Triumph Thruxton 400 2026 Review

Learner-approved motorcycles are generally designed to make life as easy as possible. Upright ergonomics, plush suspension and neutral handling all make perfect sense when you’re still finding your feet on two wheels. 

The new Triumph Thruxton 400 takes a slightly different approach. It sits at the sporting end of a 400cc platform that has expanded since the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X arrived in 2024. The more adventurous Scrambler 400 XC followed, while the new Tracker 400 and Thruxton 400 take the family to five models for 2026. 

The Thruxton name has long represented the sporting side of Triumph’s Modern Classic range, tracing its origins to the Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, England, where Triumph enjoyed considerable success in the famous Thruxton 500 production race during the 1960s. More recently, the name has appeared on everything from the 900cc café racer of the early 2000s to the 1200cc Thruxton R and RS models before the line bowed out in 2024.

Now it’s back, this time attached to a learner-approved 398cc single. While that might sound like quite a departure, Triumph hasn’t just added a fairing to the Speed 400 and reached for one of the most evocative badges in its catalogue. The new Thruxton gets a long, narrow fuel tank, Monza-style filler cap, traditionally shaped fairing, bar-end mirrors, clip-on handlebars, higher-set footpegs and a rear-seat cowl, giving it proportions and a riding position that feel genuinely different from its 400cc stablemates. 

And that difference becomes apparent as soon as you climb aboard. The Thruxton requires just a little more physical commitment than we’ve come to expect from a modern LAMS bike, but without taking the café racer theme far enough to make it intimidating or inaccessible. 

For a new rider, that might just be part of the appeal. 

The 2026 Triumph Thruxton 400 is priced from $10,390 ride away in Australia and comes in Matte Phantom Black, Carnival Red, Pearl Metallic White or Storm Grey. That makes it only $400 more expensive than the Tracker 400, despite Triumph giving the Thruxton plenty of its own hardware and bodywork. The elongated 13-litre fuel tank is unique to the model, while the sculpted fairing houses a round LED headlight and rises into a clear screen. ’Bar-end mirrors and a single-outlet exhaust complete the café racer treatment, while the removable rear-seat cowl reveals pillion accommodation, complete with a small grab rail. 

The clip-on handlebars are particularly clever. Although mounted below the top triple clamp in traditional fashion, their mounts curve upwards to position the grips above it, retaining the look and feel of clip-ons without forcing the rider into the extreme crouch normally associated with them. 

Under the tank is the same 398cc liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder engine found across Triumph’s 400 range, but the Thruxton adopts a higher-output tune that is shared with the Tracker.  

Peak power rises five percent from 29.4kW at 8000rpm to 30.9kW at 9000rpm, while maximum torque remains 37.5Nm at 7500rpm. Triumph says 80 per cent of that torque is available from 3000rpm. 

Power is put to the ground via a six-speed gearbox and slip-and-assist clutch, while a ride-by-wire throttle, switchable traction control and ABS are standard. 

A 43mm upside-down big-piston fork provides 135mm of travel, paired with a preload-adjustable rear monoshock offering 130mm. Braking comes courtesy of a 300mm front disc gripped by a four-piston ByBre radial caliper and a 230mm rear matched to a single-piston unit, with ample performance on offer. The 17-inch cast wheels wear excellent Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber and deliver confidence in spades. 

At 176kg wet, the Thruxton is 3kg heavier than the Tracker, while its 795mm seat is 10mm lower. Service intervals are 16,000km or 12 months. 

Before you’ve even turned a wheel, the Thruxton feels different. The clip-ons put you further forward; the higher-set footpegs tuck your legs underneath you, and the long, narrow tank stretches away towards that beautifully executed fairing. For a small-capacity LAMS bike, there’s a real sense of occasion just sitting on it. 

More importantly, Triumph has retained the bike's character where it matters most: out on the road. The Thruxton asks a little more from its rider than most learner-approved motorcycles, and I reckon that’s one of its greatest strengths. 

The different riding position and weight distribution mean direction changes require slightly more input and thought, but never enough to become hard work. Instead, you become more involved in what the motorcycle is doing, while the slightly shorter front-travel suspension brings a firmer feel than the plusher Tracker 400. There’s plenty of feedback, you’re engaged in every move, and the excellent Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres only add to the confidence available through corners. 

The 398cc single works particularly well within that equation. Its smooth fuelling, responsive throttle and broad spread of torque make it easy to manage, without diluting the involving nature of the bike around it. 

Perhaps most impressive, is how convincing the whole package feels. I have fond memories of earlier Thruxtons, so there’s undoubtedly some nostalgia at play, but you don’t need to know the history behind the badge to appreciate what Triumph has achieved here. 

The dedicated tank, clip-ons, higher-set controls, machined engine fins, bar-end mirrors and carefully executed bodywork help the Thruxton feel like a distinct model rather than just another member of Triumph’s 400 range. 

There is, inevitably, a price to pay for that riding position. The Thruxton isn’t as comfortable as its more upright 400cc stablemates. I wouldn’t choose it from Triumph’s 400 range if my priority was spending long hours commuting, but criticising a café racer for asking its rider to lean forward is missing the point. Triumph has also resisted taking the ergonomics too far, with those raised clip-ons keeping enough weight off your wrists to make the riding position far more accommodating than the styling initially suggests. 

And therein lies the problem: it’s not the most comfortable place to spend an entire day, yet you’ll probably want to anyway because it feels so cool to ride. 

The more deliberate handling might also surprise anyone expecting the instant lightness of a conventional small capacity nakedbike. It needs slightly more input than an upright naked, but that’s exactly the legacy experience Triumph has deliberately retained. It’s enough to remind you that you’re riding something unique, one that offers a different kind of enjoyment for newer riders. Full marks for that. 

Triumph’s easiest option would have been to add a fairing, sprinkle on a few heritage cues and call the job done, but I’m pleased that it went further than that. The riding position, firmer front end, dedicated tank and carefully considered café racer details give the Thruxton 400 an identity that goes well beyond its looks. Better still, Triumph hasn’t prioritised accessibility so relentlessly that it has stripped away the involvement that makes this style of motorcycle appealing in the first place. 

There are more comfortable LAMS bikes, easier bikes to ride quickly and plenty that make more practical everyday companions, but the compromises here are small enough to feel like part of the experience rather than reasons to stay away. 

At $10,390 ride away, Triumph has also managed to deliver a motorcycle that looks and feels far more special than its entry-level position might suggest. 

Direct competition is virtually non-existent. While there are plenty of LAMS-approved roadsters and retro-styled alternatives around this capacity and price, none combines the Thruxton’s traditional café racer styling, clip-on handlebars and committed riding position in quite the same way. 

Existing Thruxton fans may come for the badge and familiar café racer cues, but new riders don’t need to understand the history to truly enjoy it. For riders choosing their first motorcycle with emotion as well as logic, the Thruxton 400 makes a compelling case. 

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC four-valve single-cylinder
Capacity: 398cc
Bore x stroke: 89mm x 64mm
Compression ratio: 12:1
Fuel system: Bosch electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 30.9kW (41.4hp) at 9000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 37.5Nm at 7500rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate slip-and-assist
Final drive: X-ring chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Hybrid spine/perimeter tubular-steel frame with bolt-on rear subframe
Front suspension: 43mm upside-down big-piston fork, 135mm travel
Rear suspension: Gas monoshock with external reservoir, preload adjustable, 130mm travel
Front brakes: Single 300mm disc with four-piston radial caliper, ABS
Rear brake: Single 230mm disc with single-piston floating caliper, ABS
Tyres: Cast alloy wheels, 110/70R17 front, 150/60R17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 176kg
Seat height: 795mm
Ground clearance: N/A
Wheelbase: 1376mm
Fuel capacity: 13 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: From $10,390 (ride away)
Warranty: Two years, unlimited km
Service intervals: 16,000km/12 months