OPINION: Here’s Why Royal Enfield Needed The Scram 440

In 2024, Royal Enfield has been churning out motorcycles like mobile phones. Right from the Shotgun 650 in January to the Guerrilla 450, updated Classic 350, Bear 650, and then Goan Classic 350, that’s pretty impressive. And with the Flying Flea C6 and Classic 650 being slotted for the future, things couldn’t look brighter. But at Motoverse 2024, Royal Enfield’s adventure section had yet another bike, something that is familiar and yet revised, slated for 2025: the Scram 440. 

And right off the bat that makes you wonder, why couldn’t the Scram progress on to the new Sherpa 450 platform? Why is it still running on the same old Himalayan platform that has been refined and polished since 2016? Here’s why we think the Scram 440 might find a lot more takers than before:

What Is The Scram 440?

Royal Enfield’s scrambler philosophy is a bit unorthodox and weird. For its 650 cc platform, the thought process is fairly conventional, pick the roadster and make it rugged. Voila, you get the Bear 650. But even prior to that, it had the Scram series, which basically was created out of the older Himalayan. And it continues to have similar foundations.

Where Royal Enfield has improved the bike is the critical areas. A lot of customer feedback was taken into consideration so as to make the new 440 better than before. For starters, the motor has been bored out to displace 443 cubes now. Hence, it still remains a long-stroke motor but the performance has been upped, 1.1 bhp and 2 Nm more than before. The more crucial bit to note is the inclusion of a sixth gear. This should help the Scram 440 perform better as a tourer than before, something the bike always struggled with despite having the right firepower. 

Furthermore, the bike gets switchable ABS, alloy wheels, a centre stand and LED lighting, all bits that the customers desired from the Scram. Not to forget, better braking hardware as it gets uprated brake calipers, which should improve bite and feedback. These changes have added 2 kilos in the process, which shouldn’t make that much of an issue to the overall rideability of the bike.

Why Is It Needed?

With the old Himalayan 411 making way for the Himalayan 450, the asking price for the bike skyrocketed to its current asking price of ₹2.85 lakh, with the most expensive colour option retailing at nearly ₹3 lakh. The Scram 411 meanwhile is priced between ₹2.06-₹2.12 lakh. With the Scram 440, Royal Enfield can afford to charge a bit more premium, say ₹10,000, and offer buyers who were looking at a more approachable ADV a good option. 

The extra performance might not be as grand or pronounced as the Himalayan 450’s but even now, we miss the charming nature of the old 410LS motor. Hence, for those seeking simple pleasures on everyday rides and yet want that bit of extra adventure on the weekends, the Scram 440 should make for a more versatile and affordable purchase. 

Royal Enfield has mentioned that the Scram 440 will go on sale in January 2025 and if the price premium remains somewhere under ₹10,000 over the outgoing model, it should make for a great all-rounder, giving the likes of the Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX, Yezdi Adventure and the upcoming KTM 250 Adventure a good run for their money.