Royal Enfield Scram 411 Long-Term Review: 1200kms on the highway

Gallery Introduction Things I liked Things I disliked What's next?

Introduction

The Royal Enfield Scram 411 has been in the BikeWale Long Term garage for two months and received its first service a couple of weeks ago. While the previous report listed all the good and not-so-good bits about riding the motorcycle in the city, it was now time to take it out on the highway. But with only a day or two to spare in the past month, the plan for a 1000km trip with the Scram 411 had to be shelved.

However, I did manage a few trips from Mumbai to Pune and back which contributed to a good 1200kms on the odo. Now, these trips were not only to deduce if the Scram 411 is a capable motorcycle on the highway but also if it can match or outperform the Himalayan’s abilities here.

Things I liked

By the looks of it, the Scram 411 is a tall motorcycle but once you get on, it instantly feels welcoming. The seating ergos will have you in a cocoon of sorts - something I truly liked about the Scram. Even though the handlebar is the same as the one on the Himalayan, it is lower and pulled closer to the rider and seems wider than it is.

Holding on to the bars feels natural. Your arms are nice and loose, greatly reducing fatigue on the highway while also providing good leverage. Meanwhile, the curved shape of the seat will have you sitting ‘in’ the bike rather than on it. Now, the seat in itself is comfy over long distances. With a slight stiffness to the cushioning, it offers good support for the backside and under-thigh and never once felt unbearable during the 400km ride.

That said, I was also partly impressed with the performance the 411cc air-cooled motor offers on the highway. It offers decent grunt in the mid-range and can cruise at 90-100kmph without a complaint or quiver of uneasiness. At this point, the Scram feels like a beautiful motorcycle to be on. It feels smooth and refined and has almost no vibrations. Surprisingly, I also felt no wind resistance despite the Scram 411 having no protection (even as an optional accessory).

Well, even the suspension setup that I loathed in the city did a suitable job on my Mumbai-Pune stints. Given that most of the journey has well-paved tarmac, the otherwise stiff suspension felt manageable, slowly damping all the undulations. Above all, the Royal Enfield Scram 411 managed to return a decent 30-31kmpl. And this is even after having a heavy hand on the throttle all through.

However, there are a few aspects that I found were bogging down the Scram 411 from offering a content touring experience.

Things I disliked

Like I said, cruising at 100kmph, the Scram 411 feels right at home. But, cruising at 100kmph on a 411cc motorcycle isn’t exactly extraordinary. If anything, it is sub-par. Now, the Scram has enough grunt for it to reach a top speed of around 130kmph albeit struggling and straining to get there. As the needle inches towards 120, the motorcycle gets uneasy all over with tiresome vibrations on the handlebar and seat.

While slowing down works, I did have to make a stop on one occasion when riding with a pillion who not only complained about the fatigue the vibrations caused but also the lack of space and under thigh support at the rear. Further adding to the drama the Scram 411 presents over 110kmph is its handling at those speeds. On fast-flowing corners the front end begins to wobble, almost threatening to go into a tank-slapper if I didn’t back down. With a pillion on board, even the rear starts to feel unsettled.

Interestingly, I didn’t find any such issues on a trip to Bangalore on the Himalayan that rides on a bigger 21-inch front wheel. Well, having said that, the Scram 411 isn’t exactly intuitive when flicking into corners either even though it rides on a 19-inch wheel and is around 6kg lighter than the Himalayan. On the ghat section, it required a good amount of coaxing, counter-steering and throttle input before it budged.

What's next?

My experience with the Royal Enfield Scram 411 on the highway was met with mixed feelings about the motorcycle. Few things like the seating and ergonomics are well sorted, there is no wind resistance even without a screen and the mid-range is decent. But the lack of high-speed cruising, wooden feel to the clutch and brake, and a bucket-load of vibrations dulled the escapade by a great deal.

So, as a touring motorcycle, the Scram 411 has its limitations which are nearly similar to what the Himalayan offers here. However, with a better high-speed ride and more pliant suspension, the Himalayan seems like a better pick over the Scram, even if it means shelling out Rs 6,000 more. And on that note, Round 2 goes to the Himalayan with the score now at 0-2.

With the monsoon in full swing, it’ll be a suitable time to hit some trails and practice my off-road skills with the Scram for the next report. Will it be easy? Or will the Scram lose this battle against the Himalayan too? Stay tuned to find out!

Bike Stats

Odometer- 3220km

Kilometres ridden this month- 1415km

Fuel Efficiency- 30-31kmpl

Photos by Kaustubh Gandhi