Happy holidays from the wBW family! This week, we’re looking at a significant shift from 300ccc to 400cc for multiple brands, among other to-dos:
- Triumph is releasing a flat-track-inspired Tracker 400 and cafe racer-inspired Thruxton 400 to markets for their 2026 and 2027 model years
- BMW is retiring its 310 GS in favour of a higher-capacity bike with less highway buzz.
- Kawasaki is expanding on their hybrid family with a new hybrid project t that rethinks a bigger scooter designed to compete against Honda’s hugely popular X-ADV.
- Ducati’s working on what is very likely an exclusive run of 100 “Formula ‘73” bikes, designed to be a lightweight, air-cooled alternative to the company’s more aggressive Panigale V2
Let’s begin with Triumph, shall we?
New Bikes: The Tracker 400 / Thruxton 400 are Finally Here!
…and Available as of March and April of 2026
Thanks to the Scrambler 400/x sibling release, Triumph’s 400cc powertrain has been well-received – and now, we have a new pair of middleweight siblings for the riding community: The flat-track-inspired Tracker 400 and the cafe racer-inspired Thruxton 400.
For those of you wondering, 400cc bikes may be considered beginner bikes here in the Western Hemisphere (particularly in America and Canada), but elsewhere in the world, 400cc is a big bike that does all the commuting needs of a community with extra yank under the proverbial hood to spare. Triumph’s Speed 400/Scrambler 400X were both great examples of this niche, and, thanks to the bike duo’s usefulness and versatility in different areas of the world, were marked as a “global hit.”
Triumph’s 400cc powertrain was also purportedly responsible for bringing record numbers of younger riders and women to Triumph; this is always an exciting thing for a motorcycle brand, and diversifying demographics typically leads to a “snowball effect” of exciting new products and demands on future models, as we see here with Triumph.
But back to the Tracker 400 and Thruxton 400. These two new models represent Triumph’s most powerful version of the TR-Series engine yet, thanks to a revised camshaft profile and a fresh tune, rendering a very nice 41.4 horsepower. The residuals also mean a +5% power increase over the Speed and Scrambler variants, with a higher rev limit and a more substantial top end to boot.
On to each model’s personality: While we haven’t yet been able to sit on the thing, we’re told the Tracker 400 gives off a “hooligan” street-tracker vibe with a boxy fuel tank, a lower and wider stance, number boards, and blocky Pirelli MT60 RS tires; meanwhile, the Thruxton 400 brings a modern edge to the cafe racer legacy, featuring a sleek front fairing, clip-on handlebars, and rear-set footpegs for a committed, sporty tuck (as opposed to the Tracker 400’s “elbows out” ergonomics choice.)
If you’re keen on getting one of these beauties, we’re told that the MY2026 Thruxton 400 will hit dealerships first in March of 2026; one month later, in April, the MY2027 Tracker 400 will make its appearance. When initially tackling this news update, we noted the two different model years and hadn’t the foggiest as to why Triumph delineated each bike to different model years; now that we’ve done some digging, here’s the gist of Triumph’s strategy:
- Having been on the road in India since mid-2025, the Thruxton 400 is “Old News” in India. Since the Thruxton was already a production reality elsewhere, Triumph is bringing the Thruxton 400 to North America as a 2026 model to align with its current global production cycle and to “stagger” the lineup in the eyes of consumers. This is particularly valuable since Triumph is still chipping away at that “33 new or updated models for the 2026 season” goal, and making the 400cc family feel like it has continuous, multi-year growth rather than just a single-year dump of new bikes adds space to each release.
- Unlike the Thruxton, the Tracker 400 is a brand-new global debut; ergo, even though it technically arrives in April 2026 (only one month after the Thruxton), Triumph wants to call the Tracker 400 an “Early Release” to give the new machine a “longer” first year on the showroom floor without it feeling “dated” by the time the actual 2027 calendar year rolls around – common enough movement for a bike brand, though it still feels like cheating. 😅
Here are the MSRP’s of each model, respectively:
- 2026 Triumph Thruxton 400 MSRP: $6,295 USD
- 2027 Triumph Street Tracker 400 MSRP: $5,995 USD
To see the full specs and color options for Triumph’s newest middleweights, head over to the official release on Roadracing World.
BMW Confirms Retirement of G 310 GS
…to Make Way for 450 Twin
After nearly a decade of sitting pretty as BMW’s entry-level portal into the GS world, the single-cylinder G 310 GS is officially being phased out in favour of a new addition set to solve the 310 GS’s “highway buzz” problems.
We’re told by ADVPulse that BMW is replacing its 34-horsepower 310 GS powertrain with an all-new 450cc twin-cylinder platform developed in partnership with India’s TVS Motor Company. The machine chosen to carry this platform is none other than the F 450 GS, which – if you were lucky enough to see it when in Milan last month – debuted at EICMA 2025.
All told, Beemers looking for entry-level power and accessibility will likely find smoother cruising and more torque across the rev range in the F 450 GS’s engine; an uprate in juice to 48 horsepower doesn’t hurt, either – and of course, the F 450 GS will also feature premium tech usually reserved for BMW’s larger bikes, including Dynamic Traction Control, Engine Drag Torque Control, and the new Easy Ride Clutch (ERC), which allows for clutch-free stops and starts.
While the F 450 GS adds about six pounds over the 310, BMW believes that the trade-off in performance and refinement creates a more competitive machine when considering our good industry’s surging field of mid-sized rivals (Triumph’s Street Tracker and Thruxton notwithstanding).
For a full technical breakdown of the upcoming F 450 GS and the retirement of the 310 series, check out the report at ADV Pulse.
Rumor Has It: Kawasaki is Extending their Hybrid Family
Kawasaki Patents Hint at a New Hybrid Maxi-Scooter
Hybrid power seems to be working well for Kawasaki – so well, in fact, that recent filings are showing Team Green’s next chapter might involve a new sibling for the Ninja 7 and Z7.
According to CycleWorld, recent patent filings show hybrid technology tweaks in a large scooter format that could very well rival the likes of Honda’s X-ADV. A 451cc parallel-twin hybrid powertrain shows further battery cooling improvements made thanks to an enlarged cooling duct in front of the cylinder head, made possible by extending the trellis frame forward and moving the radiator down. Thanks to this new invention, Kawasaki’s “E-Boost” function – a mechanism that currently delivers 1,000cc-level acceleration for five-second bursts – will last longer.
Further looks at the patent imagery show the fuel tank moved below this particular scooter’s seat to make way for the bike’s front-heavy electrical setup; there will still be enough room for under-seat helmet storage, keeping the scooter’s practicality intact and further confirming to us that Kawasaki’s well on the way to creating this scooter for a new model year.
As cities continue to implement zero-emission zones, a hybrid that can move into “Silent Mode” for quiet suburban streets and city centers while offering a 450-mile range is looking more than ever like a “no-brainer”; the only question now is whether any given town’s grids can keep up with the heavier electric demands of a fast-growing EV market…
To dive into the technical drawings and see how Kawasaki is evolving its hybrid architecture, visit the full breakdown at Cycle World.
Fast Filings: Ducati “Formula 73” Revealed
CARB Filings Show a Scrambler-Based Tribute to the 750 SuperSport
Ducati’s 100th-anniversary festivities in 2026 are already starting to leak (no surprise there, the company doesn’t do anything in halves): Thanks to the findings of the ever-incomparable Dennis Chung at Motorcycle.com, California Air Resources Board (CARB) filings have confirmed a new model for Bologna’s best.
A “Ducati Formula ‘73” is apparently on the horizons; based on the above filings, this new machine will house Ducati’s 803cc V-Twin Scrambler platform and debut as a tribute to the company’s 1973 750 SuperSport Desmo, the first bike to debut Ducati’s signature desmodromic valves on a production machine and also a name that harkens back to the Formula 750 racing series where Ducati famously dominated with Paul Smart’s legendary 1972 Imola 200 victory.
While we know this incubating bike shares the Scrambler engine, the lack of “Scrambler” branding in the filing suggests we are getting a different sort of bug. Retro-sport bodywork – likely a cafe-style partial fairing to mirror the original SS – will join the machine’s spot in Ducati’s ranks as a lightweight, air-cooled alternative to the more aggressive Panigale V2.
We’re anticipating this bike to be an exclusive release (possibly a limited-production run of 100 units to mark the centennial year), so be sure to check back for details as we move further into the 2026 model year!
For Dennis Chung’s incomparable findings on this filing, check out the article at Motorcycle.com.