3 Of India’s Best Small Capacity Retro-roadsters Compared

With its fantastic pricing, Triumph has ensured that the Speed 400’s value-for-money proposition is INCREDIBLE! And that makes us wonder if the other recently-launched retro roadster, the Harley-Davidson X440, even makes sense! And before we get both bikes for a proper comparo, one way to get an idea of that would be to put the bikes against each other on paper. And given that the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has been all the rage in this segment for years now, it made sense to include it in this comparison as well.

Engine

The Speed 400 absolutely dominates the other two in this department. Its liquid-cooled, 4-valve engine is more sophisticated than the other two and it’s evident in its output figures too. That said, it does make its power and torque higher up the rev range than the other two, so the bottom end performance might not be able to match the torquey nature of Harley-Davidson and Royal Enfield bikes.

That said, the Speed 400’s power isn’t as high up the rev range as something like the KTM 390 Duke and hence usability in the city shouldn’t be any issue with this Triumph bike.

Underpinnings

The Speed 400’s more modern and sporty approach is visible here as well. 17-inch alloys and a monoshock should ideally make it a much better handler than both the Harley and the Classic 350. Additionally, the Apollo Alpha H1 tyres are ones that we’ve ridden with previously and found them to be quite sticky.

Dimensions

No surprises here too. The Triumph Speed 400 sounds the most accessible of the three bikes. With the shortest wheelbase, most accessible seat and lowest kerb weight, the Triumph sounds like the easiest bike to ride for riders of all shapes and sizes, at least on paper.

The X440, despite what its weight suggests, is a delightful handler. It’s planted and you will find yourself scraping the footpegs sooner than you’d expect. The Classic 350, though, isn’t a bad handler either. For its heft, it’s neutral and feels stable even if you push it hard.

Features

Surprisingly, it’s a Harley-Davidson bike that’s the most feature-loaded of the three. Never thought a Harley would boast of more features than a Triumph, eh? The X440 packs a round TFT that looks compact and uncluttered. And more importantly, it packs quite a lot of features like Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, call and SMS alerts and a lot more. The Classic 350’s console does look a bit dated. 

What’s surprising though, is the Speed 400’s semi-digital console. It doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity and hence none of those fancy features. But… 

Price & Verdict

(all prices ex-showroom)

…it costs Rs 2.33 lakh! That ex-showroom price means it’s just Rs 4,000 more than the X440. In fact, if you’d rather have tubeless tyres and if you opt for the Vivid or S trim, the Speed 400 is Rs 16,000 and Rs 36,000 less expensive respectively! The bike undoubtedly nails the neo-retro tag. Retro looks and modern performance, if you like your bikes that way, the Speed 400 will appeal to you the most.

That said, these things are all on paper. Our review on the Speed 400 will be dropping on July 14, so stay tuned to ZigWheels to know all about how the bike is in the real world.