Triumph Thruxton 400 Brings Vintage Racer Looks To The Beginner Bike Market

Triumph has been on a roll lately. The company revamped its Bonnevilles, introduced a new contender to the middleweight naked throne, and built a pair of even more track-ready Street Triples, but it seems the folks in Hinckley aren't done. Today, they've brought us something fans have been waiting for since the original release of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 way back in 2023: The Thruxton 400. The bike everyone expected is here, but it's more than just a Speed 400 with a fairing slapped on the front. 

The Thruxton still uses the Speed's 398 cc single-cylinder engine, but the mill gets a new cam that bumps horsepower to a claimed 41.4 at 9,000 RPMs — though torque is unchanged at 27.7 ft-lbs. The Speed's handlebars are replaced with more Thruxton-apropriate clip-ons, while the footpegs are moved back and up to match. Suspension on the Thruxton is unique, with 43mm forks offering 5.3 inches of travel up front and a preload-adjustable monoshock with 5.1 inches of travel in the rear, and that preload adjustment will come in handy if you pull off the rear cowl to expose the pillion seat hidden beneath. That cowl's not all that big, though, so don't assume the seat beneath it will be the absolute apex of passenger comfort.

While folks have long predicted a Thruxton 400, especially after the death of the full-size Thruxton, many online insisted that the bike would be some overpriced styling exercise nonstarter. Contrary to expectations, though, Triumph wants just $6,296 for the little vintage sportbike — only $800 more than the Speed 400, despite all the changes to the ergonomics, engine, and styling. The new bike doesn't seem to do anything the Speed doesn't, but if we all shopped based on objective capability we'd all be riding sport tourers or scooters. We buy on feel, and the Thruxton 400 looks like it'll give newbies the vintage-racer feel they're after. 

If we're being honest with ourselves, a lot of riders don't ride out of spreadsheet-minded concern for travel efficiency or running costs. We like motorcycles because they're fun, because they're cool, and beginners should get to have that feeling too. If the Thruxton can get newbies away from buying sketchy old CB360s for the look, only to give up on motorcycling after deciding the maintenance isn't worth it, then it'll get more people riding bikes for more time. Godspeed, little Thruzton.