Based on the popular Himalayan, we head down to Brighton to test the new Royal Enfield Scram 411 at the UK launch!
‘New’ for 2022, we were out in Brighton on the Royal Enfield Scram 411 launch, to enjoy a bit of urban riding, B-road scratching and a touch of light trail riding.
Now, when the Himalayan was launched back in 2016 (after its premier in 2015) Royal Enfield primed the middleweight machine as an accessible & straightforward adventure bike, developed with Harris Performance chassis Bullet frame & engine. It was a new step into uncharted territory - in a way - that was perfect for the ‘home market’ of India, where versatility is much appreciated in varying road conditions.
But hang on, we’re here to talk about the Scram 411, right? Well, to understand the Scram you have to appreciate where it came from.
Whilst certainly a new bike with its very own launch, the new Scram is privy to many of the various upgrades & features introduced to the Himalayan over the 6 years it has been in production - like the electronic fuel injection over an old-school carb, and the Tripper navigation node (that you’ll also recognise from the Meteor 350 I reviewed last year).
So, what is the Royal Enfield Scram 411?
Simply put, the Scram is effectively a production-run custom Himalayan. Sharing the same dual-cradle split cradle frame, 411cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor, 15-litre tank, and design cues, the Scram is unashamedly a Himalayan derivative with scrambler flair.
It definitely stayed true to the spy shots we got ahold of earlier this year.
With a smaller 19” front wheel, a new analogue dash with inner LCD display, new 795mm seat, and its very own front headlight cluster (reminiscent of the SG650 concept unveiled at EICMA 2021), the Scram 411 instantly becomes the urban alternative to its contemporary popular adventure bike relative.
From a quick glance, you can easily see the Himalayan heritage - and that’s no bad thing. Be prepared for plenty of references to this adventure foundation from here on out.
Royal Enfield Scram 411 price & availability
The 2022 Scram 411 comes in 5 striking colours and is in dealers right now for test rides & purchase.
It’s a typical price-point that only Royal Enfield can seemingly offer at the sheer number of units they ship out worldwide - starting price is £4,599 for the 3 ‘Graphite Red/Blue/Yellow’ options (I had Graphite Red for the day), and the ‘Silver Spirit’ & ‘White Flame’ colours are £4,699. That brings it to the current £4,699 price of the Himalayan.
Interestingly, we were told the 'White Flame' variant is inspired directly by a Nike Air Jordan 1 that one of the designers was wearing that day. That’s a little Visordown fact for you!
If the Air Jordan 1 inspiration isn’t a direct sign that this machine is aimed at a younger market, then I don’t know what is. That price point certainly does make it just as competitive and accessible as the top-selling Meteor 350, Interceptor 650 & Continental GT - oh and Himalayan, of course.
A brief note on the style, and it’s certainly a looker. The number boards are an inspiration from the Dirt Craft flat track school (which I went to last year, great fun) where the Himalayan is centre stage. I think you’ll find plenty of these being posed with on social media going forward!
Engine
Let’s move to the motor. As mentioned it’s a 411cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor with SOHC, producing around 24 BHP @ 6500 rpm and 32 Nm of torque at 4250 rpm. Given it’s the exact same motor as the Himalayan, it’s been tried, tested & refined collectively over hundreds of thousands of miles.
Power is put to the rear wheel through a 5-speed gearbox and really light clutch, I’m told there are slight tweaks to the gearing ratios when compared to its close adventure-relative. However, you’re still given the easy-going power that’s friendly for all and happy to be revved up to 40 mph, cruising in towns done in 2nd gear for that low-end pull.
Power delivery is smooth, gentle, but not weak. Enfield has certainly been appealing to this A2 market for quite some time, and anyone with 125cc experience could jump straight on this without scaring themselves - I’d happily recommend any tentative rider to jump on one of these to firm up their confidence.
The ‘tame’ power tops out at around 80mph given enough open road, but that perfectly accentuates a town/city rider that can be taken off the beaten track at weekends. Hustle in the week, explore at the weekend, or something like that.
If you’re buying one of these for pure speed and raw thrills, you’re looking at the wrong bike.
Brakes, Suspension & Wheels
At the front end, we now have a 19” wheel that noticeably improves turn-in and corner entry over the 21” front on the Himalayan, paired with a 17” rear wheel - and hoops that are purpose-built for this machine, too.
Telescopic 41mm forks are up-front with 190mm travel, and a rear monoshock with linkage giving you 180mm travel at the rear. You have 200mm ground clearance, and the forks will compress quite softly when hitting some potholes and bumps - comfortable, but successive compressions can feel like you’re pushing the limit somewhat if getting a bit confident in the corners. Perhaps my 14 stone preload has something to do with that.
As a result of the tweaked wheel size and slightly sharper rake, you have a 1455mm wheelbase (10mm shorter than on the Hima) and an overall weight of 185kg (without fuel, so closer to 200kg ready-to-go). Again, cornering is nice and responsive here, particularly well suited for filtering and town riding where every bit of response from the bike is welcome.
My slight sticking point on the Scram are the brakes. A 300mm front disc with 2-piston caliper & 240mm rear disc with single-piston caliper feature here, both ByBre with dual-channel ABS. They’re effective enough to stop you, but the front brake felt very soft to me, and noticeably so when really pushing on in the twisties. I gave the rear a good few firm presses at ~50mph to see what happened, and the ABS would audibly clack in a bit but not violently. It felt like the brakes would be hard-pressed to ever truly hassle the ABS system.
There are a couple of caveats to the brakes, here. Newer riders will no doubt appreciate a softer response when grabbing a fistful of front brake if caught out, nor was the bike thrown off by sudden application of the brakes - particularly important if you’re on trails or loose surfaces, and my bike had only done 300-or-so miles.
You can adjust your riding accordingly to suit the tools at hand, but personally, I’d like a bit more of a positive response when asking questions of the brakes.
Features & road-going ability
A new dash takes most of the plaudits for me, it’s classy and intuitive to read at a quick glance, with your speed displayed with classic analogue character plus inner LCD dash giving you the rest of the info - odo, gear indicator, fuel level. There’s no rev meter, so you’ll have to keep an ear out for revs reaching max capacity before you hit the redline.
The Tripper display is another standout feature, fuelled by Google Maps and set up using the app on your smartphone. Turn-by-turn navigation direct intrepid explorers via your pre-set waypoints - handy, and is really easy to follow from past experience on the Meteor 350 where it also makes an appearance. If not connected, it simply displays the time (as seen in the image above).
If you do happen to find yourself off piste and on a greenlane, the Scram will likely impress due to its simplicity and calm power delivery. We took a dusty bumpy trail to our lunch stop, and the inner-Himalayan certainly showed its head in the best of ways.
Since the Himalayan and Scram share the same DNA, most accessories and modifications will fit across the two - including luggage and panniers, though a slight change to the rear fender may be required.
That ticks the big box of customisation options being available to make this bike your own - and I will note that the bar-end-only mounted handguards are particularly solid, and look great.
Between your legs you’ll find a 15-litre tank that is said to provide around 310 miles/500 km of range between refills. We were on a route that covered under 50 miles that day, and the fuel level went down by two bars - so I really can’t comment on how accurate the mpg figure is at all.
I found the Scram pretty comfortable for a days ride, and particularly as a taller (6’4”ish) rider, I was relatively happy atop the freshly designed 795mm saddle all day, and part of the R&D was making sure the padding is in all of the right places.
Size-wise, the indents on the tank didn’t quite line up to my lanky legs, but it’s a solid upright riding position, and due to the slightly lower front-end I think everyone will be comfortable here - so a nod to Royal Enfield's dedication to 1:1 clay modelling at the design stage.
Last up, and key for prospect owners, servicing intervals are every 3000 miles for £100, and £160 for 6000 miles, and a 3-year warranty from new. In a similar vein, I can’t comment on long-term build quality - everything was certainly well-assembled from a day atop it, with nice paint finishing and well-arranged switchgear.
What we like
- Easy to ride, good fun.
- Style is on point.
- Attractive price.
What we dislike
- Brakes could be firmer.
- Suspension is good, not great.
- Could it have been a further departure from the Himalayan?
Conclusion & verdict
Following a successful formula for a new motorcycle is always a safe bet, and for such a behemoth of a motorcycle company that ships a vast number of units per year, I think the Scram 411 will slot in nicely to appeal to riders in towns/cities across the UK (and beyond).
What the Scram adds to the formula is that extra bit of urban attitude and style, of which there is plenty to appreciate here.
As with much of the current line-up from Enfield, pure power and electronic gadgetry give way to accessibility and purchasing power, but that’s what gives the Scram the charm that’ll ultimately grant it almost certain success on the roads.
I certainly had a tonne of fun atop the Royal Enfield Scram, it has all of the straightforward raw attraction that a lot of modern motorcycles are seemingly devoid of. It’s not without a few rougher edges, but at the price point you’re getting a lot of fun for your dough here.
One of the key phrases from my Meteor 350 review was that it was easy-going - and the Scram is firmly in that category as well. It’s ultimately great fun to ride. The character that emanates from the analogue approach could provide even the sternest of sports bike riders a thrill at the weekend - riding a bike at 100% of its capacity is always a laugh.
Having identified a gap in the market for an affordable crosser with style and a ‘jump on and ride’ attitude, it’s without a doubt you’ll be seeing these bikes at Bike Shed-esque locations very soon, or even skateparks - where it played backdrop to some skaters absolutely shredding around it.
Cheers to Royal Enfield for having us for the day, check out their site for more info. Big thanks to Jason Critchell for the riding images, also!
