For how many years, gentle reader, have the very many classic chatter zones been alive with the sound of ‘When will Triumph produce a modern Tiger Cub?’ In fact, for reasons known only to themselves, Triumph – the modern incarnation – continue to be resolute in their avoidance of a great model name, but they finally have produced the bike… they just called it something different. Two kinds of something different, in fact, as was ever the way.
While I bounded around the Somerset lanes aboard Triumph's brand new Speed 400, I mused upon the corporate reluctance to employ the surely effective and certainly evocative Tiger Cub monicker. I reached no sensible conclusion. This was a good thing, and I concentrated instead on simply enjoying a glorious sunshiny day in rural January. But it stuck with me, not least because – and entirely to my surprise – the new 400 did in fact remind me of smaller capacity Triumphs of yore. It's really light, really slim, yet manages a full-size riding position which was completely comfortable for my 6-foot 100kg bulk – and I'd just ridden around 120 miles on a freezing January morning to meet the bike, so was fully togged up. Does it ride like a Tiger Cub? No, not at all. But…
…but in some ways it did remind me a little of the T25SS Blazer SS with which I've shared many miles over several years. In truth, there's no real comparison, because there are acres of generational difference between
