Royal Enfield ’ s Himalayan Scram 411 is advertised as a scrambler through and through . With rubber-gaiter adorned 41mm front forks and knobbly ( ish ) tyres it seems to fit the bill too . I ’ m jumping ahead a little , but , like most bikes of this ilk , the Scram 411 rarely felt comfortable with anything beyond the beaten gravel road . However , that would be at risk of underselling what turned out to be a genuinely fantastic little bike , and a worthy spinoff from the Himalayan that came before it . After my last foray into reviewing for KR magazine ( with the stylish Honda CB300R in November Vol . 1 ), I thought my figurative pen was down , and I considered myself retired . However , when the team invited me back to give the 2023 Himalayan Scram 411 a good run around , I couldn ’ t say no . So , I slung a CE-protected knee over the Scram ’ s roomy seat and set about putting it through its paces .
MID-SIZED SINGLE At the heart of the Scram is a 411cc , single cylinder air-cooled engine spitting out a seemingly paltry 24.3hp . With such a power figure underpinning the project , it ’ s fair to say that nobody ’ s socks are going to be blown off here . That said , torque is available in abundance
in the low end of the revs ( and to a lesser extent in the mid-range ). Acceleration , however , isn ’ t . I don ’ t think that ’ s what the Scram is about though . What did impress me was the extremely linear power delivery , and the consistency in which the fuel-injected engine delivered it . A 20-degree turn of the wrist is going to add the same proportion of power , every time , in every gear . It ’ s smooth . A ( predictably ) underwhelming top end is the only blemish – but it ’ s still more than enough to cruise along New Zealand ’ s highways , but any more than an hour riding the top of fifth gear has the potential to drive me a little crazy . It ’ s natural to always want a little more , and , while I can ’ t deny myself that thought , the nowfamiliar Royal Enfield single cylinder very much feels at home within the Scram 411 ’ s chassis . Some extra cash also felt at home in my wallet . During the course of my 70-odd test kilometres , the 411 returned a very healthy 3.3l / 100km average gas mileage .
CHASSIS There ’ s pleasantly little vibration at any revs , courtesy of the counter-balancer tucked away in the mid-size single , and also in part due to the comfy ergonomics . Comfortable seems the best
KIWI RIDER 79