If you want an exciting but inexpensive motorcycle with a warranty these days, your first and best bet is to head over to your local Royal Enfield dealer. The Indian-built lineup is scant, and the bikes don’t offer top-of-the-market options, but they are really good bikes for the money, and that’s what’s important. To keep its bikes inexpensive, the company has to do as much parts bin engineering as it can, and the new Scram 411 is perfect evidence of that.
Based on the company’s Himalayan adventure bike, which has been on the market since 2016, the new Scram uses the same steel tube frame and engine. That engine is a solid single-cylinder 411cc unit that makes 24.3 horsepower and 23.6 lb-ft of torque, which is funneled through a simple five-speed gearbox. It’s a cheap and cheerful combo that should run a good long while if you take care of it.
The fuel tank, rear wheel, brakes, most of the suspension, and exhaust are also common between Himalayan and Scram. So what is different? Well, for starters, the Scram ditches the tall dorky windscreen in favor of a little headlight fairing, and downsizes to a 19-inch front wheel for street riding favor. Gone are the Himalayan’s tank protection bars-slash-jerry can holders, which have been replaced by small aero blades that RE is calling simply “side panels”. Similarly the fenders and the seat have been redesigned for a more classically urban scrambler look.
The Scram still gets a dual sport tire, so it’s not ready to ditch the dirt altogether. Given Royal Enfield’s Indian roots, that could be a nod to the unpaved highways and byways of its home country. For those of us who are urban at heart, but still reside in the countryside, it’s a nice compromise.
The Scram has already launched in India, available now for the princely sum of 2.03 lakh rupees (just under $2,700). Royal Enfield has confirmed that the bike will be available in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and indeed North America later this year, with early arrivals coming to our shores sometime in Q3. Pricing for the U.S. market hasn’t been announced yet, but you can buy the Himalayan for just $5,299 so maybe the Scram will come in a smidge under five grand.
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