Could There Be A Triumph Tiger 400 In The Making?

Just until a few years ago, imagining a 400cc single-cylinder Triumph would have sounded like a dream. And with the introduction of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X, Triumph has done right by us – the dreamers.

What these new bikes do for us, is give us the hope to dream a bit more and expect a bit more, in terms of what motorcycles can be, even on a budget. One such surreal dream is this digital render of a hot new take on the Speed 400’s platform – a breathtaking Tiger 400.

Now when you saw this render, you must’ve felt an exasperated breath escaping your mouth, because it did that to me. And why wouldn’t it, right? The rendered bike looks like a dream – a muscular, strong and capable off-roader, all at an affordable price. It has all the elements that make a Triumph adventure bike – the Tiger. And of course, it looks like a smaller version of the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport with the beak-like fender, tall visor, small fairing and muscular fuel tank.

An adventure bike requires good underpinnings, and the Scrambler 400 X already seems to be pretty capable for light trails. So using the same hardware, with a bit more, shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Tiger 400. The render shows alloy wheels, which could pass for Triumph’s GT series in the ADV mix. But, add to that mix the idea of a Tiger 400 Rally with spoke wheels, fully adjustable suspension, and more ground clearance. That would give you a hardcore adventure bike, and something that we would really love.

Let’s talk about the engine now, shall we? If you haven’t yet, read our review of the Triumph Speed 400, just to get to know the engine better. Now, of course, it will get the same engine as the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X, which already has pretty great low-end torque and a healthy mid-range. Interestingly, Triumph claims to have a different sprocket on the Scrambler 400 X, which makes for even better low-end performance, which if you consider the Tiger 400, would make it even better for trailing, riding in the slush and so on. It could even be better than the KTM 390 Adventure’s passable low-end performance, which causes a bit of a struggle on hardcore offroad trails.

Oh, and the engine reminds me – the Triumph Tiger 400 would directly attack the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and KTM 390 Adventure, and make for a fantastic offering in that segment which is currently quite hot in India. However, the engine is also the reason why the dream of a Triumph Tiger 400 is unlikely. You see, the Speed 400 platform belongs to Triumph’s Bonneville series, which is a bit more soulful and characteristic and does not share it with the British bikemaker’s Tiger series.

An adventure bike based on this platform would mean wonders for the Indian motorcycle industry, and enthusiasts, but that is why we dream, in the hopes that it may someday come true. And, to get us by, for now, the Scrambler 400 X is coming in October 2023. Oh, and Thruxton 400 is likely to be in the works too.

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