Enfield invent another market
The world experts in creating rivaless bikes come up with another: the budget, low-capacity, scrambler. And it all, rather, makes sense…
Enfield’s Himalayan is a high-value utilitarian device but styling was never its strongest suit. Enter the new Scram – a stripped-back Himalayan built for younger riders (and more experienced ones who want a decent second bike for local jaunts).
By changing the front wheel from a 21in to a 19in, reducing front wheel travel by 10mm – lowering the front end some more – and removing the screen and crash bars, Enfield have managed to make what looks like a proper scrambler. The 24bhp, 411cc single-cylinder engine and steel tube frame are the same as the Himalayan’s so the performance won’t set your trousers on fire, but that’s not an issue if you’re nipping down some B-roads to the pub. Because the Scram shares the Himalayan’s robust build quality – all Enfields are built to survive India’s diabolical road network don’t forget – it probably has similar off-road potential to adventure bikes costing four times as much. However, Enfield admit it’s not going to be used in the dirt much. ‘When we thought about a variant of the Himalayan, we realised we needed something to reach a new target audience,’ Enfield’s European boss, Arun Gopal, tells Bike. ‘We felt an adventure tourer like the Himalayan wasn’t suited to a modern urban rider. We wanted to create a motorcycle for regular commuting, or getting across a city
‘Enfield have made what looks like a proper scrambler’
quickly, or for a bit of fun off-road. But it had to suit the needs of a modern urban user.’ And by ‘modern urban user’, Arun of course means ‘young person’. ‘Yes, the Scram is primarily for youngsters, for first time riders and for 125cc up-graders. The demographic of riders in Britain and Europe is 45-plus, but we want to target younger riders with the Scram. Most of the models we’ve launched recently (Interceptor, Continental GT and Meteor) have been blasts from the past – we’ve had these models and names before. The Scram is different, for different customers. And it’s not just buying the motorcycle. We want to take them to the slide schools we have in the UK, and invite them to events specifically for Scram owners’
As is often the case with modern Enfields, there doesn’t appear to be an obvious rival. So is there a risk it will just cannibalise Meteor or Himalayan sales? ‘Our aim is to offer customers more options within the Royal Enfield family so they don’t have to look outside of it,’ says Arun. ‘The Meteor