TRIUMPH THRUXTON 400

Can a 400cc engine carry the weight of the legacy of a name as iconic as 'Thruxton'?

- WORDS AKSHAY JADHAV

TRIUMPH THRUXTON 400 ▸ Engine: 398cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder Power: 42PS @ 9,000rpm Torque: 37.5Nm @ 7,500rpm Weight: 183kg Gearbox: 6-speed Price: 2.74 lakh ex-showroom

Triumph has been on a roll lately, and as we all know, the 400 series platform has followed a naming convention inspired by its larger-displacement bikes.

So, it was only a matter of time before we saw this one arrive—enter the Thruxton 400 café racer. Café racers are an inseparable part of British motorcycling culture and history. Back in the day, the locals would gather around the Thruxton race track, watching pro riders wrestle their machines around the bends. Those gas-guzzling, race-faired motorcycles inspired an entire generation of riders to and modify their own bikes to look like the ones tearing up the circuit. The goal was simple yet thrilling: complete an illegal road course starting and ending at the café before the song playing on the jukebox ended, which is how the café race culture was born. The Thruxton has carried that cultural legacy for decades. So the big question is, beneath all the retro charm, does the Thruxton 400 genuinely have the heart of a true-blue café racer? Let’s find out.

At first glance, it seems to tick all the right boxes. There is a neat bikini fairing up front, an extended fuel tank topped with a Monza-style fuel-filler cap, and a low-slung clip-on handlebar, everything that creates an instantly recognisable café racer silhouette. The retro colour schemes on offer only add to the charm. Keeping with the café racer theme, the Thruxton 400 comes fitted with circular bar-end mirrors. They certainly look the part, but in practice, they are more about style than practicality.