same with my Hima(bought in 2019)…they had one (publicised) head/fork stem breakage in India on a hire bike somewhere up North in the Himalayas...the amount of stuff on the western websites was legion,...
Good comment, yes I did try to articulate that a lot of the 'reliability' issues are small in number and misappropriated. Such news doesn't seem to have impacted the launch in any meaningful way at least!
@@MindfulMotorcyclist Your reply contradicts itself. I'm not aficionado for Triumph but you know nothing of the details of that particular bike other than the story that was spun, yet you mention it and it, as it seems, a one off, and the whole world is talking about it. The immobiliser light staying on needs to be sorted, that seems very common, was the case on the test ride bike I rode.
@@Itsthejourneynotthedestination the above comment by me is not contradictory.
The wife loved the 900 but found it heavy… I just put money down on a Scrambler 400X at the dealer here in the US (and they are not here yet) because other folks have already put their money down and this was the only way to get one or even test ride one…. Triumph is smart and puts the bike out ahead of other bikes and that for a killer price… This will be a world wide sales success for Triumph…
I haven't ridden my dad's Tbird but I am looking forward to that even though it is a bit heavier than my current bike. Congratulations on your new bike, I hope it all goes well and you enjoy it. Did you go green or back paint? Cheers, Sean
The “oil leak” was an oil filter badly installed by an independent service provider. Amazing how no one cares for the apologizing video that the guy published right after.
🤣 no that's how the internet works. People jump on a story and it gets propagated. You want to hope you don't get disgruntled owners who repost their bad experiences at every opportunity. I've seen that happen as well. Sad for the brands...
I think one of the major selling points will be the low seat height (790mm, the same as my Diavel V4) which will appeal to a lot of women riders.
One of the only similarities with the V4 Andy 😁. Have you taken out a Classic 350 for a test ride yet? 😂😁
Yes I sat on both at Motorcycle Live and the ride height was definitely lower than a lot of bikes, most I'm on tippie toes but here I felt a little more comfortable 🙏
RE owner here(Hima/Meteor/Intercept) was going to add the new Hima 450 to the collection...however just put my money down for a speed 400 instead...last triumph I had was a 1969 Meriden Bonneville (bought in 1970...😎)
Congratulations Mark, I hope you enjoy your new bike. Can you share when you ordered and when the bike is due to be delivered? Thanks!
@@MindfulMotorcyclist ordered last week (Grey/black) quoted May.
Stick with the BSA Sean, much more classic looks sound and ride, and I suspect a more engaging ride experience. You may be aware that the new series of Hairy Bikers sees Si and Dave travelling in various UK regions on BSA’s and they look and sound fantastic.
Thanks Gareth, I love the BSA but to be honest I am a little worried about the company. Dealers are a bit hacked off with them, pricing wasn't ideal on launch and the bikes and now accessories timelines are about as predictable as a tradesperson here in Ibiza. Mañana, mañana is the saying, only tomorrow never comes 😟. I was thinking about 'Scramblerising' the BSA a little with some nice tyres, a headlight guard and some other styling bits, what so you think? Maybe an exhaust to decat the bike... I am interested in what people would think especially as you mention the classic looks. Thanks.
Those mods sound interesting and would give the bike a classic scrambler look, but remember to retain all removed parts so it can be returned to original spec as modified bikes can suffer reduced resale values, also need to advise your insurer of any mods and it may affect remaining warranty
I was interested in your explicit description of the vibration levels, above 60 mph.
I did not realise you had ever actually ridden one.
Obviously I was wrong.
No this isn't a review, it's a commentary on how well they are selling. There are absolutely loads of reviews out there to check out now, I would also recommend the Facebook group to get a non influencer feedback from an owner. Cheers.
Good video Sean. I’ve seen many of the Triumph 400 mostly positive reviews and they don’t tick the classic/retro boxes for me the way BSA and Royal Enfields do. And I agree that gold anodized forks are a no-no for me. The most disconcerting part of your presentation for me was the photo of the broken swing arm which to me looked like very low quality metal. If true, that would be potentially life threatening if a failure occurred while riding. I would do a bit more research before buying. Thank you both for the video. Cheers, Dan ✌️🏍🇨🇦
Wow...!!...must be a Clark Kent alias doppelgänger...one look(a picture at that) and you KNOW it's low quality metal.
Sorry just getting around to reply here Dan. The other thing which separates the Triumphs from RE and BSA is the engine character, the 400s are high reving, short geared and high compression compared to BSA and Enfield which are under stressed thumpers shall we say. That's true of the RE 350 and probably the BSA even tho that engine is not a long stroke lump. The RE twin is certainly quite low powered for it's capacity. Nothing like these Triumphs with 100bhp/litre. I think anyone who goes into buying one for the retro feeling will be disappointed sadly. Thanks 👍
I’m interested to try the Speed out. At that price point, I’m curious to see if it cuts into RE’s popularity here in the States. Everyone’s comparing it to the Enfield 350s, but with the power it has, it may well take aim at the 650s, as well.I hope it’s reliable and proves to be a hit for them. I’m keen to see the alleged Hunter 450, which will be Enfield’s direct reply to these. Nice to have competition like this-it really benefits us as consumers and motorcycle enthusiasts.
Hi Mark I hope you are well. I agree with this, fundamentally to have brands we like vying for market share with quality well priced motorcycles is of huge benefit to the consumer. Oh I bet at Enfield right now some engineer is placing that Sherpa engine snuggly inside a Hunter frame. It will be called Hunter 450 of course. Thanks for the comment.
Always find it strange when youtubers believe that a tiny company like Triumph are really going to affect RE sales. You have to understand that RE sells more bikes in 6 weeks, than Triumph sells in a year.
Clue is in the title, UK market specific. We all know that RE dominates the Indian home market with huge sales numbers. If REs 350 range UK sales are let's estimate 500 a month and Triumph 400s start doing even 200 a month that is eating into market share. Before you say things like 'you have to understand' get the context right first.
The ride experience between a 350 Hunter and a 400 speed would suit different people. Having to wind-on a bike to make it go often leads to excessive speed in the wrong places, though im sure it would chuff along on its torque well enough. Im still riding a 42 year old bike with 20hp, is it enough?, well, I do not get speeding tickets on any motorways, but its enough to lose a licence anywhere else. I dont understand why these bikes "buzz", when old Honda singles do not. Poor engineering?
Nice overview, and that's a mad long waiting time to get a brand new one, by which time a few will be available second hand. I think I'd rather a second hand one, it'll have been run in (hopefully respectfully) and any teething troubles ironed out. I have sat on a Speed variant, thought it was quite small, but more likely aimed at younger riders but suspect the price will rise imminently which will mean second hand ones will remain high too if the demand is there. Anyway, the kettle's boiled 😋
Hope your tea was nice Lee! At first thought it was the Scrambler that I thought about, but in on reflection I'd now have a red or black speed. You could probably accessorise it to be a little more individual (like the scrambler). The speed is smaller and lighter and 17in front which I like. Final point yes I can see a couple of hundred added to the price as soon as Triumph/Bajaj think they can get away with it! Secondhand ones might well be as expensive as new are now, but if it turns out to be a bike people offload quickly that could still flood the secondhand market... lets see! Thanks.
Personally I'm sick of all the "hype" with everyone falling over themselves telling us how good it is. For me at 6ft and a bit on the heavy side its just too small but for the trendy younger one's I can see its appeal.
Hi Ian, it's currently at the peak of its hype phase. People are going wild for this bike placing orders unseen etc, just as triumph would like 😅. it will turn out to be just another nice enough entry level bike but at the moment everyone is waxing lyrical about both the speed and the scram. Same about the Honda hornet, I spoke to a Honda dealer today and he said he hadn't sold many at all this year, all sold on the hype of last years release.
Well researched as always. Just a little correction, BSA Legacy was never £7.3k. It’s the only one the price has been static on. Original prices were £6.5 green, £6.8 stripes and £7k for the Legacy. I wander why they have not dropped it? My personal opinion on Retros - I don’t think it’s possible to compare the Triumph 400 with the BSA. The BSA is a “Modern Classic” purposefully duplication the old style and “characteristics”. The Triumph is a “Retro style” aimed at a quick glance old school look. Everything shouts shallow imitation, Bajaj are masters of high production cheap motorcycles, like the Chinese, nothing wrong with that, but mono shock, high reving with torque not coming in until near the red line? Very small bike aimed at the city and as a step through to bigger bikes. I predict short ownership cycles and higher rates of failure than Triumph are used to. But in the Indian market it will be more aspirational. A final note remember BSA being compared to Jawa as same owners - will that cross over to Triumph and Bajaj?
Hi Nigel thanks for the comment. Nice of you to pop over here, I usually chat on FB 😊 on your excellent group. I haven't forgotten about your suggestion to be posting images over there, sadly I haven't been out as been so busy with work 😟. With respect to the £7.3k I included the exorbitant OTR charges, which used to be listed on the BSA website it used to say +£300 OTR now I can't even find the pricing at all 😟. If you look on Autotraders fowlers have a Legacy at £7,300 so they must be including OTR. The BSA website seems to be changed or updated weekly. It looks like engine bars have also disappeared from there, perhaps they cannot fulfill orders? Am I being daft? I agree with your points about the 400s being revvy, I made a video pointing out that these bikes have the same compression ratio as a Honda CBR600RR 😂, you cannot achieve a specific output of 100bhp/litre without this. I would say people crossing even from a RE 350 will enjoy the extra power but perhaps not the delivery, there's no thump, thump - I used to see this on my Meteor 350 videos when editing the footage you could actually see the peaks in the audio it looked like this _I_I_I_I_I_I_I_ on the audio track. These new bikes will look like this IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI 😂. Final point, I don't think Triumph will be associated badly by these bikes, Triumph marketing seem to know what they are doing, sadly I think BSA have a journey ahead of them in this regard.
There are both speed and scrambler models available in my local Triumph dealership right now.
Hmmm are they earmarked for owners? Perhaps someone at marketing created a 'rumour' everything was sold out... 😂. I have seen multiple websites report that and owners saying that on FB however so I expect it is true there is now a long wait....
I was surprised on the size. A lot of scramblers look a but dinky to me but the triumph is a decent size.
It's a full sized bike, I think the Speed is probably a little smaller than the scrambler tho...
I prefer the look of the BSA if purchased a classic triumph it would be the bonneville
Thanks Malcolm, yes the BSA seems to draw a lot of attention on here and in real life. They can be picked up now secondhand for £4.5-5k, brilliant fun for the money. Cheers, Sean
They are nice but I am sold on getting a Zontes GK350
Good for you! Zontes very well put together bikes generally speaking and the GK also puts out 40hp. It's also a fair bit cheaper, if you get a nearly new model say 500-1000 miles you are looking at £3.5k. You also get a TFT and bluetooth plus crash protection. Nice little package. I actually reviewed one on here. Was super fun...
They've given people the best of both worlds. Small bike prices, weight and seat height, with big bike looks, feel and power(almost). I'm a big fan of RE, but I'd choose these over the Scram and the Hunter every day of the week. I don't think the 400X is really comparable with the Himalayan....I wonder if that's what Triumph will look at next? A 400-500 Tiger could be a big hit.
Hi Ben, sorry just getting around to replying here. Yes these are a cut about the RE 350 and 411 powered bikes. They are selling like hot cakes so smaller bikes are definitely coming of age, it's a great time to be a motorcyclist. My only thought about a 400 tiger is that it might overlap with the tiger 660? Then again Triumph have 566,479 different Bonneville models so I assume they are not worried about overlap in the range!
@MindfulMotorcyclist they certainly do! 😂😂 I love the Tiger 660, but an off-road version based on this 400 platform would be a good bet.
Nice one Sean, some really good info there 👍
Thanks Mark, that's really nice of you to say. I'm struggling at the moment to have time to go out and make videos on the bike (day job) so I'm doing more pieces to camera as and when possible. Appreciate that you said it still was received well. Sean
the speed model may be selling as good as the x model because of the lower seat height ....
I think that's part of it, it's also lighter, that 17inch front is nice and it's £600 less of course. Bloody good price it has to be said...
Put a deposit down end of November & had a short cold test ride in January think it's due del April though I want a further test ride as I spent a lot of the ride getting used to gears again after a scooter and it was just too cold to really concentrate on how the bike felt. I think they have the look and performance right though the gearing could do with being taller for those users planning a lot of out of town riding a sprocket modification could be popular could end up being a good entry to the triumph ownership model line up.
Hi Anthony, which one did you go for then? Speed or Scrambler. Perhaps the latter given the long wait time?
@MindfulMotorcyclist The Speed in Caspian blue just got to do that warmer test ride & decide on a couple of accessories.
@anthonybrown4874 what are your potential accessories then?
@MindfulMotorcyclist little screen heated grips, possibly handguards if available, front mudguard extension when available, will look at upper engine guards, back box etc in the long term. Like anyone with buying a new toy I don't want to overpay initially as many of these accessories will make their way here from India and aren't a dealer only fit.
Suzi is right there mate..., you keep that BSA and let HER get the Speed! Would be good to see you two on two bikes touring.
That is the idea of this new model..., they want a slice of the RE market, that's the reason for the competetive price. If the BSA was sold in Switzerland, i'd already have one, but they are not here, and nobody wants to say if and when. So if I want a Thumper, then it will have to be a Speed 400. because the RE never got me that excited..., but I can't pinpoint why!
Hi Steve, the BSA is staying and I actually want to make it into an old school scramber... by that I mean off-road tyres, headlight guard and some styling bits, perhaps the TEC up swept exhaust. Wouldn't cost that much and would look great. I am biased but Suzie would look great on the Speed 😊.Perhaps a red one, low seat, weight and low torque so not so dangerous for a beginner. BSA are in France, now Spain (I was surprised to see the local dealer had them) US imminently so hopefully CH soon too. I mean it's a wealthy country generally, should suit a market where people want a nice Sunday bike...
@@MindfulMotorcyclist did you know that in Europe, Switzerland has the highest number of registered motorcycles, as a percentage of it's population...?
But if i take an educated guess, i'd be inclined to say only about half that number are ridden on a regular basis (and even less in winter) compared to the Brit bikers.
@@MindfulMotorcyclist oh, forgot to mention, I was serious about Suzy on a Street, as it has "ideal beginner bike" written all over it. I too would pick the Red one. Beautiful maschine.
Interesting analysis guys I agree Triumph have stolen a march on Royal Enfield with these two models without doubt BSA well not sure what's happening with them surely at least one more model must be on the cards they seem a bit like Norton in that they really seem very half hearted almost it what they do, not a recipe for success in a very competitive market and as far BSA go for me it would kind of put me off going down that road although I do quite like the BSA as a second bike . The new Daytona 660 from Triumph looks pretty good any thoughts' ? Nice one guys hope your having fun out there in the sunshine 🤢🤣👌👍
Thanks Crumbly, we all can guess RE will be hitting back with a 450 Hunter as soon as they can but this huge number of orders by Triumph is quite something. I've made no secret of my disappointment with BSA on how they have marketed the bikes and over-promised on some of the accessories. I'm not sure where they are as a company, seems to be a bit rudderless, shame as the bike is fantastic. RE are powering on, releasing a bike every 4-6 months and owners then trade in and re-buy almost the same bike from the same dealer. Imagine how good that is, you almost have annual business from the same customer with RE, it's a financial gift! BSA are very much like Norton, but thankfully having a lower price point while having the huge financial backing of an automotive giant in Mahindra. Daytona 660 will be a blast, my friend actually looked at one in replacement to his 2017 675 (very late one), he was disappointed to see it down on power but all the new sports bikes are like that these days, look good but comfortable and useable day to day (almost a lightweight sports tourer). My pick would be the Suzuki GSX-8R actually as that P twin is incredible, the clips ons are above the yokes so nice and comfy albeit it will sacrifice some top end to the Triumph triple...
Think if RE made a new 500/600 ls single and put it it in a classic and a scrambler bike think it would be the best of the lot.
This is probably true, however it is unlikely. They have a track record of trying to make as many different bikes from one engine platform as possible (as do many brands). I suspect the sherpa engine will now be propagated across multiple platforms now. Hunter first, then perhaps a Classic 450 etc...
Bajaj auto has done a great job sticking Triumph badges on bikes, they look good ;-]
Slightly cynical Gordan 😁. They've also styled it up, with some of the design features of the bigger engined 'Triumphs'.
Triumph have got it done from Bajaj before putting their own sticker 🤷♀️
This bloke is too good looking to have a girlfriend! 😆😉😆😉😆😉😆
Thanks for the nice comment!
Love this video Babe, loved watching how you flow in videos and share honesty and openly your opinion and get conversations going. I'm loving this community you've drawn in more and more ❤
Thanks for your support and kindness! The adventure wouldn't be the same without you ❤️