Triumph Scrambler 400 XC first ride review: More than just a set of new wheels?

New variants are a good way of making an existing product feel fresh and more relevant, but not all of them actually do. Sometimes, the changes don’t do enough to increase the appeal, but every now and then, there are a few products that do make a strong case for themselves. Triumph recently launched the Scrambler 400 XC, the highlight feature of which are tubeless spoked wheels. Apart from that, this variant gets a few new colours and a bunch of accessories that are optional to the Scrambler 400 X, as standard kit. Is the XC, a hit or a miss then? We spent some time in the saddle to find out.

Triumph Scrambler 400 XC design

The Scrambler 400 X is a gorgeous motorcycle with spot on proportions, and Triumph has made the right move of not messing with that formula. The XC carries forward the same design that made the X special and adds to it three new colours – Storm Grey, Vanilla White and Racing Yellow. In the photos, the Storm Grey colourway that I rode was a bit underwhelming, but in person it’s quite pretty with a nice metal flake finish in the paint. The orange, black and red accents add to the appeal. The XC gets a fly-screen as standard and the colour is body matched, not transparent as it would be if you optioned it with the X. Other design changes include a black colour finish for the subframe and rear tail light shroud, instead of the grey colour finish on the X. Other extra kit includes a lower engine guard, adjustable clutch and brake levers, tall fender (body colour matched) and the racing number plate and badging now bearing XC branding. All-in-all, styling-wise, the Scrambler 400 XC continues to be quite the looker and the tubeless spoked wheels enhance the retro appeal.

Triumph Scrambler 400 XC performance, ride and handling

There’s not much new to talk about here because the engine and all other mechanicals remain unchanged. A quick refresher, the 398.15cc TR series engine is still good for 39.5bhp at 8000rpm and 37.5Nm at 6500rpm. The performance feels near-identical but you can expect minute changes in acceleration figures owing to the fact that all the changes have resulted in a 5kg weight gain, taking the kerb weight to 190kg. Of the 5kg, 1.1kg is a result of the new tubeless spoked wheels.

Does that affect handling? Very marginally so, by way of requiring a wee bit more effort to steer. Honestly you won’t be able to tell the difference unless you ride the X and the XC back to back and even then, the difference is too little to complain about. The XC retains the agile but stable nature of the X and is a hoot to ride with that torquey motor at the centre of things. The suspension tune remains unchanged too and gets the same 150mm of travel at both ends. Luckily though, the suspension setup worked fairly well on the X, and the XC retains the ability to handle a fair bit of abuse.

One thing I feel Triumph definitely should have done is swap the organic brake pads out for sintered units because braking was the biggest blemish in the Scrambler 400 X’s otherwise great portfolio. Triumph says the choice to not opt for sintered pads was intentional so as to make the braking too sharp while riding off-road, given that the bike now gets spoked wheels. Honestly, apart from the ride feeling a tad bit softer, courtesy of the wheels better absorbing the impact, I don’t really feel like the XC brings a lot more off-roading capabilities to the table. This is because all the other things required to improve a bike’s ability to venture deeper off road, remain the same as on the X. The suspension with its tune and travel and crucially, the tyres. While the MRFs are good on the road, off-road, a more aggressive tread pattern would help. But again, the travel and ground clearance are unchanged so you wouldn’t want to ride the bike too far off tarmac. As a scrambler, the 400 XC does check all the right boxes, as long as you treat it as such and not a robust off-road ADV or dirt bike.

Triumph Scrambler 400 XC verdict

First things first, can you retrofit the spoked wheels to an existing Scrambler 400 X? In theory, yes. The dimensions (barring weight) are the same and the spec of tyres are identical too. But Triumph tells us that as of right now, warranty for the wheels will not be honoured if fit onto the X. And more importantly, the set will cost roughly ₹72,000 (₹34,876 for the front and ₹36,875 for the rear), making it, in my opinion, way too expensive to buy as a standalone part for a bike that costs just shy of ₹3 lakh, especially considering you won’t get the warranty for it if you were to put it on the X. At ₹2.94 lakh ex-showroom, the Triumph Scrambler 400 XC is a very appealing motorcycle and the ₹27,000-odd increase over the X makes a lot of sense, considering that with that money, you’re getting wheels that cost ₹72,000 and other parts that would otherwise cost a good sum of money. Is the XC a serious step up over the X in terms of sheer ability and performance? No. Is it just another shoddy variant that doesn’t add value to the buyer's life? The answer for that is a big no as well. The Triumph Scrambler 400 XC is definitely a hit when it comes to variants and does a good job of enhancing the core appeal of what made the X special in the first place.