Thailand’s K-Speed is a house of many talents. But there’s one particular trick that they excel at, and that’s turning small-capacity motorcycles into custom machines with big attitudes. So we’re not the least bit surprised to see them apply their signature style to the freshly minted Triumph Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400.
Created in collaboration with the massive Indian marque Bajaj, Triumph’s new 398 cc singles exist to offer potential customers a lower point of entry into the brand. They’ve been well received so far, with particular praise for their looks and finishes. If we’re being honest, they’re the type of bikes that don’t particularly need customization—but that’s never stopped K-Speed’s enigmatic founder, Eak.
Eak was approached by Triumph Thailand, who wanted a custom Triumph Scrambler 400 X to show off at the upcoming Bangkok International Motor Show. They specifically requested that the scrambler be customized in K-Speed’s typical style; music to Eak’s ears.
Again, there’s a lot to love about the Triumph 400 platform—so there’s a lot that Eak chose not to mess with. The Scrambler 400 X retains its fuel tank (a dead ringer for the tanks on Triumph’s bigger bikes), plus its suspension, ByBre brakes, and handsome 19F/17R alloy wheels. Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires add some sass to the pint-sized Triumph.
The first major change is the Scrambler 400 X’s tail section. K-Speed removed all the stock bits, before cutting and looping the bike’s subframe. A custom saddle sits up top, upholstered in a stylish quilted pattern with K-Speed’s ‘Diablo’ (their in-house parts line) branding.
It’s a pretty neat arrangement. The seat stops just short of the subframe loop, which in turn is arched to flow onto the custom-made rear fender. To keep the fender as bare as possible, K-Speed mounted one of their taillights under the seat.
Further forward, a custom strap runs over the top of the fuel tank, while new risers grip the bars. K-Speed also installed new grips, bar-end mirrors, and a handlebar brace, all from their own catalog. The ignition barrel still sits front and center, but the speedo’s been moved to the left of the bike, mounted on a custom bracket.
K-Speed designed and manufactured an ABS plastic front fender with a bracket to mount it high, then trimmed the OEM fender mounts, repurposing them as fork protectors. A smaller-than-stock LED headlight sits above the fender, mounted in a handmade cage. Discreetly mounted LED turn signals sit fore and aft.
K-Speed treated the Triumph Scrambler 400 X to a brooding dark grey livery, going as far as to repaint the original side covers too. A bunch of the bike’s hard parts were redone in black, and the forks were stripped and coated in a dark titanium color.
Fishing touches include ribbed engine covers, made from a heat-resistant resin, and a new blacked-out exhaust.
Not content to build just one Triumph 400, Eak decided to apply the same design to the Triumph Speed 400, with a few well-judged changes. K-Speed’s primary business is parts, so the project also offered the workshop the opportunity to prototype new bolt-on accessories—and building two bikes gave them a way to showcase the versatility of those accessories.
K-Speed’s Triumph Speed 400 boasts the same parts list as the Scrambler 400 X, but it uses a bigger headlight and a cage-less headlight bracket. Chunky Motoz Tractionator Desert H/T tires wrap around the bike’s 17” wheels, while a low-slung exhaust keeps things compact.
A gloss black paint job sets it apart too, with brown upholstery on the seat. (Keen eyes will also notice that the Speed 400’s seat extends all the way to the back of the subframe).
As intended, the project yielded not only two sharp-looking custom motorcycles but a smorgasbord of bolt-on Triumph 400 parts too—most of which are already available from K-Speed’s online store. So if you’ve got your heart set on a Scrambler 400 X or Speed 400, they’ve got you covered.
