[tp_dominator]

I got this beauty on the 23rd May. I am also somebody who is returning to bikes after long - close to 9 years. My priorities for the bike were clear.

1. It should be easy to ride daily in the traffic (if need be).
2. The suspension should be comfortable and pliant - this was most important considering my last serious bike was the Ninja 250R.
3. No manic nature and smooth power delivery (read good low end and mid range grunt).
4. Budget between 2 to 3 lakhs on-road - last year I was searching in the 8 to 10 lakhs bracket but felt it would be an overkill if I don't ride much.
5. Don't need an ADV styled or track focused bike - ADV styled only considered for the suspension superiority to other bikes.
6. I will most certainly never use the bike for touring, the max it would go to is Lonavala, so touring credentials or top end grunt didn't mean much to me.

I checked out almost all the bikes in the segment, below is just a brief about them (in no particular order) - all the views are my own and the bikes were only tested to meet my above criteria, others opinions might differ greatly.

1. Yezdi Scrambler - the bike felt alright but the suspension was a bit firm, the bike also sits low and I wanted a bike to not hide under my frame. The knuckle guards fitted on the showroom bike were of cheap quality. Overall, did not feel good after checking it out. Rejected.

2. Honda CB 350 - the bike felt nice to ride, almost perfect for my needs along with Honda reliability - this was going to be the logical choice. Shortlisted.

3. BMW G310 GS - did not feel special when I rode it, the test ride bike was also a bit battered and I had gone with a friend who picked up the G310 R, also did not want to spend exhorbitant amounts on the service and spares. Rejected.

4. Honda CB 200X - the engine was smooth and ride was comfortable but I felt it would feel at home at cruising speeds of 80-90 which was fine and it was lesser on-road than my budget too. Shortlisted.

5. Dominar 400 - already had one. Purchased in 2017 and sold in 2018 with just 3k on the ODO, the bike was not meant for the city, did not enjoy it much. Rejected.

6. RE Meteor 350 - good bike with a smooth engine, only bummer being the waiting period, fit my requirements while also looking cool. The power was on the lower side though and something just did not connect. Rejected.

7. All the KTMs - ADV 250 and 390 were unsuitable for my use cases so gave the KTM showroom a pass, if I had any intention of hitting the highways often with the bike, would have stretched and picked up the 390 Adventure. Rejected.

8. All other remaining contenders - Xpulse, Himalayan, Yezdi Adventure - rode them all but again did not connect with any - no use case for the capabilities these bikes offer. Vstrom 250SX was just launched but did not want to buy a Suzuki and honestly Scram 411 took my heart away.

9. RE Himalayan Scram 411 - the new kid in town, I had been eyeing this and with the positive youtube reviews of it being an everyday Himalayan - my mind was already inclined towards it. Rode it once and was sold on the low down torque and suspension alone. The seat was comfortable too and seat height was not an issue for my 5'9" height. Also, it was available for delivery the same day and had three color choices to choose from. Shortlisted and booked - from the heart.

Booking experience and delivery

The booking was smooth, booked it on Sunday, 22nd May and got it delivered on Monday, 23rd May 2022. I had the option to choose from White Flame, Skyline Blue and Blazing Black. I feel bikes look best in black so chose the Blazing Black one after looking at all of them at the stockyard.

At PDI





All inclusive cost me 2.62 lakhs with 5 years extended warranty and few accessories - engine guard, knuckle guard, bike cover and master cylinder guard. The delivery experience was a very plain affair but honestly I expected nothing so it was fine, just wanted the bike to be ready and ride out and that's what happened exactly.

At Delivery






ODO At Delivery


Rider's View


The Scram connected to me like no other bike connected in the past. It taught me a few things which I never pondered upon until I got this. Below are a few pointers on the bike.

Engine and Gearbox
The tried and tested BS6 Himalayan engine is a joy to ride inside the city with good low end torque. I am not too technically inclined so please pardon me if I just explain it in layman's terms. I can pull the bike from 20kmph in 3rd gear effortlessly and it feels happy to cruise at 60-70 kmph which is the max I have taken it yet. The gearbox is also sure slotting and no false neutrals yet. Have just ridden the bike for 150 kms till now so I will comment on this later when I ride some more. Till now haven't felt much of the vibes on the handlebar or the footpegs.

Ride and Handling
The ride is supple - it takes bad roads in its stride and does not transfer the jolts to the rider's spine. Heck the ride quality on this bike is way better than my 17 inched Ford Ecosport's in the city. It dismisses bumps and potholes like nobody' business and if you are about to hit a huge bump, just stand and you won't feel a thing. Straddling is also comfortable and easy on this one.

The seat is also wide and comfortable and I don't feel numb in my crotch area which I feel on other bikes after riding for a while. The bike is nimble too and its easy to manoeuvre in the city and close those gaps in the traffic. You can zip in and out of traffic easily and the handlebar is at a comfortable height to not feel intimidating.

Other points are already covered in a lot of reviews so I just wanted to give a brief overview of the points I recollected. Feel free to ask any questions about the bike if you may have. I will share more pictures and ride experiences after I clock more kms. I will also share likes and dislikes at a later date - mostly after the first service.

Till then ride safe everyone and let me Scram!

[NTab]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

I got this beauty on the 23rd May.

Other points are already covered in a lot of reviews so I just wanted to give a brief overview of the points I recollected. Feel free to ask any questions about the bike if you may have. I will share more pictures and ride experiences after I clock more kms. I will also share likes and dislikes at a later date - mostly after the first service.

Till then ride safe everyone and let me Scram!

Congratulations. Few kms more, and we expect a new ownership thread from you

I have been eyeing Scram for a while now. It’s mainly going to be my touring bike, hence a little hesitant. I wish they had offered windshield as an accessory.

[W16rocks]

Congratulations!!! Scram is one hell of a looker, and it is the perfect blend of touring and adventure bikes According to me.
I am also thinking of getting the scram next year, would love to hear more about it from you and see more pictures.
Keep updating this thread with your likes and dislikes and road trips.

Cheers
W16Rocks

[mpp1]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

I got this beauty on the 23rd May.

It is seriously shocking for me to see so many people on these forums ignoring the Yamaha FZ25, IMHO the best all-purpose bike on the Indian market with the looks and the Yamaha quality.

[tchsvy]

Originally Posted by mpp1

It is seriously shocking for me to see so many people on these forums ignoring the Yamaha FZ25, IMHO the best all-purpose bike on the Indian market with the looks and the Yamaha quality.

It's slightly OT to discuss FZ25 on a Scram thread, mods please excuse. The FZ is very good city commuter, with its low grunt it suits the urban jungle, but that's about it, everything else about it is nothing out of the ordinary. While looks are subjective and the bike in itself is inoffensive but I personally hate the new headlight. Even if you are looking for a 250 CC city commuter the Gixxer 250 naked is a better option compared to the FZ25, IMHO. The Scram on the otherhand is a better mile muncher and will be far better on the highway and on the broken tarmac.

[mpp1]

Originally Posted by tchsvy

It's slightly OT to discuss FZ25 on a Scram thread, mods please excuse. The FZ is very good city commuter, with its low grunt it suits the urban jungle, but that's about it, everything else about it is nothing out of the ordinary. While looks are subjective and the bike in itself is inoffensive but I personally hate the new headlight. Even if you are looking for a 250 CC city commuter the Gixxer 250 naked is a better option compared to the FZ25, IMHO. The Scram on the otherhand is a better mile muncher and will be far better on the highway and on the broken tarmac.

My point was only in reference to the list of options you had mentioned, also the bike is 1.6 lack on road which to me shows so many bikes in India are so badly overpriced, 2.5 lakh on-road for the Yezdi is quite funny. What you mentioned are all the reasons I think the FZ is the most underrated bike in the market with only 2 negatives: the headlight and the instrument cluster. I'd love to see old school analog clocks on it personally, would even pay to modify mine.

What is OT by the way?

[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by mpp1

It is seriously shocking for me to see so many people on these forums ignoring the Yamaha FZ25, IMHO the best all-purpose bike on the Indian market with the looks and the Yamaha quality.

I had test ridden the FZ25 originally in 2017 before getting the Dominar. Felt nothing special about the bike, ordinary power and most importantly it was a size too small for my frame. Same holds true today as well, and to each their own, but I did not feel Yamaha had a single bike suiting my needs, so overlooked them as a whole. I am sure it's a very nice bike, but Scram 411 was the one which stole my heart so getting a sensible bike was not an option.

[NTab]

Originally Posted by tchsvy

The FZ is very good city commuter, with its low grunt it suits the urban jungle, but that's about it, everything else about it is nothing out of the ordinary.

Originally Posted by mpp1

the bike is 1.6 lack on road which to me shows so many bikes in India are so badly overpriced, 2.5 lakh on-road for the Yezdi is quite funny. What you mentioned are all the reasons I think the FZ is the most underrated bike in the market

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

I had test ridden the FZ25 originally in 2017 before getting the Dominar. Felt nothing special about the bike, ordinary power..
..I am sure it's a very nice bike, but Scram 411 was the one which stole my heart so getting a sensible bike was not an option.

We are comparing apples to oranges. FZ is just an urban commuter, with occasional highway runs, that’s it. It’s not a mile muncher. One definitely can tour on it as much as they want, but then people have toured on Scooters also; that doesn’t make it a touring machine.

Apart from the low end grunt of FZ, it has nothing exceptional to offer over its competitors, unlike R15 which comes from the same stable, and is the leader in its segment.

Pricing is a different thing altogether, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Urban commuter of any brand is the cheapest of the lot. If tomorrow Yamaha launches an ADV based on FZ250, it will be similarly priced to the VstormSX. Also, The pricing of everything has gone drastically up in past few years.


PS- I own FZ25. The aforementioned opinions are formed after riding my bike for 4.5years and 35K kms. Not trying to demean anyone or anything. Apologies if my wording seems harsh.

[jaganm]

I owned a FZ25 for around 3 years. The lack of top end was a pain on the highway. Though it could do a higher top speed than my CB350, i feel the CB is much more comfortable at a cruising speed of 100-110. I'm sure it will be the same for the Scram

[mpp1]

Originally Posted by jaganm

I owned a FZ25 for around 3 years. The lack of top end was a pain on the highway. Though it could do a higher top speed than my CB350, i feel the CB is much more comfortable at a cruising speed of 100-110. I'm sure it will be the same for the Scram

To each their own I guess. Scram has a 4 hp advantage over the FZ, agreed, but it's also 30 some kgs heavier so real world gain would be minimal if any.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by mpp1

To each their own I guess. Scram has a 4 hp advantage over the FZ, agreed, but it's also 30 some kgs heavier so real world gain would be minimal if any.

True, but the Scram and the Himalayan aren't about sheer grunt. I think the Dominar would be more suited for those needs. These bikes are more about that supple ride quality along with off road and touring ability plus that amazing low end torque. The FZ series motorcycles are excellent city commuters however and would be comfortable on shorter trips.

[vinodvaddi]

Took delivery of the Scram 411 (same color: blazing black) today.

The only other alternative that I've considered was Yezdee Scrambler. It was a tough choice to choose between these two, as I really liked the looks and those dual exhaust pipes of the Yezdee Scrambler. It took a back-to-back test drive of both the bikes on the same day and I went ahead with RE Scram.

I'll be using it for office commutes and occassional joy rides.

Called up couple of RE showrooms in Bengaluru to check if they have the bike in stock. Got prompt response from Avahan Motors, Kothanur (which by the way is not where I took the test drive).

The entire process got completed in 4 days, without me having to go to the showroom. Mr. Vijayan (sales manager of the showroom) is a gem of a guy. No Handling or other hidden charges, matched the insurance quote to online, came to my residence on the same day (Friday) to initiate the formalities. Made the full payment by credit card (no charges again) and signed the papers. Bike got registered on Monday and home delivered personally on Tuesday, with a complimentary, black helmet.

Can't ask for a better buying experience.

Here's a pic of him with the bike.

[NTab]

Originally Posted by vinodvaddi

Took delivery of the Scram 411 (same color: blazing black) today.

Congratulations Vinod. Scram your way and extract every ounce of fun from the Blazing Black.

Also, a few BHPians have already purchased Scram. An official ownership thread will help others who are thinking to buy one.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by vinodvaddi

Took delivery of the Scram 411 (same color: blazing black) today.

Congratulations on your new ride. Could you please elaborate as to why you chose the Scram over the regular Himalayan?

[shailinder]

Originally Posted by vinodvaddi

Took delivery of the Scram 411 (same color: blazing black) today.

The only other alternative that I've considered was Yezdee Scrambler. It was a tough choice to choose between these two, as I really liked the looks and those dual exhaust pipes of the Yezdee Scrambler. It took a back-to-back test drive of both the bikes on the same day and I went ahead with RE Scram.

I'll be using it for office commutes and occassional joy rides.

Called up couple of RE showrooms in Bengaluru to check if they have the bike in stock. Got prompt response from Avahan Motors, Kothanur (which by the way is not where I took the test drive).

The entire process got completed in 4 days, without me having to go to the showroom. Mr. Vijayan (sales manager of the showroom) is a gem of a guy. No Handling or other hidden charges, matched the insurance quote to online, came to my residence on the same day (Friday) to initiate the formalities. Made the full payment by credit card (no charges again) and signed the papers. Bike got registered on Monday and home delivered personally on Tuesday, with a complimentary, black helmet.

Can't ask for a better buying experience.

Here's a pic of him with the bike.

Attachment 2317839

Congratulations Vinod.

I am also on a hunt for a bike. Please elaborate on why you opted for Scram 411 over any other bike. I am also from Bangalore (South Bangalore) and did a short test ride of Scram a couple of weeks back.

Although it is a personal choice, I firmly believe getting delivery at the showroom gives a better feeling than getting it delivered at home. However, excellent service by RE/Showroom.

Any accessories you have installed/planned?

Congratulations once again, and happy mile-munching.