I've loved my time with the Triumph Scrambler 400 X... but you have to use it properly

Published: 05 March 2025

Triumph Scrambler 400 X tested for MCN by Ben Clarke

And just like that, the Scrambler 400 X has gone back to Triumph and I’m left scratching my head, trying to make sense of the last year. There have been ups and downs during my time with the baby Trumpet, but my opinion has generally swayed depending on the kind of riding I did last.

Update one: Is the Triumph Scrambler 400 X powerful enough for a bigger rider
Update two: Triumph Scrambler 400 X vs Speed 400
Update three: Power and speed testing the Scrambler 400 X
Update four: Taking the Scrambler 400 X off-road
Update five: Fitting knobbly tyres to the Scrambler
Update six: Rally Raid off-road upgrades
Update seven: Does the 400 X fit with the other Triumph Scramblers?

By the end of the test, commuting to the office was starting to feel like a real drag. The 33bhp (tested) single just isn’t up to an hour plus of 60/70mph riding in a straight line. I only have to make the trip once a week but a daily commute would have left me dreading the sound of my alarm.

This kind of use highlights all of the bike’s worst bits and none of its best. Engine vibes, lack of power, zero wind protection and low gearing take centre stage and things only get worse at night thanks to the woeful headlight.

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But luckily, there are plenty of other ways you can ride a motorbike that don’t end with a day spent sitting at a laptop.

Confidence knocked

I haven’t crashed a test bike in the six years I’ve worked at MCN. That’s over 90 bikes and getting on for 50,000 miles without so much as a cocked up U-turn or a forgotten disc lock to my name. This is not a record that survived the Scrambler intact as I managed to crash not once but twice during my stewardship.

The second tumble was heavy enough to break a rib and leave me smarting for weeks afterwards, something that reminded me of my age and the fact that I’m no longer made of rubber and magic like I was in my twenties.

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On a more serious note, it obliterated my confidence riding off-road and has triggered a decision that I won’t be venturing off the tarmac in future without body armour at the very least (I was wearing a back protector but my ribs were exposed) but more likely an airbag system.

Now, I’m not trying to blame the Triumph (poor workman, etc) but I’m not sure I’d have taken either tumble had I been riding the Ténéré 700 I tested in 2020. I’m no off-road legend and I don’t pretend to be, but when I took the Yamaha onto the dirty stuff, it felt as though the bike had a lot more capability than I was able to extract. In fact, take a look at Pol Tarrés’ Instagram channel for proof that this is the case.

Whereas riding a slow bike fast is more fun than riding a fast bike slow on the road, riding a more capable machine off-road is a cosseting experience with an enormous margin for error – a margin I’d have been truly grateful for this year.

Where it makes sense

Rather than bleating on about the Scrambler’s performance on my trip to the office – a headbanging hour of national speed limits punctuated by roundabouts and sections of dual carriageway – I’ll focus on the times that the ride really suited the bike.

For a blast across town to run some errands, a run to the café a few towns over or even a waft down some quaint A-roads in my home county of Norfolk, the 400 X shines brightly. The key is that you can’t be in a hurry to get where you’re going.

Overtaking can be a chore and requires timing, momentum and preferably local road knowledge to execute. If you brake hard into a corner, you’ll be stirring the gearbox on the way out to get back up to speed so you’re much better off taking a long, wide line, tipping in late and carrying some pace to corner exit. The chassis is more than capable of letting you do this, even with the aftermarket 50/50 tyres I fitted.

Bimbling along on a summer’s day, enjoying the throaty roar of the Scrambler’s upturned pipe and the simplistic charm of the plod-along engine is a superb place to be and reminds you of everything that’s great about riding a motorcycle. It’s also proof if any were needed that a budget model can provide what I’ve heard referred to as ‘garage wood’, too.