Summary
I was on the lookout for an upgrade over my existing 150cc Honda Dazzler and my requirements were something about 30bhp comfortable and should be able to tackle broken roads, you can read all about it in this thread.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...used-soul.html (Long-term motorcycle for an extremely confused soul)
The short version is that the old bike was in good condition but the riding angel combined with my weight was making it uncomfortable on my hands and the bike having done 14 years was due for an upgrade.
Enter the Scrambler 400X
Likes
- In love with the power available on tap. My average speed is now higher than what it was earlier as the scrambler loved to pick up speed on demand.
- The power delivery is very linear and not scary. A lot of reviewers have suggested that the sweet spot for highways is between 100-110, I felt that the bike is least strained between 60-80km/hr.
- The seating is higher so the view over traffic is much better than my old commuter.
- The bike actually gives the feeling of riding a big bike but is nimble enough to glide through traffic.
- The matt green Khaki colour is a looker.
Dislikes:
- The headlights are a sour point but have seen people recommending taking off the headlight guard for better visibility.
- The bike becomes a bit coarse and shows resistance when you try to push it over 6000 rpm.
- I seem to have a specific issue with starting the bike, if the bike turns off while riding then I need to crank it atleast 2-3 times to get it started. If its parked for sometime it starts immediately but sudden stops due to stalling or even of you park or stop for a short duration and start again, it wont start on the first crank.
- The turning radius of the bike is much bigger than what am used to and factoring in the weight turning in small spaces like the office parking and on inclines is a task.
- The paint is super scratch prone even if its matt, I managed to put in some micro scratches with a cardboard box.
- The bike kicks up a lot of dirt towards you from the front and the back and its terrible during the rains, hopefully this has now been fixed with the new mud splash kit.
The List
- Hunter 350: too small for me plus was less than the 30bhp want.
- Meteor 350: Was a perfect fit but did not like it, heart was just not into it.
- Interceptor 650 (alloy): Loved it, the weight wasn't an issue but it did strain my hands, but am thinking a handle bar riser might fix this issue.
- Speed 400: Test rode it, loved it, booked it and cancelled as well, felt small like the hunter.
- Scrambler 400x: Test drove it but wasn't very sure.
- Speed 900: Loved this one, test drove it in Mumbai traffic and eerily balanced bike, dropped it considering my use case and where I would be riding it.
- V-Strom 250: Glided over potholes, but strained my hands.
- Dominar 400: The TD vehicle was a nightmare, wasn't maintained very well chain was loose, absolutely no bite for the brakes, and noise from the engine, didn't go more than 50 meters from the showroom I returned the bike and I walked away and it also strained my hand.
- Apache RTR 200: Seating was committed but surprisingly didn't stain my hand, but the suspension was stiff and bounced over potholes.
- CB 350 RS: again loved it had minimal strain on my hands, booked it, saw the speed 400 cancelled the booking, considering value proposition.
- CB 300 R: Great bike, but it’s meant for a single rider, pillion's beware as the seat can be a sore point.
- Duke 390: High revving machine, its truly a a great machine, but just not for me.
Buying Experience
All the comments by BHPians did help me make a decision but the final push to buy the Scrambler 400x was from the showroom Jai Auto's in Ashok Nagar, Chennai.
This was a new showroom and the closet to me, all the other showrooms are further away and are operated by Khivraj. My initial booking of the speed 400 was with Khivraj, where the experience wasn't bad. I had cancelled by speed 400 booking with Khivraj and had done a booking online for the Scrambler 400x with Jai Auto's.
What set Jai Auto's apart was that on expressing my confusion of between the speed and the scrambler the sales representative directly offered me a longer TD, without me even asking, they gave me the bike overnight (6 pm to 10 am) and i could take it to my usual routes. TD the bike where I would be riding it 95% of the time, and this is what sold me.
After the TD when returning the bike the next day, I paid the remaining amount in full and in 30 mins all the necessary documents and process were completed and was informed of delivery in a week.
There was a bit of confusion on the day of delivery, I was asked to come at 11 but the bike was still at the workshop about 2 kms away, they had brought in the wrong bike. I insisted on going to the workshop and getting the bike myself and brought it back to the showroom, so an unofficial delivery was already done at the service center. Once at the showroom they did the ceremonial key handover and explained the functions, showed me how to remove and replace the back seat, the tools and how to do basic fluid checks and was told that the service center would be able to guide me on adjusting the suspension when I go in for the 1st service.
Overall the delivery experience was good save for the mix up and delay, which was brushed aside by the excitement of getting the bike.
Price Breakdown
Booking Amount Paid: 10000
Vehicle Cost (incl. taxes): 262996
Insurance: 24267
Road Tax: 31560
Registration: 975
Processing Fee: 1800
Affidavit: 1200
On Road Total: 322794
The Engine:
A lot has been already written by much more experienced people than myself on the Scrambler's engine, and i do concur with their observations, the power delivery is linear, when you want to do an overtake, just point and shoot and the bike just puts you on our target.
Am yet to push the bike over the 6k threshold, the moment it hits 6k I can see the taco flashing and reluctance to go up any further, there are vibrations, but coming from a 15 year old bike i barely feel them. Since my commute has been mostly within the city and short distances I also haven't got a chance to push the bike.
The clutch is on the firmer side, I was expecting it to be much lighter being a slipper clutch.
The suspension, Brakes & Tires
The suspension is plush, with a pillion and rising over pot-hole ridden roads the bike is pretty stable and manageable.
It does come with 10 step adjustable suspension at the rear, i have it currently at the softest, will start fiddling around with it in the coming days.
I am happy with the brakes, even though they are a little scary at times, they did initially feel spongy, but I have gotten used to them and am able to use them without any issues now.
I can bring the bike to a halt when and where I want, as I have got an judgement of where and how much force to apply on the brakes. I did have a close call, but the bike did stop as expected.
But saying the above, I would get the brake pads changed once the original organic pads do wear off.
The MRF's do provide good grip but they aren't confidence inspiring, rainy season is here yet but somewhere in the back of my mind I have a prejudice that these might not be that grippy in the rains, but as for the dry weather performance am ok with them, once these wear out, I would be looking for better options, or even opt for road biased tyres considering my usage.
Lighting & Speedo
This is probably one of the weak points of the bike, the headlights aren't that great, they seem to be useful only if you are riding in absolute pitch dark, the illumination is definitely not adequate.
This already weak headlamps are made worse with the grill on top of the headlamps. The high beam is also pointed straight ahead into the abyss and no where on the roads. Triumph needs to provide a better solution and definitely better calibration for the headlamps.
The tail lamps and the led indicators are sufficiently bright and complement the bike very well. There is a USB port somewhere on the speedo, realized it just as I was typing this out, I am yet to see it, since I don't have a use for it.
Triumph app & Owners Manual
The app is basic and hasn't given me any trouble yet, you can book for service via the app and then the owners manual can also be downloaded through it.
Going through the owners manual has helped me correct a lot of my behaviors, one of which is using the kill switch to turn off the bike, as per the manual the kill switch is meant to be used only in case of emergency and to turn off the engine its recommended to always use the ignition key. Am still reading through the manual, so guys please go through the manual, as it will definitely help you maintain your ride better.
About the speedo a lot of people have complained that the speedo should have been digital and the taco should have been analogue I do agree with them. I really don't find myself looking at the speedo, and when I do look its to see which gear am on and the fuel level, both of which clearly visible along with the other indicators for Traction control, lights and engine warnings.
Service Experience
The service experience has been pretty good so far, there seem to be only 3-4 staff in the service center (Jai Triumph Saidapet), and it is a small service center as well, packed with new bikes. But the staff at the service center haven't tried to push any unnecessary add-ons, and have been friendly and helpful enough, to take me through the basic checks and in what intervals.
- Check for engine oil once every 2 weeks but based on my riding pattern they have asked me to check every 700 kms. There are 100ml sachets available to top off the engine oil is what I have been told.
- Keep and eye on the chain, clean and lube it as and when required, if looks dry or looks covered in crud, clean and lube it.
- An eye on all the other fluids, brake oil, coolant every 1000 kms or so.
My 2 cents:
The fit and finish of the bike has been praised by a lot of people and I fully agree on this front, has the fit and finish I would expect from a 3-5 lakh bike.
Anyone over 5'10 should be able to mange on this bike, I myself being 5'11 am not able to fully flat foot on both sides, but I can reach both sides comfortably. The pillion seats are comfortable and the home minister has officially declared that its the best since she has a 360 view of her surrounding as well.
My primary use case for the bike is within the city, this bike may get ridden on the highways for longer than 10kms, but that would be a very rare scenario in my case. Over the last 2 months of ownership I have ridden only about 570 kms and most it has been forced riding for longer duration just so that i could at least clock 500 kms before I give the vehicle in for the 1st service.
The handlebars are comfortable I do feel bit of strain in my palms, nothing which a pair of good riding gloves cant fix. The mirrors are small for my liking, they do give good visibility of the rear but the visibility towards the sides is poor due to the round shape, I might get them switched at a later stage. The switchgear is nice would have liked the info button to be tactile but its still good. IMO Triumph should have opted for the illuminated switchgear since its Bajaj that manufacturing the bikes, but there are no complaints you can find the switches even in pitch dark your finger would automatically fall in place.
So as of writing the bike has been wonderful save for the starting trouble, and at the first service did put in a few accessories which I felt would be functional.
The mud splash protection kit:
This has now been brought in after a lot of riders have complained about the bike throwing mud to the rider from the front and back and also the suspension getting covered in dirt especially on rainy days.
Mud splash protection Kit: 490.99
Installation Charges: 236
Total: 726.99
You can see from the below pics how it looks post installation and the difference between the old and the new tyre hugger, for the front its merely and extender for the existing mud guard but everything is aesthetically pleasing doesn't look out of place. The rear tyre hugger is bolted on and it now is longer and covers the sides as well, but the rest, the rear and front mud guard extenders are glued on which am not too happy about, the front one should have at least been held on by screws not glue.
Notice the extensions to the sides and the new length.
The engine Bars:
Again functional addon, I was in 2 minds about getting this but the though of either someone ramming in from the sides in traffic or someone pushing the bike down and damaging the engine prompted me to add this in plus it sort of adds a brace to the existing sump guard as well.
Lower Engine Bars: 2004
Installation: 354
Total: 2358
Coated Windscreen:
This was for the sole purpose so that I could stuff some Knick-knacks(papers/cloth) and use it as kind of a temporary storage. I don't think that this will give any sort of wind protection considering the small size of the screen itself, its just adds to the appears of the bike.
Coated Windscreen: 2095
Fitting Kit Screen: 304
Fitting Kit front plate: 87.01
Installation: 354
Total: 2840.01
Tank Pad
So this was another item that i got ever since I got micro scratches on the paint after keep a cardboard box post purchasing my new helmet on the tank, this doesn't help in anyway fix that but something is better than nothing. The service center did manage to get rid of most of it and its now barely visible (see pic below). IMO Triumph should have given this as standard considering the side tank pads are present as standard.
Tank Pad: 330.99
Installation: 59
Total: 389.99
Overall am happy with the bike, will keep updating more as and when time passes. As for anyone who is looking for a really nice city bike to deal with potholes you can go ahead with the scrambler as long as you can live with the height, weight and turning radius within the city.
