Opinion: Is There A Royal Enfield Scram 450 In The Making?

At the launch and first ride of the new Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 in Barcelona, one thought kept coming back to me about this new roadster from Royal Enfield. How will it look as a scrambler? After all, the Guerrilla 450 has the stance, it has block pattern tyres, and it has the Sherpa 450 engine that it shares with its ADV sibling, the new Himalayan. In fact, during the product presentation, at least from some angles, to me, the Guerrilla 450 did have a very unmistakable scrambler-ish vibe to it, accentuated also by the fat, block-pattern tyres.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 First Ride Review

The Royal Enfield Scram 411 based on the last generation Himalayan 411 platform is still on sale.

The Scrambler Story

Historically, when the first scramblers started appearing on the motorcycling scene in the 1950s and ‘60s, these were actually stripped down and modified versions of street bikes. These were made lighter with bodywork stripped down, and in many cases, engine protection added, as well as longer travel suspension for dirt duties. The idea behind the scrambler motorcycle was that whoever wanted a scrambler had to build it themselves. In recent years though, scramblers have become production models readily available straight out of the showroom.

Also Read: Is A Royal Enfield Scrambler 650 In The Making?

The Guerrilla 450 is a modern roadster, placed in a segment which will be new ground for Royal Enfield.

Coming back to the Guerrilla 450, the idea behind introducing this modern roadster was to take on a segment that Royal Enfield has had no model, at least in the brand’s modern history. And it’s a booming segment, with made in India models like the Triumph Speed 400, Harley-Davidson X440 and its cousin, the Hero Mavrick 440 in Royal Enfield’s sights, and perhaps even taking on other more expensive models from the Bajaj-KTM partnership like the 390 Duke and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. 

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is a global product, and will cater to the mid-size single-cylinder roadster segment around the world. 

The jury is still out on how successful the Guerrilla 450 will be commercially, but it will also cater to global markets, where affordable and accessible single-cylinder motorcycles seem to be slowly and surely coming back into motorcycling fashion.

Also Read: Upcoming Royal Enfield Scram 650, Classic 650 Spotted On Test

The RE Guerrilla 450 is available in five colours across three variants.

RE's Next Factory Scrambler - 650 or 450?

The logical next step for Royal Enfield will be to extend the Sherpa 450 platform and introduce a factory scrambler. And it should be. After all, there’s the Triumph Scrambler 400X to think about, and Hero MotoCorp’s upcoming scrambler based on its 440 cc platform as well, which will ignite some fresh interest in the mid-size scrambler segment. Considering Yezdi’s 350 cc adventure bike is already in the offing, an updated Yezdi Scrambler cannot be ruled out either. So, will a Royal Enfield Scram 450 make an appearance anytime soon?

Also Read: Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 Design Revealed

The existing Scram 411 is likely to be continued for sometime. So, a Scram 450, even if possible, will likely come at a later stage. 

Possible, but unlikely very soon, at least in the current calendar year. The grapevine has it that even though the Himalayan 411 has been replaced by the all-new Himalayan, the Scram 411 will continue being in production. The idea is that the 411 engine will need to be kept running, at least to cater to a sizeable number of Himalayan 411 customers that are already in the market. And going by Royal Enfield’s ongoing product strategy, the next scrambler from the brand will be from its 650 Twins platform, which will make it to production later this year. 

Also Read: Royal Enfield Scram 411 Review

The RE Guerrilla 450 will need some tweaks in chassis geometry and suspension to make it a worthy scrambler, something we can expect to see as custom builds in the near future.

Scope for Improvement?

From our experience of the Guerrilla 450, it is a promising motorcycle. With a few tweaks, it could make for an exciting and entertaining scrambler. If it’s not just India but also global markets that Royal Enfield is looking at dominating in the mid-size motorcycle segment, a 450 cc production scrambler could be just what is needed to kickstart new possibilities across geographies, and across demographics. 

The Guerrilla 450 is an agile and entertaining roadster with sharp dynamics.

But first, a wish list. The Royal Enfield 450 chassis is already very capable and intuitive as we have discovered in both the Himalayan and the Guerrilla 450. A scrambler will need slightly more suspension travel; even 180-190 mm should be enough, and perhaps a 19-inch front wheel. These are small changes the very capable RE engineering and product teams are qualified enough and experienced to think up and tweak. And quite possibly, these could have been already thought of and in the drawing boards of new model possibilities at Royal Enfield’s tech centres in the UK and in India. 

Better low-end torque, sightly more mid-range refinement in the Sherpa 450 can make all the difference between a good bike and a great bike.

More importantly, the Sherpa 450 needs better low-end torque; with a slightly wider torque curve, starting at around 1800-2000 rpm. Perhaps a simple gearing change can address that, or a different ECU map. More refinement in the mid-range will also be a welcome change. With those small changes, we believe Royal Enfield can have a very capable scrambler which will not just take on the competition, but possibly also ignite more interest in scramblers in general. And it’s a segment that seems to be just waiting in the wings for the taking, not just in India, but around the world.