Triumph Scrambler 400 XC (2025 - ) review

Triumph’s Indian-built 400s family has proven itself a versatile platform, both mechanically and aesthetically. Building on the Scrambler 400 X the XC adds tubeless wire wheels, a flyscreen, hand guards and new colours into a more premium looking mix, without messing with the engine, suspension, sizing or geometry. That means the same 19-inch front wheel, taller front end and 150mm suspension travel as the regular X, the XC built for gravel tracks and light off-road rather than full-on green lane thrills. Or just popping down to the local hipster hang-out and chilling with a flat white, as suits.

The single-cylinder Modern Classics have been as big a hit with older and more experienced riders downsizing to something smaller and simpler as they are younger riders looking for a cool looking first motorcycle. While some may look down on 400cc singles as ‘little bikes’ the Scramblers do a good job overcoming such snobbery by feeling like full-size machines, without being too intimidating for those new to it all. Indeed, if you’re on the taller side the longer wheelbase, bigger front wheel and taller, wider bars help make it feel like a much more substantial bike than the engine capacity and power output suggest it might be. Without being too tall in the saddle for shorter riders. It also makes it as comfortable and confidence inspiring for bombing down the lanes as it is carving through city traffic, the riding position perfect for raising your line of sight to plot your path around obstacles.

The flyscreen is more about decoration than anything, though in fairness the growing popularity of small-capacity single-cylinder adventure bikes means you could still use the XC for days out on mixed terrain. Style is as much part of the appeal as practicality, and to those ends Triumph offers a wide range of accessories like soft panniers if you’re packing for a trip away. For those venturing off road the reassurance of engine protection and handguards adds to the appeal but, for reasons we’ll get to, it’s not necessarily a bike you’ll be looking to cover big distances on.

The TR-series engine was developed specifically for the single-cylinder Modern Classics line-up and has all the refinements you’d expect of a modern motorcycle motor. It’s impressively smooth for a single, the double-barrel Scrambler exhaust giving it a more serious sounding bark than the Speed 400, the fuelling and response just as slick as its on bigger Triumphs. If it suffers anywhere it’s in the gearing, both 400 X and XC using a 14-tooth front sprocket over the 15 on the more road-optimised models. Whether it’s to offset the extra weight or help in off-road settings is unclear but in more everyday riding situations it’s simply too short, and when the lights go green you’ll be grabbing for the next gear before you’re even across the junction. Or just starting off in second, as we ended up doing, effectively giving you just five effective gears and not six. Nor does it flatter the relatively narrow powerband, meaning you’re constantly throwing gears at it to stop it revving its nuts off. Word online has it many owners are swapping the sprocket for the bigger one off the Speed, which is an easy fix though may or may not raise issues in the event of warranty work. The extra weight of the Scrambler models does mean you need to squeeze the lever for the single front brake a little harder than on others in the range, but it’s all perfectly adequate for a bike of this size and performance.

The bigger front wheel and more upright riding position mean the Scrambler takes a little more manhandling than the Speed, Thruxton or Tracker 400 alternatives but the 400 XC is still a relatively light and compact bike, and easy enough to throw around. The extra suspension travel is welcome on bumpy city streets and back lanes alike, without getting too wallowy if you want to press on. Preload at the back is your only adjustment but Triumph’s factory settings for the upside-down Showa forks and monoshock rear are up to standard as it comes. The extra bits add another 6kg to the weight over the 400 X, and even this modest extra baggage is noticeable, sometimes under braking. But it feels more lively and fun to chuck around than the Royal Enfield Bear you might also be looking at.

All things relative the 400 XC is one of the more expensive in the 400s family, and that price does put it into competition with more conventional A2 adventure bikes if your ambitions take you further afield. But it would still make a distinctive and cost-effective choice, assuming you don’t need the more enduro-like ability of something like the KTM 390 Adventure you could have for similar money. Costs of ownership should be manageable, though, the small engine good for keeping a lid on fuel and insurance costs while not putting too much strain on chains, sprockets, brakes and the rest.

At the time of writing we’re still relatively early into the life of the Triumph 400s family, and perhaps too soon to call it on outright reliability. But Triumph’s overall reputation is good, and build quality looks solid so we’d be hoping for the best.

Nothing out of the ordinary here, the regular two-year warranty extendable to up to four years at relatively modest cost if you think you need it. Credit due to Triumph that the confidence-inspiring 10,000 service intervals apply to the 400s just as they do the bigger models in the range, too.

Pretty much per the regular Scrambler 400 X here, so the same combined analogue speedo and LCD display, straightforward controls and basic road and off-road rider modes. We’d flinch at spoiling the retro vibe by running a phone on the bars but, if you need to, there’s a USB-C charging socket on the instrument cluster, too. Beyond that like all in the family the Scrambler XC is a fundamentally simple bike, with just enough in the way of modern convenience to make it feel more usable than more authentically retro alternatives like the BSA Scrambler 650 or Royal Enfield Bear. A shame you can’t even option in heated grips, mind. We’ve already mentioned most of the extra kit for the XC but, to summarise, this includes the tubeless wire wheels, higher level front mudguard, sump guard, engine protection bars, hand guards, flyscreen and different colours. We were especially taken with the yellow of our test bike, which really stands out and turns heads for all the right reasons.

You’d be perfectly justified in buying the Scrambler 400 XC for the simple fact it looks really cool, with a convincing combination of retro style and modern riding manners. There’s just enough about it to suggest it can do a bit more than posing about town, too. For taller riders who find the others in the line-up a bit dinky it’s also got a bit more wriggle room, which is worth considering. We’d like to try one with the front sprocket mod to see if that helps or hinders the issue with the short gearing, though.