Triumph Speed T4 – First Ride Review

The Ride

The setting for this brief ride with the Speed T4 was Pune city’s chaotic environment as well as a short but swift ride down a relatively open highway. There could not have been a better test of the engine’s tractability and it genuinely impressed. I could ride as lazily as I wanted and the engine didn’t complain. 20kmph in third gear in the city is possible, with no need to downshift to make a lunge for that gap in traffic. For those of you who hate shifting gears too often, this will come across as music to your ears.

We did sample the Triumph Speed 400 before we hopped on the Speed T4. So the reference marker in the mind was set as we went about riding the latter. I, for one, appreciated this character in the engine, picturing a scenario where you’ve had a long day at work and want to get back home on a motorcycle that requires less effort.

The fat wave of torque is quite apparent on the highway as well. You can stick the gearbox in sixth and sit between 60kmph and 120kmph with barely any need to downshift to make quick overtakes.

All said, what made me like this engine even more is that, unlike the competition, it does not feel out of breath after 100kmph. There is enough top-end performance to sit at triple-digit highway speeds comfortably. And, its low-speed tractability has not come at the expense of a busy and strained top end.

I, hence, see no issues in the Speed T4 catering to the demands of city commutes and highway touring as long as you want to sit at speeds up to 120kmph. Beyond this, the performance begins to taper until you hit a speedo-indicated 140kmph.

Also, the engine feels buzzy under hard, in-gear acceleration. However, at cruising speeds of 80-110kmph, the vibrations are well within control as the revs are not high.

As for the ride and handling, it is quite good for the most part. The few bumps and potholes that I encountered did little to unsettle the bike or throw me off the seat. That said, the suspension does have a slightly firm edge to it but I’ll wait for a comprehensive test over Mumbai’s potholed roads to give out a conclusive judgement about the ride.

The handling, however, is planted and predictable around corners. Despite the small increase in the wheelbase, the Speed T4 continues to feel light-footed while changing direction. As for the feel and feedback from the MRF bias-plys, it is quite good for the speeds and the road conditions I encountered.

The one area that could be improved is the brakes. While they are pretty good in most braking scenarios, under emergency stopping scenarios, the brake lever travel was a lot more than I’d anticipated.