Royal Enfield Scram 440

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•6w

The Royal Enfield Scram 440 is a good choice for your usage, although bear in mind that during tight and technical off-road sections, its near-200 kilo kerb weight will need a lot of caution and skill to work around. As a road bike, it is a comfortable, relaxed and fuss-free companion but if you want the latest features and gadgets, this is not the bike for you. The 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X is a good allrounder and is actually a rather good handler despite its 19-in front wheel and dual-purpose tyres. Its engine isn't the most characterful though and the tall 835mm saddle may not work for you if you're a shorter person. These are two of the best made-in-India scrambler machines under Rs 3 lakh and depending on the sort of experience you are after, both will work well.

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•9w

Since you liked the Bullet 350 on your test ride, sticking with it for your next purchase would be a good idea. Inside the city, this Royal Enfield bike will return better fuel economy and will be easier to manage than the Himalayan 450, although the latter is unquestionably a more capable motorcycle. Coming to the Himalayan, this machine has a greater spread of abilities than the Bullet but there are trade-offs. Its size and heft may get tiring after a while, especially in staccato city traffic. And like you pointed out, the warmth from its radiator is also noticeable. However, we'd advise you to not write off the Himalayan because of some warm air. Ask yourself if you're willing to put up with this one trait to gain spades of comfort, capability and performance because the Himalayan genuinely has a lot to offer. Since you're browsing through the RE stable already, the Scram 440 is another machine that deserves your attention. It has more performance than the Bullet and its suspension is compliant too, making it a good city companion. Should you want to browse through the catalogue of other brands, Honda's CB350 is an excellent city bike too. With its smooth engine, light clutch action and comfortable seating position, the air-cooled CB makes for a good commuting partner too. A test ride of the Scram and CB350 would be our recommendation so you can make a more informed decision. Also, take another test ride of the Himalayan and pay deliberate attention to the heat you're feeling in traffic before you rule it out.

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•9w

You've test ridden many 300-400cc machines and have a good understanding of what you like or dislike in each machine, so that's a good place to start. We still believe that the Himalayan 450 is your best bet because aside from its weight (which you will learn to work around, over time) there are no significant drawbacks here. And this is not a case of settling for a machine with an innate flaw. Instead, riding the Himalayan 450 day in and day out, will automatically make you more cognizant of its weight and you'll start to manage your starts and stops better as well as improve your slow speed balance on the bike, given some time and a little bit of practice.We would also recommend you look at the Scram 440 because while this bike weighs as much as the Himalayan, it is a much shorter machine so its weight doesn't feel top heavy like the Himalayan. It has good highway legs up to 100-110kph and with long travel suspension and neutral ergonomics, it will be a good city commuter and highway mile muncher.Take a test ride of the Himalayan again and see if looking past its weight, is doable for you. Also spend some seat time aboard the Scram before you make a decision.

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•21w

At the sedate speeds you will be riding, all three bikes' engines will be smooth and rather unstressed, so that shouldn't be a factor for you when you decide. Coming to suspension comfort, while all three set a very high baseline, it is the TVS Apache RTX 300 which has the edge in comparison to the KTM 250 Adventure and Royal Enfield Scram 440. Its suspension is plush yet controlled, keeping you comfortable over bad stretches while maintaining its composure on the road. If you opt for the RTX's top BTO variant, you'll even get some adjustability, so that's a clear win for the RTX in the suspension department.Even in terms of seating comfort, the Apache RTX 300 is the clear winner. The Scram 440's seat is comfortable for the pillion, but the rider's section is too thinly padded and the KTM 250 Adventure's seat is thin, firm and not the most spacious for two-up riding.However, the RTX is still a very new machine, and we'd strongly advise you to wait for 6 months - 1 year before you buy one, so that if any teething issues crop-up TVS can iron them out.If you want to buy any of these bikes today, the Royal Enfield Scram 440 will make for the best all-rounder, although it will be the most expensive to buy. If seat comfort is a problem for you, this is an easy and rather inexpensive fix at a trusted local seat shop.

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•23w

Since pillion comfort and reliability are valuable to you, we'd recommend the Royal Enfield Scram 440. Sure, the Scram can trace its roots back over a decade to the original Himalayan 411, but it is a competent, comfortable and simple machine which will keep both rider and pillion comfortable. The rider's section of the single-piece seat is rather thinly padded, so we'd recommend getting that fixed at a trustworthy local seat guy; this should be a relatively inexpensive and quick fix.You can also consider the TVS Apache RTX 300, which will feel and look much more modern and upmarket than the simple, no-frills Scram. However, considering that the RTX is based on a brand-new engine platform and packs a lot of electronics, the thinking man's move would be to wait for a few months to see how the bike proves itself in the market.

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•19w

The Harley-Davidson X440 that you are considering will be a good upgrade from your Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 for highway cruising. Do bear in mind that while it will have significantly lower vibrations at 100-120kph, there will still be some vibrations to contend with because this is, after all, a long-stroke, small-capacity, single-cylinder engine. However, they are definitely manageable and shouldn't be a problem. Something else you should also look at, since you are getting into long-distance riding, is the Royal Enfield Scram 440. The Scram has better suspension comfort, more upright ergonomics and is more spacious, which means after mounting luggage you won't feel hemmed into place on the seat. It has a similiar engine to the H-D X440 and can comfortably cruise at 100-110kph, but above that, some vibrations are to be felt. That is par for the course in this category, and almost no single-cylinder bike will be butter smooth at these speeds. If you want an option that's more affordable than these two, the Honda CB350 trio warrants consideration. They will have lower performance than the two 400cc+ bikes we mentioned earlier. But it will be capable of sustaining 100-110kph on the highway while being quite smooth owing to their tall gearing, which actually works in its favour here. We would recommend a thorough test ride of these bikes before you make a decision.

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•24w

For city use among the bikes you're looking at, the top two would be the Royal Enfield Scram 440 and Harley-Davidson X440 T. These bikes have large, long-stroke, single-cylinder engines, which will have the edge over the smaller 350s you're looking at. However, if most of your usage is inside the city, we'd recommend sticking with the 350cc roadsters from either Royal Enfield - Hunter/ Classic / Bullet - or Honda - in the form of its CB350 trio. These bikes will have more than enough grunt for city traffic and will also return more fuel economy. Take a test ride of these to see which one suits you best.

autocar.india

•24w

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 would be a far more comfortable option than the Interceptor 650, especially for your long daily commute due to its plush and sophisticated suspension, upright ergonomics and some wind protection. It will also be more fuel-efficient, which is something that will be important given your high daily running.In a similar vein, we would also recommend you look at the new Royal Enfield Scram 440 because it has great comfort - aside from the seat, which is a quick and inexpensive fix - as well as decent performance and fuel economy at a much lower price than both the Himalayan and the Interceptor.If you want to look outside the Royal Enfield brand, bikes like the Hero Xpulse 210, and TVS Apache RTX 300 will be our recommendations for their plush suspension, good fuel economy and upright rider's triangles.A test ride of these bikes should help you decide which is the best fit for you.

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•30w

There are multiple options available in your price bracket that will fit your use case. From the Royal Enfield lineup, you can consider the Classic / Bullet / Meteor 350 as well as the Scram 440. All of these Royal Enfield bikes are comfortable for two-up riding, and considering the brand's widespread service network as well as the relative simplicity of these machines, they should be easy to live with.If you have a Hero dealership around you, the Xpulse 210 warrants strong consideration. If there is a TVS bike showroom near you, the newly launched Apache RTX 300 adventure bike makes a compelling case for itself as well. Take a test ride of all the bikes you shortlist before you go ahead with your purchase.

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•30w

Of the three bikes you have shortlisted, we would suggest you choose between the Triumph Speed T4 and the Royal Enfield Scram 440. These two will be more comfortable, although the Royal Enfield Guerrilla will give you more performance on the highway. Since you've already owned a Royal Enfield Classic, the latest Royal Enfield Bullet / Classic is also worth taking a good look at because they will offer you good comfort and ride quality - both of which are important to you. You can alternatively also look at the Honda CB350 models because they are comfortable, smooth, well-built and torquey. A test ride of your shortlisted bikes will help you decide which is the best option for you.