In 6 Images: Triumph Speed 400 vs Royal Enfield Classic 350

Let’s see how the new Triumph Speed 400 compares with the Royal Enfield Classic 350 on paper

Triumph has unveiled the Speed 400 roadster with neo-retro looks, a potent engine and some premium hardware. But how does it fare (at least on paper) against the Royal Enfield Classic 350? Here’s a lowdown in 6 pics:

Engine:

The Triumph Speed 400 is powered by a 398cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine producing 40PS and 37.5Nm and comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The Classic 350, on the other hand, gets a 349cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine producing 20.2 PS and 27Nm and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. So, that makes the Speed 400, on paper, a better proposition than the Classic 350.

 

 

 

 

 

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Underpinnings: 

The Triumph Speed 400 gets a gold-finished 43mm upside down (USD) fork and a rear gas-charged pre-load adjustable monoshock with a wheel travel of 140mm and 130mm at the front and back, respectively. Braking duties are handled by a 300m disc brake at the front with a radial caliper and a 230mm rear disc brake with dual-channel ABS.

The Classic 350 gets 41mm telescopic forks at the front with 130mm travel and twin shock absorbers at the rear with pre-load adjustment. Braking duties are handled by a 300m front disc and a 270mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS. 
In terms of brakes, there’s not much to choose from, but the Triumph does have a radial caliper at the front which should give it a great bite. But regarding the suspension setup, the Triumph Speed 400 gets the upper hand here as the upside down (USD) fork and the gas-charged monoshock setup is a significant upgrade over the telescopic forks and twin shock absorber setup in the Classic 350. 

Tyres and Rims:

The Speed 400 gets a 110/70 R17 and 150/60 R17 setup at the front and back respectively with alloy wheels while the Classic 350 gets a tubed 100/90 R19 and 120/80 R18 setup at the front and back respectively with spoked wheels. The Classic 350 gets a nod in this case because of the bigger 19-inch and 18-inch wheels at the front and back and their potential of providing a more comfortable ride quality over bad or broken roads.

Features:

The Speed 400 gets all-LED lighting, a semi-digital instrument console with an LCD screen, switchable traction control and ride-by-wire throttle. The Classic 350 gets a halogen headlight and an analogue instrument cluster with a digital inset to display a fuel gauge, two tripmeters, an odometer, Eco indicator and time.

The Classic 350 has never been known for being feature-heavy but the absence of an LCD screen is a bit of a miss.

Styling: 

The Triumph Speed 400 gets neo-retro roadster styling with clean design lines flowing all over and a sculpted tank with a big Triumph logo plastered over it. The blacked-out engine with an upswept chrome exhaust gives the roadster that necessary bit of aggression to go with the rest of the design.

The Classic 350 has retained that age-old but iconic retro roadster look that we all know and love with the round headlight, nacelle and peashooter exhaust.

Here, deciding which one is better is tough, though, as design and looks are very subjective and both motorcycles have pretty distinct design languages. If you want a pure, retro-looking roadster, then the Royal Enfield Classic 350 is bang on. But, if you like a roadster that has a fine mix of both retro and modern design touches, then the Triumph Speed 400 is quite a looker too.

Verdict: 

On paper, the Triumph Speed 400 is the better sub-400cc roadster as it edges the Royal Enfield Classic 350 in engine performance, features and premium hardware. But the true beauty of the Classic 350 has always been about how it makes you feel while riding, offering the ultimate package of great comfort, decent performance and value-for-money pricing. 

So, in that case, let’s not dismiss the old guard and wait for Triumph Speed 400’s prices to be announced on July 5, 2023. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is priced at Rs 2.21 lakh and the Speed 400 is expected to be priced at Rs 2.90 lakh (both ex-showroom). And we’ll also ride the roadster from the British manufacturer and figure out how it compares against the Classic 350 while keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind. So, stay tuned for that!