A sub-type of Royal Enfield’s Himalayan, the Scram 411 brings to the table a more approachable and urban-focused ride.
At its heart is a 411cc air and oil-cooled single cylinder engine with a modest 17.8kW/28Nm, which is in turn transferred to the rear wheel by a five-speed gearbox and chain drive.
Admittedly that sounds unimpressive, but rather than requiring the absolute snot revved out of it, the Scram gently chugs along. Even hills at 100km/h don’t need a rapid downshift, with the Scram able to maintain speed quite nicely thanks to its generous torque spread.
Now, the Scram isn’t just a Himalayan without the windscreen. Royal Enfield has made a number of changes to make the bike more accessible and simpler to use. Primarily those are a smaller 19-inch front wheel and revised suspension to bring the bike closer to the ground.
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The cockpit features a large analogue speedo with an LCD insert offering an odometer, two trip meters, a clock, a fuel gauge, and a gear position indicator. Our test bike also featured the optional Tripper navigation pod which (via the Royal Enfield app) can display Google Maps directions to your next destination. I’d say the Tripper is worth it for the $320 (plus fitting) as it not only slots in nicely on the dash but also goes a long way to help keep your phone out of the elements.
While the Scram isn’t marketed as a genuine off-road scrambler, I couldn’t resist the temptation to take it to some of my favourite gravel roads to find out how it handled loose surfaces.
One fly in the ointment for gravel adventures is the lack of switchable ABS, which can cause longer stopping distances if you haphazardly hammer on the brakes in the loose stuff. While you can disable the ABS by performing a burnout, this action also turns off the speedo, which is obviously not ideal. It’s good to know you can do it in a pinch but I decided to ride most of the trip with the ABS on. That’s after some obligatory fun sliding the rear of the Scram about in the dirt, of course.
When it came to being a little more adventurous than gravel, the tyres and ground clearance of the Scram become the biggest limiting factors. Thankfully there is a factory-fitted aluminium skid plate fitted, but being reasonably thin compared to aftermarket items you won't want to beat on it too hard.
But at the end of the day, I don't think the Scram 411 is really meant to go off into the scrub on challenging adventures. Like Enfield's other single-cylinder models, the Scram is meant to be an incredibly easy-to-use form of transportation which makes it ideal for riders to start their motorcycling journey on. This is where it excels.
Like its other sub-500cc stablemates, the power delivery is friendly and predictable, while the clutch action is superb. The levers could be a bit closer to the ’bars for those with stubby fingers, but that's easily remedied in the aftermarket. RE even has a large swathe of official accessories to personalise the Scram.
I think that's what makes Royal Enfield's bikes so lovable. They’re affordable, yet fun, basic bikes to get stuck in at the shallow end of motorcycling and allow you to dabble in personalisation and progress your skillset before you move up the ranks to larger capacity machines.
ROYAL ENFIELD SCRAM 411
PRICE: From $8290
ENGINE: 411cc SOHC air-cooled single-cylinder
POWER: 17.8kW at 6500rpm/32Nm at 4250rpm