The Speed 400’s troublemaker sibling
I’m developing a serious problem with this new Triumph Tracker 400 motorcycle.
Only a few weeks in, and I’m already addicted to this bike. When I first got it back to the shop, before anything else, I threw my gear on and took it for a spin. What was only supposed to be a 15 minute check ride turned into a bit over an hour. Then the next morning after the wife left for work, I hurriedly scarfed down some breakfast, threw the gear back on and lit out again. “Research,” I told myself.
Then today (Saturday), after a day visiting the wife’s parents, no sooner did we get home when my restless wrist wanted to twist the throttle again. As I’m writing this opening portion, I’m somewhere south of our home, pulled into a dirt turnout as the sun sets, and I just don’t want to go home yet. Like I said, I’m developing a serious problem with this motorbike- I already can’t stop riding it.
Stunning sunset. Maybe I can squeeze out a few more minutes and miles…
Editor-at-large Ted Edwards once quipped, “It’s more fun to ride a small or slow bike fast, then a large fast bike slow.“ That adage definitely holds true with Triumph’s latest single thumper. So much fun to ride.
When we first sampled Triumph’s new Speed 400 a couple of years ago, I was stunned and pleasantly surprised at the power that little engine made. It felt so much more than the diminutive 398 cc single that it was. It smoked the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 we thought it was designed to compete with, and this new Tracker 400 reminds me again of the punchy nature that first iteration possessed. I loved the Speed 400, and I can tell the Tracker 400 and I are going to get along quite well as well.
Oh yeah, we about to put our hooligan on. And this yellow/black livery just knocks me out.
Clearly designed to resemble a flat track racing motorcycle, and maybe even built for racers so inclined to mod one and run it in various flat track classes and series, the Tracker 400 just begs to be ridden hard and put up dirty. Heck, I’d love to take it to Johnny Lewis’ Moto Anatomy Slide School USA and thrash it around a proper dirt oval, like the name and design of this bike suggests. I’m not very skilled in the ways of the dirt, but I think I’d give it a go with this Tracker 400 (if Triumph approved, of course).
The sensation/illusion of speed when I’m riding the Tracker 400 is intoxicating. Winding up the revs in each of the six gears, hearing the growl of that single pipe/twin exhaust when the throttle is pinned, and diving it through curves in top gear, is just too freaking fun. 65 mph feels like 90+, it’s such a blast to ride. Again, Ted’s aforementioned adage is certainly fitting here. This bike is ridiculously enjoyable and entertaining.
Some road, some dirt. The Tracker 400 eats it up.
I spent an afternoon bombing around some Georgia dirt/gravel roads in our semi-rural part of the state- one, for the off-road practice, and two, to get a feel for the Tracker’s tires and suspension once off pavement. The Tracker rolls on a pair of 17” rims wrapped in Pirelli MT60 RS dual sport rubber, and is suspended by a pair of 43mm inverted forks up front (140mm of travel), with a gas monoshock under the seat (130mm travel) with adjustable preload. The Tracker employs a switchable traction control, and also features an Off-Road mode. Both allow the rider to step out the rear tire and slide it around some when off pavement- a skill I don’t possess, but you dirt hooligans will appreciate.
For its size, displacement and weight, the Tracker has lived up to its name- tracked true no matter where I pointed it, and I felt confident on it all day.
All day sun, all day fun. Such a well-sorted, enjoyable motorcycle.
Simple, affordable, sharp looking, easy to ride, lightweight and flickable, with enough attitude to force a wide grin under the helmet, I’m enjoying this Triumph Tracker 400 supremely. Every day, I want to go out and throw a leg over, and wring the throttle out around our winding country roads of north central Georgia. Yeah, it’s becoming a bit of a problem- I’m not going to want to give it back when the time comes. Besides, it looks pretty good parked next to my 2017 Triumph Bonneville 900 in the Road Dirt garage.
Before you leave, feast your eyes one more time on that top featured photo. What a gorgeous motorcycle.
Rob
For more on the 2026 Triumph Tracker 400, check out its “specs & deets” here:
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