Recently, many Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 owners have flaunted speeds above 160 kilometres per hour. We believe it is the apt time to burst their bubble.
In the past year, three motorcycles have garnered the most attention in the Indian motorcycle sub-500cc category. The three motorcycles in question are the Royal Enfield Himalayan, Triumph 400 Twins, and Harley-Davidson 440X. Despite the stark differences in these models, they have put them together against each other, especially the Triumph 400 Twins vs. Himalayan, which has been trending because they have a similar top end or top speed.
Therefore, we believe it is the apt time to burst the bubble of those who take pride in flaunting their top speeds without realising that the speedometre on motorcycles is full of errors and that they are done on purpose by motorcycle makers.
Have you ever noticed that when a motorcycle is launched, the manufacturer claims a top speed? The claimed top speed is obviously not where the motorcycle bottoms out, and it can certainly go faster. However, the difference between the claimed top speed and the highest reading on the speedometre cannot be stark.
For example, the claimed top speed of the Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X is said to be 145 kilometres per hour, but on YouTube, several automobile influencers and journalists have shown the motorcycle hitting a speed above 160 kilometres per hour without informing about the speedo-error.
Manufacturers purposely create the speedometre with errors so that riders get the feeling that they are riding fast, but in reality, the motorcycle is travelling at a much lower and safer speed. For example, if your speedometre is showing 160 kilometres per hour, the actual speed could be ten or even 15 kilometres less. However, some manufacturers do not alter the speedometer’s actual reading, and that is where the comparison between the top speeds of the Himalayan and Triumph 400 twins begins.
Below this paragraph, we have added a YouTube link where two riders conduct a drag race between the Himalayan and the Scrambler 400 to find their top speeds. If you look closely at the speedometre, you will notice that at one point, the Himalayan is doing nearly 130 kilometres per hour on its speedometre. However, at that same point, the Triumph Scrambler 400’s speedometre is showing the needle close to 140 kilometres per hour, and yet, the Scrambler 400 is trailing the Himalayan despite its lesser weight.
By the end of the drag race, the Triumph unit, despite hitting 160 kilometres per hour, ends behind the Himalayan, which clearly shows that there is an error in the speedometre and the heavier adventure tourer from Royal Enfield produces a better top speed.
In another drag race, the KTM ADV 390 took on the newly launched Himalayan. If you closely follow the speedometre of the two motorcycles in the below-linked video, you will notice that at one point, the KTM ADV 390 is doing 166 kilometres per hour, but the Himalayan’s speedometre shows 162 kilometres per hour, and yet the Himalayan manages to lead the race. By the end of the first round, the KTM nearly touched 168, 169, and even 170 kilometres per hour, but the Himalayans stayed stable at 163 kilometres per hour and won the race with the nominal distance between the two riders.
So, how do you measure your correct speed? If you have enough money in your pocket, you can install a VBOX speed sensor/data logger on your motorcycle, which will show you its exact speed. However, if you do not wish to spend your hard-earned money, using Google Maps while riding is the easiest way to measure your speed.
On Google Maps, if you switch on the navigation to your destination, the speed at which you are moving is displayed on the map. Unfortunately, the speed is not displayed on the iOS version of Google Maps.
*Note that even though we have linked the videos of the drag races, we are strictly against the idea of high-speed riding on public roads and do not promote such activities.
