Royal Enfield Scram 411 5000km Review: Better than the Himalayan?

Things I liked

One of the first things that made me confident about taking the Scram off-road was the way it is styled. Even without the off-road style fender and crash guards, the motorcycle is visually purposeful. The spoke wheels, bare essential bodywork and upswept exhaust contribute to its appeal. And with sturdy build quality, the Scram does seem like it can take a beating and come out unscathed.

And out on a trail, it did come out unscathed. More so, it turned out to be more fun than I imagined. While the suspension on the Scram does not have as much travel to offer as its sibling, the setup feels adequate for moderate off-roading. It is only when you start pushing and the trail gets harsher that the front begins to bottom out. But then again, for someone just starting with off-road riding, the Scram feels more than just right.

Even on potholed tarmac, and broken roads, the motorcycle is at home, gobbling everything that comes its way. Standing up and riding makes things easier. Now, for my 5’8’’ stature, the standing-up ergos are decent. I can reach the handlebar, (which is lower than the one on the Himalayan) easily. The fuel tank also offers good thigh grip and with the pegs right below you, the whole triangle invokes confidence. Although, it could be a slight stretch if you are over six feet.

That said, there is a healthy amount of torque being generated down low from the 411cc, single-cylinder engine under you- a good 32Nm, that is. So, even a light twist of the throttle hand would have you out of trouble and gaining some air time over a mud pile. I even found myself jumping the Scram over speed breakers every chance I got. It made commuting easier too. While most traffic slowed down for potholes, the Scram effortlessly zooms past. Even going off the road to beat the traffic is like a cake walk and over the past months with the Scram, it came instinctively to me, making commuting quicker.

Things I disliked

Ever since we introduced the Scram as our long-term, one of the biggest gripes I’ve had with it is its weight. Even though the Scram is around 9kg lighter than the Himalayan, it still feels heavy- not only to push around but also on the move. And it is even more prominent while riding off-road with a chunk of its weight concentrated in the middle.

Don’t get me wrong, the Scram is relatively lighter and more maneuverable than the Himalayan and it does feel more agile. But the difference in riding dynamics due to the lower weight isn’t a game changer. As I mentioned in the previous report, the clutch and brake feel are also wooden and require quite a bit of lever action. Even the gear shifts are clunky which resulted in constant mis-shifts while riding off-road.

But with everything said, is the Scram 411 off-road friendly? It faces the same snags as the Himalayan does when it comes to refinement, but yes, the Scram is off-road friendly. It can do pretty much everything the Himalayan can, and do it effectively. But other than that, the one character that gives it an edge over its sibling is its beginner friendliness. Unlike the Himalayan, the Scram offers a low seat height which is good enough for shorter riders. I could easily have both my feet on the ground which translates into more confidence while riding trails.

And now, after having ridden the Scram for over 5000kms, I have come to like the motorcycle quite a bit. It suits as an easy commuter, a decent highway companion and a fun, off-road friendly motorcycle. It is all that for a starting price of Rs 2.03 lakh, ex-showroom which is around Rs 10,000 lesser than what the Himalayan demands. Now, nearly five months later, it is safe to say that the Scram 411 is just as capable as its sibling. And even though it lost out on points in our previous reports, it has managed to redeem itself throughout these couple of months. 2 for 2 it is then!

Bike Details

Odometer- 5200km

Kilometeres ridden this month- 2342km

Fuel efficiency- 30.9-32.3kmpl

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi