Triumph Scrambler 400X On and Off Road Test Ride and First Impressions (In Texas!)

[@cemotosteve]

I got my 400X in March. Rode it a lot this Summer and Fall. I've farkelized it with crash bars, windscreen, bar risers and a bunch of other small mods. The best mod is to swap the 14 tooth front sprocket for a 15 tooth. Transforms the bike! I have several other bikes, but this one calls to me the most when I go into the garage.

[@olddirtbiker5088]

You are right about changing to the 15 tooth front sprocket, less vibes at highway speed and still plenty of grunt in first gear. And you can always change back to stock without even doing anything to the chain length. Maybe $25 if you do it yourself.

[@christophervincent77]

I rode the Street 400 and loved it. A guy at my work bought the scrambler. He has at least 4 other adv bikes (BMW GS, Africa Twin, Super Tenere, maybe others). He usually rotates through pretty regularly but since he bought the 400, I've seen that in his parking spot more than any of the others. Clearly he likes it. He's close to 6'4" as well and puts tall seat pads on all of his bikes so I know which ones are his.

[@bwlyon]

Whoop whoop, the 400-450cc market is hotter than a popcorn fart right now. What is not to love, Triumph, CFMoto, and Royal Enfield coming out with guns a blazing with their wares in this class. These are glorious times, indeed. What I love about the 400x is the analog speedo and its classic aesthetic, which makes it look great.

[@anthonycoffey6565]

At 6' 2" & 280lbs these reviews really help. I did manage to test ride a tiger 900 rally & damn did it make me want a Triumph 😍

[@edwardhall8382]

Got My 400x back in feburary and love it! Ive hit 37S for 1.5 hours with no issues staying at 75-80 with no worry. It is a light bike so I did add a screwn to help with getting bullied by the wind but no complaints. I live on a dirt road and have no issues driving and playing around on it as well.

[@ScottSweasy]

The scrambler 400 may very well be my next bike. I grew up on dual sports and spent a LOT of time on dirt roads just enjoying the ride and scenery. I had a KLR 650 and it was great for that but was so top heavy it would really make you pucker on loose sand and gravel. I'm super interested in all the 400 to 500 size adventure bikes coming out. I like the thought of the scrambler because it will do 80% of what I enjoy. True off road capability is not a real concern, if I'm hitting single track I'm taking out the 2004 KX 125 for all of the off road and two stroke fun. If I want power, I take out the 2024 MT07 that has spent more time on dirt than it should 😂. I just feel with the styling and fun of the scrambler I couldn't go wrong. Looks like it would be a blast on the backroads and fun and nimble in town. Thanks for the review.

[@geyster97531]

Been owning this bike for a couple months now, this thing has plenty enough power to have fun! I previously had a Ducati Monster 696 which was clearly faster but I love the feeling of being able to ride this bike like a hooligan, WOT almost whenever you want. Commuting, twisties, scrambling - I even passed some dudes on fully laden Africa Twins in tight twisty gravel roads who were surprised with what this bike can do. Light is right they say, and light is fun! It's obviously personal but I love its simplicity as well. Not a million riding modes and gizmos. Brings you back to what I feel really matters: being outside and having a good time. Cherry on top: it's cheap for what it is, and sounds amazing stock. Love it!

[@michaeltait3783]

My father-in-law was from England. He spent the rest of his years after WW2 here in Chicago. If they had that 400 scrambler two yrs earlier I probably would’ve got the triumph instead of Burro Verde KLR 650. If I got a British motorcycle, I would think Dad is looking down on me from heaven, one more time and smiling😊

[@hershchat]

Your daddy didn’t look down upon you, Sonny boy. He loved and admired you.

[@jessewigent9776]

Taking delivery of mine tomorrow. First bike, hoping to take camping in the future, maybe even MABDR easier sections. Thanks for the review/impressions.

[@jessewigent9776]

…Also, which tires did they have on the bike when you rode it??

[@marcpigeon7796]

Riley’s friend Marc from the Awesome Players, I’m a T7 and CRF250L owner who is contemplating swapping the CRF for the 400X and you have confirmed what I was hoping. That it would make an awesome (pun intended) dirt road hooligan bike. Thanks for the great content ! 🏍️🇨🇦

[@jeffpeterson6507]

I have a Triumph 400x and a Honda crf300l. The 400x is more comfortable and responds well while hauling my wife on forest service roads. Hauling my wife on the crf300l was horrible. However, the crf300l is great as a single rider riding trails and power line right-a-ways. The 400x is not designed for that type of riding. I tried it once, and never again. I'll use the 400x for BDRs, but not for trails.

[@MotoCocoTV]

Awesome... I'm so glad you got to ride one..i love the look of the scrambles! Thanks Ben.. you definitely are getting a ton of content as possible from these Rallys... keep up the great work.

[@jeffk4930]

Dude you’re living a dream of testing and riding. Stay safe!

[@victoriabrockman5473]

If I ever got rid of my Honda CL350 Scrambler, I'd definitely look at a Triumph 400 Scrambler. That is one sexy bike. 40hp on a sub 400 lb motorcycle would be great off road... I think people forget that an RM125 motocross bike is only 40hp and 230 lbs. 2 stroke will rev quicker, but 40 hp is plenty to take on off road riding. Anything over 75 hp on dirt is nearly unmanageable on anything but a well manicured flat track, unless you're lugging it to stay in the 30-40 hp range of the power band.

[@advredbikes]

Thanks Ben for reviewing a great small bike, I like the scramble look as well and being a small bike it’s easy to pick up off the ground. If you do drop it not like a GS or something or Africa twin thank you. Looking forward to your next video.

[@dmpslc]

You could tell you were having a blast! Looks like a fun ride!

[@hunczar]

nice; i'm getting one and just bought the rally raid suspension kit. looking forward to checking it out

[@slowtaknow]

I just bought the scram 411, at 48 it fits the bill perfectly, it can do highway speeds but I have found I don't like riding on the highway much. I had a 2007 Ninja 650r prior and the similarities between the two are remarkable. Of course so are the differences , the ninja was of course more powerful, heavier, and required a bit of a high throttle to prevent stalling out when starting. In contrast, the Himalayan practically will roll out on idle, is lighter and easier to maintain.

[@Wintersdark]

Fantastic. I've got a Scrambler 1200xe, and my wife wants to get started riding with me so we're looking at one of these for her to learn on.

[@snowbetty76]

I got to ride one at Maupin Madness last year and god I loved it. It was SO FUN. Makes you want to goof off.

[@marinoopen]

Thanks!

[@HONDACR919USA313]

Was thinking of this of the rally pro 900 i choose the scrambler because it just felt more confident inspiring. And it was fourth of the price.

[@CampingwithRadios_kg6dve]

It's more fun riding a slow bike fast, than riding a fast bike slow

[@sheetmetalhead]

I saw one of those up close at the Maupin Madness last summer, looks great but didn’t want to ride it because I thought I might like it too much! Thanks for the review

[@xiuzhanie5303]

Agreed with you, the bar is quite weird position for offroading. I have push fwd, and feels very confident after that. Also, the gear lever also need to adjust a bit to make it confident offroading. After the adjustment, the handguards is useless

[@steveh545]

Torque in the road, good job. Close 'en-cow-nter' ... i see what you did there. Glad to see more small, inexpensive, bikes hitting the market. awesome. OT, but have you watch Bugmoto... he's from your hood (or at least the PNW), a great pontificator.

[@TheMotoShaman]

Ive got a big ADV bike, but I am seriously considering getting one of these so my wife and son can learn to ride and at least follow me around on the gravel roads.

[@frontieroverland]

I just wish they had a spoked wheel option. You can get them aftermarket (for $1600). Rally Raid sells a nice set in gold so it matches the forks. I plan on picking one of these up soon. Just need to sell my 2023 KLX300 first.

[@ericmcdonald7313]

I have a Moto Guzzi Stornello Scrambler with the 750 V7 engine....put 50/50 tires on it and it is great in the dirt and gravel. As I get older, like the lighter weight..

[@billesbacon]

Thanks for the off road review. I love mine and deliver bacon with it

[@2vford241]

I've been looking at scramblers, after Tdubskid ordeal with his triumph I'm going with the honda scl500, test rode one and loved it

[@pezz_pezzer]

You mentioned the tires but did not say if they were swapped out for the factory Meltzers? Those 70/30s are not horrible on dirt but not really confidence inspiring for that use case. Personally I will be upgrading to Dunlap Trailmax Raid 40/60 on / off-road. But so far with only 700 miles clocked in on my first bike ever I am really enjoying her. Looking forward to spring riding season again.

[@xSkidMarx]

I just 😎 scrambled 😎 to watch this video

[@smashy_smasherton]

A triumph of a comment.

[@xSkidMarx]

@@smashy_smasherton wish I could like this 400x times

[@smashy_smasherton]

@@xSkidMarx Wow, you wheelie like it. I must be on a roll. I better hit the brakes before you throttle me.

[@beborodner930]

Thanks Dork. :) This is just the kind if quick and dirty review I've been looking for with this bike. A true 1st ride impression.. The in-depth reviews on other sights have already been covered pretty well.. but how does it actually feel and impress.. that's what this review does very well, and with the right tires.

[@boblynch7535]

Any opinions on a comparison with the new Himy? Did the weight feel much lighter? Please tell your Triumph pals we’re all waiting for a more dedicated off-road variant. Thanks

[@josephthornton8560]

Very cool bike and I am very interested.... previous triumph (scram) owners reviewed difficult and expensive maintenance. Also sometimes breakdowns that proved ridiculously expensive repairs. I am slightly more inclined to the honda 500 scram for those reasons. You reviewed the honda nx 500 as a very capable small ADV, on paper the scl 500 looks even better than nx.

[@tomoates8568]

I've watched a looooot of reviews for this bike because I'm thinking about buying one as my secondary bike/ bad weather bike. Most of the reviewers talk about how the gearing is extremely short, but I saw you were in 1st or 2nd gear at fairly "normal" speeds in my opinion. Did you feel like the gearing was short? Or do you think maybe you rev the bike a little higher than the typical rider?

[@nathandalleave252]

I've owned my 400x for a long time over 7k miles on it, and I can tell you when I first rode it the gearing seemed ludicrously short, however after riding it for almost a year I can tell you the break in does effect the gearing significantly, and actually since I do take it off road I absolutely love it in the dirt. 1st and 2nd are made for offroad, 3rd and 4th great on gravel, 5th-6th on road the gears pull longer and honestly 6th is good from 55 mph up to 80. I hated the gearing at first but now that I've ridden it I wouldn't change a thing. If you are doing mostly street riding go for the 15 tooth swap, if you want to be a hooligan keep the 14 it's perfect IMO.

[@tomoates8568]

@@nathandalleave252 Cool, thanks for the info. Good to hear an owner's perspective that's actually done some miles on it! Most of the reviewers are just on if for a test spin when the bike is pretty much brand new, so they wouldn't really know the feel of it after a break in. Appreciate it man!

[@JimAppleby]

When are you coming to the East coast? We feel slighted 😢😊

[@me1ne]

Greetings! Do you have the opportunity to try out a Fantic Caballero (Explorer) 500 for comparison? Cheers.

[@danchandler8931]

Corpulent, ha! Got to love a former English teacher turned content creator.

[@toddsorel-pg4hr]

How do you find out about these events? It seems like there is never any opportunity to test ride a bike before buying.

[@jalex19100]

Tank came pre-dented - no reason to hold back then, right?

[@thr33n0r]

would love to see your thoughts on the honda scl500

[@malcolmpatton9314]

Do you think it would be a downgrade from a Honda cb500x normal front forks single disc model Honda ?

[@flyovercounty1427]

Out here in Flyover County we has miles and miles of gravel roads. Anyone know of a front fender extension for these to close off the back of the front wheel?

[@MOBStreet83]

Dude, if you're ever in Utah let me know and I'll let you take my 400x on one of those gravel roads. We can make some TW200 videos as well. Open Invitation

[@hunczar]

what kinda tires were on it?

[@MOBStreet83]

The Karoo 3's are on mine

[@kellyzimmerman3117]

Would it suffice for the Nor Cal BDR? Or would a slightly bigger bike be better KLR 650 or say DR 650?

[@SBC-Dualsport]

I did the Nor Cal BDR last year and I'd say you would want more suspension travel and ground clearance. I did it on a KLX 300 so the 400x would have plenty of power, just not the off road chops.

[@donkeycrock]

How is it compared to a CRF 300?

[@jeeperHK]

Goddamn. I hate helmet-mounted camera footage. Good verbal, but dang.

[@jamesonpace726]

Um, a Bajaj with a Triumph badge. Not a bad thing, just a thing. I'm hoping Bajaj is not connected to KTM....

[@IndigoJo]

@@jamesonpace726 Bajaj owns just under half of KTM (Pierer owns just over half) but it's a company in its own right so Bajaj won't go down just because KTM does. Fewer Duke 390s likely means more Speed and Scrambler 400s.

[@yahhboyDrewskii]

possible to get more riding and less talking?

[@davidsizemore2745]

Could be wrong but if you set that up as a true ADV bike with bags, windshield and everything else that goes with it that bike couldn't handle the weight.

[@DorkintheRoad]

I mean...my motocamping setup weighs about 40 pounds...and the average rider definitely weighs more than 40 pounds less than I do. So it stands to reason that if it was okay with me on it, then it should be okay with a regular rider + gear?

[@johntoth9679]

I'm 160lbs and my camping gear weighs at least 40lbs and I had no problem last summer on a 10 day ride from LA to Lake Tahoe. Best thing I've done was to change the 14 tooth to a 15 tooth front sprocket. The bike begs you to ride it hard.

[@lonely_trans_girl]

I love the way the 400X looks 😍 Have a fully paid for and kitted out CB500X tho which is prolly better for long distance travel but I bet that Scrambler feels more fun! ☺️

[@DirtChainy]

dorkintheroad tested, tdubskid approved

[@JacobAnawalt]

Sweet looking bike. Don't drop it and have the immobilizer system get damaged and immobilze your bike, requiring you trailer it to the dealership. ( @TDubsKid kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpWQgnSDrcR8o9Esi=H3oLK6dGZn5ODsb0 ) Stories like that make me want to run away from fuel injection and fancy electronics for an offroad capable bike, even if they give better mileage or the option of cruise control.