Triumph and Bajaj Auto combine to bring Triumph to the masses

Triumph bosses have hinted at more small capacity models to come following the launch of their A2-friendly Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X – produced in collaboration with Indian manufacturing giants, Bajaj Auto.

• We’ve ridden them: Read our Triumph Speed 400 and Triumph Scrambler 400 X reviews

Designed in Hinckley and produced using the same methodical development process as any other Triumph motorcycle, both machines feature a fuel-injected DOHC 398cc Euro5- friendly engine producing a claimed 39.5bhp at 8000rpm.

They will be built by Bajaj for the Indian market – having officially established a partnership back in 2017 – and by Triumph in Thailand and Brazil for the rest of the world.

“The purpose of the partnership was to create a range of small motorcycles that would sit below the existing range,” Triumph’s Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Stroud told MCN. “You’re seeing, effectively, the first two of those motorcycles coming to market.”

Both models weigh less than 180kg ready to ride and aim to steal a slice of the small-capacity market away from the likes of Royal Enfield, BMW, and KTM – who all offer affordable Indian-built singles, with the latter also in partnership with Bajaj.

“As you know, we’re looking at many, many ways to grow our business,” Stroud continued. “The range starts today at just under £8000 and there are a lot of people just starting out in biking for whom that’s unobtainable.”

The Triumph man then further confirmed that the firm’s off-road competition range will also arrive later this year with the aim of attracting yet more riders to the British brand.

Neither Stroud nor Chief Product Officer, Steve Sargent, would be drawn on the price of the 400s at this stage, confirming that we’ll find out at the official press riding launch later this year.

However, with Royal Enfield’s HNTR 350 starting at just £3899 and BMW’s TVS-built G310 range sitting below £6000, the target is clear. Anything higher could risk putting off new riders before they’ve even set foot in a dealership.

This is not the first time the British manufacturer has dabbled with designing small capacity modern motorcycles, with MCN previously capturing numerous images of both a 250cc Street Triple and Daytona in 2013 – but both projects were then ‘postponed’ by the firm before they could reach production.

“Those earlier projects were something we were doing 100% on our own,” Sargent said of Triumph’s first attempt. “One of the challenges that we found in developing small capacity bikes is you’re basically in competition with a lot of high-volume players and, in that segment, you’ve really got to get the cost of your materials down.

“When we did those previous models, there were a few things that conspired against us – things like exchange rates moved strongly in certain directions – so we took a step back and said: ‘what we really need to do is partner with somebody,’ say Sargent.

“Bajaj were the obvious choice,” he continued. “There are other manufacturers in India who other people have partnered with that I don’t think have got the same strength of engineering background and capability.

Despite the new singles being designed to attract a new, younger generation to motorcycling, Sargent confirmed there were no plans to go smaller than 400cc.

There are also no plans to bring an electric version to market, to sit alongside the combustion options. “I was at the Department for Transport round table last week and I think generally the consensus of the manufacturers is that the technology right now is capable of delivering probably up to a 125cc motorcycle.”

He added: “In terms of delivering anything much bigger than that, the technology isn’t really there.”