Royal Enfield Scram 411: A good-looking, great-working bike

The new Scram 411 is essentially a reworked version of the Himalayan adventure bike. Royal Enfield’s idea, here, was to create an easier and more accessible version of the Himalayan, one that will be more at home in the city, but still rugged enough for some explorations beyond.

To that effect, the design changes have not only resulted in a less serious looking motorcycle, but one that also looks shorter than the Himalayan. The bulk of the visual changes have happened towards the front, with the headlamp now being set lower and further in. This gives the bike a better sense of proportion, and the halogen lamp also sits within a nice cast aluminium surround.

At the sides, the Himalayan-style, big bulky fuel tank frame is gone, and is replaced by two small side panels. The seat is a new single piece unit that looks good and is comfortable.

The rear section has been re-profiled with a smaller grab handle and a different indicator/number plate set-up. The overall quality and finish is similar to the Himalayan, and while it does not feel as special as the new RE 350s, it is definitely better put together than the new Yezdi Scrambler.

Another area where the Scram really differentiates itself from the Himalayan is in the choice of colours, with seven funky schemes available. And then, of course, there is the new offset instrument console. This display has been borrowed from the Meteor 350, but with a different colour treatment around the speedometer. The Tripper navigation display on the side continues to be an optional extra, just like the Meteor.

While the display looks smart, there are a couple of downsides. For one, you do not get a rev counter, which you do on the Himalayan. The bigger issue, however, is that this new console is more mechanical. Unlike the Himalayan, there is no button to switch off the rear ABS. If you want to do that, you will have to pull the ABS fuse out, which will deactivate the entire system.

That is not Scram’s only mechanical change compared to its sibling. While the chassis is exactly the same, including the headstock angle and the rear subframe, the bike does get a 19-inch front wheel as opposed to the 21-inch unit on the Himalayan. The front suspension also has 10mm less travel, with a total of 190mm. The rear shock has the same spring rate and 180mm travel as the Himalayan, but the damping has changed slightly.

Moving to a smaller wheel has made some changes to the overall geometry of the chassis, with the steering rake angle getting slightly sharper and the wheelbase reducing a little. All of these changes should result in the Scram feeling more agile to ride.

Just how much more can only be confirmed when we ride it back-to-back with the Himalayan, but the noticeable difference is that the handlebar requires less effort at slower speeds. The handlebar itself is as wide as before, but now is positioned a little lower and closer to the rider.

Because of these changes, the ground clearance has dropped by 20mm, to 200mm, and the seat height also comes down by 5mm.

Despite this, the Scram 411 remains quite well-specced as an off-road capable machine. In fact, it feels remarkably similar to the Himalayan. The only thing missing when compared to the Himalayan was the ability to lock the rear tyre to help steer the bike in the dirt.

We rode the Scram on some trails around the Big Rock Dirtpark and, in most of the less challenging situations, the 19-inch front wheel never felt like a limitation. This bike also runs the same Ceat Gripp tyres, which increases the feeling of familiarity.

When it comes to slower, more tricky sections, however, the extra stability from a 21-inch front wheel and the additional ground clearance would have been welcome. Those situations may be rare, unless you go actively looking for them, and if you are that sort of a rider, the Himalayan will definitely be the apt choice.

Either way, there is no shaking the sense that this is a heavy motorcycle. It weighs 5kg less than the Himalayan, which means its kerb weight is about 194kg (with the main stand), and that is still quite a lot. Also worth considering is that the main stand is not part of standard equipment and you need to buy that as an optional accessory.

What has not changed is the 411 engine. The power and torque figures are the same, the gearing is the same, the sprocket sizes are the same and just like the BS6 Himalayan engine, it is surprisingly smooth. A 100kph is a relaxed cruising speed, and while the indicated top speed is about 130kph, anything above 120 is a struggle.

As far as road comfort goes, the Scram does quite well. The suspension is set a little on the firm side, and it might even be slightly firmer than the Himalayan, but again, we would have to ride the two bikes back-to-back to be sure. What is certain is that while this bike definitely is not as plush as the XPulse 200 4V, it is also not as firmly set-up as the new Yezdi Scrambler.

Since there have been no changes to the brakes, you need to use a full hand to make quick stops. It would have been better if RE could have given this bike some more front end bite to go with its urban aspirations.

With prices starting at ₹ 2.03 lakh and going up to ₹ 2.08 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai), the Scram is priced below the Himalayan, which starts at ₹ 2.15 lakh, ex-showroom. That is not a huge difference, and the extra money you pay for the Himalayan more than makes up for it in terms of the extra kit that bike provides. 

Though the Scram 411 feels similar to the Himalayan when it comes to the sound, ride and feel, it is a better looking bike, more youthful and meets Royal Enfield’s objectives of being easier and more accessible. For those who like a rugged motorcycle, but do not like the idea of going full-on adventure style, the Scram presents an interesting alternative.