Triumph Thruxton 400 First Ride Review: Nailing the Cafe Racer Spirit?

The Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X have been high on my list of motorcycles to recommend since their launch. The Speed T4, however, was a bit of a miss, primarily due to its pricing, which, thankfully, has been corrected now. That’s why I was quite eager to see how the latest addition to the company's line-up, the Thruxton 400, would shape up. As a cafe racer, it stands out as one of the most unique offerings in the market today. Of course, that also means that it probably won’t appeal to everyone. So, what’s new here, and who should consider buying the Thruxton 400? Let's find out.

Triumph Thruxton 400: Design & Styling

Visually, the biggest and most obvious change is the addition of a half fairing – something that we’ve already seen on the bigger Thruxtons. The difference, however, lies in the execution – while larger models used a simple and curvy design, the 400 gets some sharp lines and contours to appear more modern. In fact, it looks more like the Street Triple 1200 RR than it does the Thruxton 1200. Personally, I’m not a big fan of this design because it lacks the retro charm of the original Thruxton, and since the rest of the bike doesn’t look aggressive enough, it fails to even look sharp like the Street Triple 1200 RR. Also, the baby Thruxton even risks appearing a little anaemic from certain angles for obvious reasons.

The quality levels, however, are still impressive. The paint schemes are striking, with the Pearl Metallic White being my personal favourite. The seat comes with a removable cowl, although you’ll need to take the seat off to detach it. At the rear, a new, more compact taillamp complements the Thruxton’s sleeker tail section. The instrument cluster is the same semi-digital unit found on the other Triumph 400 bikes, and I really don’t have any major issues with it.

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Being a cafe racer, the ergonomics have been heavily tweaked. The clip-on handlebars sit 246mm lower than those of the Speed 400, while the footpegs have been moved back by 86mm and are 27mm higher. This results in a very committed riding position, which is great for handling the bike.

You feel like you are one with the bike, which allows you to make precise adjustments with ease. The downside, of course, is that you’ll inevitably put weight on your back and arms, making slow crawls in city traffic rather unpleasant.

Triumph Thruxton 400: Engine Performance & Handling

This is the second time that Triumph has decided to make changes to the 398cc single-cylinder engine in a meaningful way, which has made the engine more potent. The uprated engine now produces 41.4bhp – 1.9bhp more than the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X. While the torque remains the same, both the power and torque come in 1,000rpm higher, with the redline also pushed up by 1,000rpm. Consequently, the engine offers a decent punch, and the bike can accelerate quickly enough to put a smile on your face. Yes, some of those gains in power are offset by the 4kgs increase in overall weight, but the bike still feels fun. Open the throttle, and the analogue needle shoots upwards with enthusiasm.

Back in the day, café racer owners chased ‘the ton’ – 100mph, or about 161km/h. According to Triumph, the Thruxton 400 manages to achieve that figure, making its top speed 3km/h more than that of the Speed 400. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to test the bike on the track, which means that we can’t verify its top speed in real-world conditions. What we can verify, however, is how helpful the fairing is in your pursuit of speed. It’s very easy to tuck in behind the windscreen and escape the windblast. Despite all of this, the bike is well behaved when you drop the speed but not the gears, which is great for riding in the city.

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In keeping with its café racer persona, and to cope with the added weight, Triumph has stiffened up the suspension. Honestly, I expected it to be a nightmare over broken city roads, but it’s not that bad, especially at lower speeds. The front end is relatively softer and more absorbent than the rear, but the preload adjustment can do with some tweaks. Out on the twisties, the bike feels confident and planted, which is also thanks to the tyres.

Triumph Thruxton 400: Verdict

The Thruxton 400 is not a bike for everyone, and I like that. It is for the select few who know exactly what they are getting into – those who are young at heart and forever chasing the thrill of riding. This bike has character – perhaps not as much as the bigger Thruxtons, but still impressive in its own right.

Barring the vibrations at higher rpms and the design of the fairing, there is little to fault. Yes, the price could have been a touch lower, but it’s not a deal-breaker, especially if you want something that turns heads.