Triumph Thruxton 400 First Ride Review: Brewed Speed

PHOTOGRAPHY: VAIBHAV DHANAWADE

It’s 10:30 am on a weekday in Pune – not exactly the golden hour for a joyride on a motorcycle. The city, once celebrated for its laid-back charm, has now become a textbook case of the chaos that rapid urbanisation brings with it. Towering buildings, both completed and under construction, jostle for space, with an ever-growing density of vehicles on the streets. After nearly two hours of weaving through gridlocked traffic, dodging two-wheelers and honking hatchbacks, and tailing endless convoys of cargo-laden trucks in the industrial sprawl of Chakan, had me questioning the choice of the route. But just as fatigue raised its weary head, we finally reached our shoot location for the new Triumph Thruxton 400.

Also Read: Triumph Thruxton 400 Launched At Rs. 2.74 Lakh

There’s a certain comfort in pulling over at a roadside tapri — especially after crawling through an unending sea of bumpers and brake lights. A quick break for chai and vada pav was more than just a snack stop; it was a much-needed pause, and somehow, the perfect match for the machine parked beside me. After all, if not a hipster café, what better pit stop for a made-in-India Triumph café racer than a humble tea stall by the highway?

Also Read: Triumph Thruxton 400 Vs Speed 400 Differences Explained

As I stood there, tea in hand and the aroma of fried batter in the air, my eyes kept drifting back to the bike — the new Triumph Thruxton 400. Admiration came easy; so did a fair bit of scrutiny. This was no ordinary motorcycle. It carried the weight of a legendary name and the task of reviving a genre that’s remained a niche in India. Café racers haven’t been as popular as their roadster and scrambler siblings, even from brands like Royal Enfield in India.  The Thruxton 400, then, has a challenge on its hands. Can it spark new life into a style that’s never quite found mainstream footing here?

Also Read: Triumph Thruxton 400 - In Pictures

Triumph Thruxton 400: Design & Aesthetics

The new Triumph Thruxton 400 is based on the Speed 400.  So, it has the same engine and chassis, with some tweaks, but it gets sportier ergonomics, and a retro sport bike design, an ode to the hand-built, stripped-down café racer motorcycles from 1960s Britain. Now, in 2025, Triumph has introduced its smallest factory café racer, the made in India, Thruxton 400 – taking a name synonymous with Triumph’s famed Thruxton range – a tribute to Triumph’s accomplishments at the Thruxton racetrack in the previous century.

Also Read: Triumph Speed 400 Review - Hamara Triumph!

From the half-fairing surrounding the round headlight, clip-on handlebars, rear-set pegs and rear seat cowl, the new Thruxton 400 does have all the period-correct elements of café racer design. The bar-end mirrors, Monza-style fuel filler cap, bar-end mirrors, throttle body covers, engine fins and aluminium silver finishes make the new 400 a fitting tribute to the iconic Triumph Thruxton family. On the chassis side, the main frame is the same as the Speed 400, but the rear sub-frame is completely new. The steering geometry has been altered as well, with a sharper 24.5-degree rake angle to complement the bike’s sporty character and personality.

But it could have been even more aspirational. There are no gold-anodised upside-down forks, nor are the brake and clutch levers adjustable for reach. And the rear grab rail somehow interrupts the iconic café racer lines. Yet, the Thruxton 400 is a high-quality motorcycle, and has impressive attention to detail and finish, in four eye-catching colours – Lava Red Gloss, Pearl Metallic White, Phantom Black and Metallic Racing Yellow. It has a kerb weight of 183 kg, four kilograms more than the Speed 400, with a slightly more accessible seat height of 795 mm, and 10 mm more suspension travel. That said, ground clearance takes a bit of a hit — a small trade-off in the pursuit of form over function.

Triumph Thruxton 400: Performance & Handling

The 398 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine is shared with the rest of the Triumph 400 range. But it has been tweaked, with changes to the valvetrain. Cam timings have been optimised, and valve springs have been stiffened as well. The updated engine has a 1,000 rpm higher redline of 10,200 rpm and makes 2 bhp more than what the Speed 400 makes. In numbers, output is 41.4 bhp at 9,000 rpm and 37.5 Nm at 7,500 rpm. Despite a 4 kg weight in kerb weight, which is183 kg on the Thruxton 400, it feels sprightly and eager to build up speed.

Throttle response is crisp, and fuelling is pretty good. You won’t have any surprises during on-off throttle transitions, and the performance is linear and predictable, with a strong rush of torque after 6,000 rpm. The final drive has been altered as well, with a 43-teeth rear sprocket to aid in better top speed. Claimed maximum speed is 161 kmph. Although our brief first ride didn’t offer us any opportunity to test that claim, the Thruxton 400 is happiest and relaxed at 90 kmph, with plenty of performance beyond 100 kmph as well.

It is when the twisties show up that the Thruxton 400 makes its sporty, café racer lineage apparent. A relatively empty, twisty road up a hill offered us the chance to explore its dynamics, and it is in this kind of environment where the Thruxton 400 can be really appreciated. It is agile, keen to make direction changes easily, and the Apollo Alpha H1 tyres offer very good feedback and confidence, whether leaned over or when shedding speed quickly. The four-piston radial calipers offer very good braking performance, and the sintered brake pads offer the bite and feel that you will appreciate when shedding speed in a hurry. But a tight schedule for a first ride meant it was soon time to leave that smooth ribbon of tarmac and head back into the chaos of Pune's streets.

Triumph Thruxton 400: Verdict

The new Triumph Thruxton 400 makes a solid statement as an affordable café racer based on a platform which has already proven its worth with the Speed 400 and the Scrambler 400. Nevertheless, the Thruxton 400 is likely to find takers, particularly in international markets, as an entry-level café racer, and for folks who will be taken in by its period-correct modern classic design and authentic café racer lines. It is an entertaining motorcycle, for short rides around town, or the weekend coffee or breakfast meet-up with friends.

Even for born-again bikers of a particular vintage, who want to make a style statement with an attractive café racer design, the Thruxton 400 will possibly find appeal. But for others who want a versatile machine – looking to add a new motorcycle in your single-bike garage, the Thruxton 400 has limitations. The sporty ergonomics are not suited for longer rides, and neither will your significant other be as happy, accompanying you on your Sunday morning ride, as compared to a roadster, or an adventure bike.

The new Triumph Thruxton 400 has a lot going for it, in its stance, design and performance. How it eventually fares in India, is a question time will tell, because of its limitations, and personality focussed on leisure riding and short city rides. Riding the Thruxton 400 on a short stretch of smooth wide tarmac, snaking up a hill on the outskirts proved to be an enjoyable excursion.  But heading back to base later in the afternoon meant battling bumper to bumper traffic – and the fun part of riding the Thruxton 400 was soon forgotten. 

And then it struck me — this wasn’t the ride the Thruxton 400 was built for. Crawling through city traffic with a hunched back, working the clutch in a committed riding position, and squeezing through tight gaps wasn’t doing justice to this modern classic. 

The real magic of the Thruxton 400, I imagined, would unfold on a crisp early morning, winding up a twisty mountain road, engine humming, tyres gripping the curves, and the world blurring gently around you. That’s where this retro beauty belongs — not stuck between honking hatchbacks and delivery scooters.

If you’re drawn to the Thruxton 400 for its timeless style and retro charm, and you’ve got access to open roads and early mornings, it’s a ride worth considering. But for the daily grind? Maybe it’s best admired from the sidelines — parked outside a café, catching the morning light, while you sip your coffee (or chai) and dream of the next great escape.

Watch the Triumph Thruxton 400 Video Review:

 

Triumph Thruxton 400 Key Specifications: