The Royal Enfield Scram 411: Lets Scram!
Scramblers are usually made out of street motorcycles by chopping off the non essential bits, adding longer travel suspensions, different tyres and possibly a redesigned, upswept exhaust. What Royal Enfield have done here is attempted making a scrambler by chopping off the non essential parts from an adventure motorcycle to make it more street friendly. While that may have worked in function, in form, many things about the Scram's design language look like an afterthought. Adding funky colour schemes does help but again, I would've liked more glossy colour options than matte. That's just me. The redeeming part of the design is the view from the rider's point of view. There is a neat looking single pod dashboard displaying most of the essential details. It misses out on the tachometer but that's a good miss in my opinion. Watching the revs doesn't really matter in this long stroke format of an engine. There's the optional tripper navigation pod that completes the cockpit layout and is an essential addition that you must make from the Royal Enfield Make it Yours customisation program. So to me, the best angle to look at the Scram is from the rider's seat. The single seat itself is nice and comfortable. The foam used is of high quality and the seat's layout tucks you comfortably in position. The handlebars are mounted high, the pegs are neutrally set and you sit tall and upright with this commanding view of what's ahead.
Royal Enfield has extensively worked on this 411cc single cylinder long stroker over the last six years and it shows. The difference between the 2006 engine and this one is that of night and day. This one's refined for the most part and some semblance of the old clatter only makes itself apparent in the extreme top end of the rev range. The throttle response is crisp and immediate. The new ecu map seems to have made the difference in the low and bottom end performance. There's good amount of torque to get you off the line. Enter the mid range and there's even more grunt than before. As is the case with any long stroke format engine, the torque plateaus and trails off at the top but it's only at the extreme top end that you feel this happening. No surprises then that this engine is no slouch in flat out acceleration either. I could get to a 100 kph and still be confidently in control of the motorcycle on a very short stretch of open road. All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of progress made by Royal Enfield on this engine. It makes the Scrambler a real hoot the ride in the city at least.
The Scram runs on smaller 19 inch front and 17 inch rear tyres. The steering angle is now sharper and the wheelbase, shorter. The seat height is lowered by 5mm, lowering the centre of gravity further. The result of this cocktail of geometric changes is sharp, fun and yet stable handling. You just don't feel the 194 kgs of heft while manouvering it through slow moving traffic or when throwing it into fast corners. The bike just tips in, stays planted, gets back up and zooms off to the next bend with a very thank you very much kind of attitude. If there's one reason why you should buy the Scram, it's because the way it handles. This handling, coupled with the grunt from the engine is what makes this motorcycle so much fun to ride, especially in city traffic. The gearshifts are slick and precise. Although there's no slip and assist clutch, the clutch pull is fairly light. The brakes are just about adequate to inspire confidence to push harder. Nothing too sharp, nothing too dull. Just right. There is dual channel, non switchable ABS that comes standard. Not much of an issue for someone looking at predominantly riding on tarmac. The ABS calibration itself is not too aggressive and the ABS doesn't kick in abruptly. The only things missing I feel are alloy wheels and tubeless tyres, even as an option. I really wish RE adds these as part of their Make it Yours program. Also, what you don't get as standard is a mainstand. That, coupled with tubed tyres means you will have to find a puncture repair guy with a paddock stand or a car jack every time you get a puncture. Going by the amount of construction work going on on our roads today, you WILL get a puncture soon enough.
Based on the colour scheme you choose, the Scram can be yours between Rs. 2.46 lakhs to Rs. 2.52 lakhs on road, Mumbai. So what is the competition that the Scram goes up against? From the RE stable itself, we have the Meteor and the Classic 350s. Both motorcycles hold their ground in their respective segments but are not even half as much fun to ride as the Scram. The Yezdis, especially the Yezdi Scrambler come close to the fun quotient but those motorcycles don't feel complete yet. The lack of low end torque and the engine clatter are just too much to live with on an every day basis. Then there are the Hondas, the CB350 Highness and RS. Great motorcycles but they too offer a very different experience to the rider than what the Scram does. Finally, we have the inevitable comparison with the parent motorcycle, the Himalayan. The only areas where the Himalayan scores a very slight advantage over the Scram are in extreme off roading conditions because of the larger and slimmer 21 inch front wheel and in long, multi day touring because of the wind protection. Everywhere else, the Scram trumps the Himalayan with one hand tied. It is lighter, accelerates faster, corners better, stops better, is more stable in a straight line, costs lesser and most importantly, is way more fun to ride than the Himalayan. After 6 years of refining and improving upon the Himalayan platform, Royal Enfield have finally made a product that feels complete. I'm going to stick my neck out and say, the Scram 411 is the best, the most well rounded motorcycle that you can buy from the Royal Enfield stable today. So if you're looking for a motorcycle to live with every day and have amazing fun while at it, do take a look at the Scram. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Pictures courtesy: www.royalenfield.com
