The 2 lakh price point is among the most contested market segments in the two-wheeler industry today. Every manufacturer is trying to bring in the biggest single-cylinder engine that they can provide at the price point and merge it with their understanding of what style of motorcycling they should be offering. This need for the perfect concoction has given rise to A LOT of motorcycles in this segment, with different flavors and offerings. Here is where the two contenders of today come in place.
On one side you have the Hero Mavrick 440, the motorcycle that started the whole 400cc – 2 Lakh segment. It is a capable and honest motorcycle, that devoids itself of anything excess to remain true and simple for the customer. And on the other hand, you have the Triumph Speed T4, a motorcycle that carries the badge of a premium motorcycle company and is also the smallest child in the Triumph family.
Both these motorcycles are detuned versions of their other siblings… But do they take away anything from the experience? Well, I can tell you one thing. According to us, The Speed T4 is a better motorcycle than the Speed 400! Shocked? Read more to find out!
Design
Well to start off with, these two motorcycles don’t bring a lot of attributes in this segment. They both are commuter motorcycles who are trying to wear a Cruiser cape, in order to make things interesting for potential buyers.
But with that said, let us first dissect the Mavrick 440. The motorcycle can be divided into two halves. The first part has all the interesting attributes that you would expect from a cruiser. A really good tank design, with appropriate tank shrouds and rounding that design off is that round headlight with Hero’s H being highlighted. Speaking of Hero’s H, the logo also shows up in the indicators and we feel that is a very premium touch for this design segment. But we can’t be this enthusiastic for the rest of the vehicle. The second half of the vehicle looks bland and that makes it feel like an average commuter. On the whole, it has an understated design that is easy on the eyes.
Now, let us dive into the T4. There is a chance that you might think it is a Speed 400, but the lack of the Gold USDs will remind you otherwise. It is a very compact vehicle to look at and the narrowness of the vehicle will give you the feeling that it is not even a 400cc engine motorcycle. But the graphics of the motorcycle, and the monoshock saves the overall impact of the motorcycle. It looks more retro than the Mavrick for some reason and also has a much more interesting side profile. Beside the Mavrick, the T4 looks quite compact but somehow, it tends to have the bigger impact. Especially the big Triumph logo that they have plastered on the tank. So in this context, the Triumph T4 takes the victory. But as my father always says, looks really don’t matter!
Tech and Features
Well sorry to inform you that none of these two motorcycles are Doraemons. They are pretty basic when it comes to tech. No traction control, ride-by-wire, riding modes, cornering ABS, or anything. But there is a little bit to fill this section a little.
The Triumph T4 is the more basic of the two. It showcases its industriousness as a key differentiator and it also aids in justifying its price point. It is a motorcycle that you put the key in, switch the indicator on, and ride away. A little bit of a bummer, but I guess that is what it takes to sell a Triumph at this price point.
But just on the other hand, we have the Hero Mavrick which is also basic at the heart, but it brings two unique features into context. The first one is a Turn-By-Turn navigation that is displayed in its ever-so-small LCD instrument cluster. It may not be the best of the ones to use, but showcasing some sort of navigation aid is always a boon in the world of motorcycling. And the other thing is the SOS Button on the Mavrick. You press that and a text goes to a pre-saved contact, stating that you need help. The effectiveness of the SOS button falls flat in this context. I mean just a text to a friend cannot justify an SOS button. Rather if the rider could connect with someone in the Hero realm and get assistance from there (just like the feature in a car), the usability of the SOS feature would have really outshined.
But with these two features, the Hero Mavrick takes the victory in this round.
Engine
Now let us come to what powers these single-cylinder beasts. They are a very interesting choice and also happen to be poles apart in terms of core design. The Hero Mavrick is a Small-bore, long-stroke engine while the T4 is just the opposite. This creates two very interesting constructions, trying to do the same thing. Build torque!
So now, let us start with the Mavrick.
It is an Oil-Cooled 440 cc engine that churns out around 27 ish horsepower… You would at this point think why are we even talking about a 400cc motorcycle that generates power figures that a 300cc engine can? Well, that is because the rest of the 100cc has been used to boost the engine's torque. And for that reason, you will find the TorqX badge proudly showcased on the engine. And it generates 36 Nm of Torque at 4000 rpm and it revs up to 6000. Its torque curve is very linear with smooth delivery of the large toque punch in the initial gears making it a bliss to use in the city. The poised engine is in no hurry to show you how much torque it can make. However, once you reach good speeds, it is perfectly capable of staying in those 100+ speeds with poise as well. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox that perfectly harmonizes with how the engine behaves. These attributes make it sublime to use the engine to its best, regardless of the road ahead. Moreover, it is the engine that feels at home being on a cruiser motorcycle.
Now let us move to the Speed T4.
The Speed 400 engine, detuned to generate less power, but the same torque. However, it has to generate the torque and power earlier than what it usually does on a Speed 400. It is phenomenal how much they could tune the engine and for that, the behavior is quite different. In the low end, this is a better engine setting to use than the Speed 400. It is a fast engine and gives you all those with a bang and gets you going. City, it is all fine. It is the faster of the two motorcycles. But the engine feels like it is always in a rush! A rush to run through the revs and love being pushed all the time. I know we all stay inside a city... But when I am on a longer ride, I would like to remain a little more calm. The reason is that small-stroke engines will always love to rev and not think of producing torque later along the way.
So if you ride them side by side, the Hero Mavrick engine will feel more in place and a lot calmer than the Speed T4. Okay yes, the Speed T4 is a better engine to cruise at when you’re at 80kmph but when you do triple digits, the 6th gear and the engine are just a match made in heaven.
In this round, the engine that is more self-aware, wins the round. Hero Mavrick 440.
Usage and Riding Dynamics
Before I dive into the names of frames and suspension details, this is what I think overall. Both these motorcycles have a good chassis underneath them. One plays with lightness while the other flexes a more easy and approachable setup. The fact is that I would rather choose the steady setup, rather than the lighter, unstable at the edges chassis. You can push a steady chassis harder and with more assurance over a faster chassis on the road.
Starting with the Mavrick. It has a Trellis Frame Body with the chassis sitting on a Telescopic front and Dual Shocks in the rear. Wheel size sits at 17 inches for both front and rear. As you can see this makes it a very stable chassis. With low seat height and a relaxed rider’s triangle, the entire experience is just sublime. The suspension will take wherever that you will face on the Indian road without much complaint and not only that, it was able to perform well when I was thrashing it in the desert sections of Thar. I was doing triple digits in some of those sections and it kept up with my demand. I was really impressed.
Moving to the Triumph T4. It pretty much has everything that the Speed 400 has, meaning it has the steel tubular perimeter chassis, holding just a kilogram more than it used to. It is suspended on Telescopic fronts and a mono shock for the rear. The loss of the USDs makes a lot of difference. The motorcycle now feels even less stable on the front but is able to take bumps better. The lightweight nature of the Triumph T4 makes it less stable at high speeds and also you are giving multiple inputs at the same time. Some might find it as a point of interest, as it leaves room for learning with your motorcycle. But for a regular user, this chassis might seem a little too light. In city conditions, it will be sublime. However, when you will be taking it on longer routes, is when you will find its limitations. In terms of braking, the Mavrick again holds the brighter candle in the room as the Mavrick is more stable in braking in any condition than the Speed T4.
And since the Mavrick is both good in city conditions and better than the Speed T4 in highway conditions, we declare the Mavrick as the winner in this segment, even though the T4 is a much faster motorcycle. Oh and just to let you know that the Mavrick is a much better motorcycle in terms of carrying a passenger, even though the wheelbase of the T4 is larger.
Final Verdict
With all that said, we would like to present to you the winner of this comparison, The Hero Mavrick. It is not only a more practical motorcycle that can do almost everything that the Triumph T4 can do, but also it can do things that the T4 can do… A composed riding experience. It may not have the looks to outright impress you, but we recommend you spend a little time behind the handlebars and you will realize what we’re talking about.
