Ben is set to fulfil his scrambking adventure with the Scram 411
Did you know that scrambler culture first originated in England all the way back in the 1920s and of the need to win races. Competitors would race from point A to point B and with rules being lax, would prefer to take the shortest route possible. The shortest route is a straight line and often would pass through fields and marshes. Such routes required all-terrain bikes and in the pre-ADV era of mechanically-simple motorcycles and gearheads who probably spend more time with their wrenches than wives, could lead to only one conclusion. Motorcycles were stripped of parts deemed unnecessary. Fenders and exhausts were raised for more ground clearance while chunky off-road tyres were added for more traction on the loose stuff. It worked and soon the ‘scrambler’ evolved into a motorcycling genre that gained quite the popularity until adventure tourers came along.
I find modern-day scramblers quite intriguing. Adventure tourers are quite practical but also large and heavy. Because scramblers are stripped down and off-road focused versions of road going bikes, they come across as lighter alternatives to ADVs. The scrambler culture has been intriguing enough for me to try and modify my own Bajaj Pulsar 220 into one but that’s a sad story for another day.
I quite like the Royal Enfield Scram 411. In fact, I have liked it even before I knew Royal Enfield was making one. Let me explain.
At an off road event, I noticed a lady riding a stripped-down white Royal Enfield Himalayan. She had taken off the Himalayan’s front headlamp and external tubular fairing and replaced it with a simple round unit and the result can be termed as a rough draft of what you see today. This simple modification transformed the industrial looking Himalayan into something even more palatable and desirable even.
The Scram 411 takes the desirability quotient up several notches, especially in this white and red paintjob. The colour block livery makes it quite the eye-catcher and reminds me of 80s rally bikes. The round headlamp inexplicably gets an aluminium cowl, surely a plastic unit would be more affordable to make and be as light no?
I like the fact that the Himalayan’s busy looking multiple pod instrument console hasn’t been carried over and Royal Enfield has used the Meteor console’s albeit with a blacked out finish. While Abhay missed the tachometer, I was fine without one as the motor has reserves of low and mid-range grunt and is perfectly suited for my style of riding.
My initial days with the Scram have been uneventful with few weekend rides in between everyday mundane commutes. The Scram 411 feels special in the way it engages you to ride it hard. It demands you to get involved for your share of fun. The Scram 411 is quick when you want it to be and docile when you don’t. I am looking forward to living the scrambler dream and hit a few trails around Pune with the Scram 411. Will I become proficient in drawing the shortest line between point A and B? Stay tuned.
