Opinion: Why Scramblers Make For Fantastic Motorcycles And Is India Ready For Them

Some British bloke thought it was probably a ‘jolly good’ idea to go racing on damp, muddy British countryside with motorised bicycles and thus began the idea of motorcycle trials competition, way back in early 1900s. Road-going motorcycles were stripped down, excess weight gotten rid of, suspension travel increased, and the ground clearance was raised. And all of this was much, much before you had sportbikes that could reach 100 kmph in the blink of an eye, MotoGP racers clocking 350+ kmph regularly and big, bad ADVs reaching the ends of the world. The ‘scrambler’ had humble yet enthusiastic beginnings and over the last 100 years, it has evolved into its own segment with many options on offer. 

Also Read: Top Scrambler Motorcycles To Buy Instead Of Adventure Bikes

Seen here is the latest iteration of the Triumph Scrambler 1200 X, now on sale in India

The modern day scrambler is versatile. It is versatile, good-looking, can be ridden to work, go on highways, take on tough terrain and feel at home on a long-distance road trip too. Tall stance, limited bodywork, tough and durable suspension, switchable ABS, block-pattern tyres and some serious pulling power in the bottom end and the mid-range characterises a scrambler and slowly but surely the style is becoming popular too. It has most of the advantages of an ADV and none of the disadvantages. At the same time, a scrambler offers much more than a regular road-going motorcycle. 

The Triumph Scrambler 400 X has proven to be successful for the Bajaj-Triumph venture

Since, the ‘scrambler phenomenon’ is British, it is only fitting that Triumph Motorcycles makes some of the best scramblers across the board. Earlier, it was the Scrambler 900 along with Scrambler 1200 range. But the company outdid itself with the Scrambler 400 X. A quick disclaimer, the author owns the Scrambler 400 X and is unlikely to trade it for anything else at the moment. So, the obvious bias (NOT) aside, the all-round nature of the motorcycle had people confused a few years ago, but now, motorcycle enthusiasts and people in general are slowly warming up to the idea of a scrambler. 

Also Read: Triumph Scrambler 400 X Review

In a recent interaction with car&bike, Ashish Singh Joshi, CEO, Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. (Jawa Yezdi Motorcycles) had a bullish outlook on the scrambler motorcycle and a rather interesting reference from the four-wheeler market. 

The Yezdi Scrambler has been on sale in India for over two years now and is a hoot to ride

“I can tell you India is ready for the scrambler. It's only a short period of time because of the beauty about the scrambler is its all-round nature. It's a type of motorcycle which is not easily recognisable today, and if you take a car parlance, India was a sedan market and suddenly from sedans, the market went to what I call soft roaders instead of off roaders. So, the soft roaders just took off and that's that. That's what I think the motorcycle market is also looking at.”

Harley-Davidson is all set to launch a scrambler based on the X440

And in fact, there is evidence that the two-wheeler OEMs are in fact moving fast to add a scrambler to their line-up. Hero MotoCorp/Harley-Davidson is getting ready to launch a scrambler based on the X440 this year itself. It is likely to have the same engine as the X440 but different cycle parts and bodywork. Royal Enfield is also working on a 650 cc parallel-twin scrambler, which is likely to be launched before 2024 ends. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is also working on a scrambler based on the CB350, although its launch timeline is unclear as of now. 

Also Read: Yezdi Scrambler First Ride Review

The Yezdi Scrambler may not have set the scrambler market on fire, but it is among the more fun to ride motorcycles from the Jawa Yezdi line-up. Ashish Singh Joshi also says that there are many customers who purchase a scrambler for its looks but then are surprised by the versatility that the motorcycle offers. 

The author trying his best to imitate Bud Ekins/Steve McQueen, on a Triumph Scrambler 400 X having his ‘Great Escape’, On Any Sunday'. Those who know, they know!

He says, “there is a set of consumers who bought the Yezdi Scrambler from us and were actually surprised about the things that it can do. If you look up on Instagram and elsewhere, you'll find people doing loads of stuff with their scramblers. So, it's a category which is just waiting to burst open.”

Also Read: Harley-Davidson X440 Scrambler In The Works

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is the latest scrambler to join the fray

The likeability of scramblers also comes from the Indian customer being supremely value conscious. He or she would like to have the maximum bang for his or her buck and that’s where the scrambler delivers too. It also boils down to people being more aware of the various options that they have. 

Also Read: Royal Enfield Scrambler 650 Spied Testing In Europe

“There are people who are looking beyond commuter motorcycles and this is a customer who's very well attuned to all kinds of motorcycles and also with the advent of social media and the Internet, people very clued on in terms of categories,” Joshi adds. 

The Royal Enfield Himalayan Scram 411 was an extension of old RE Himalayan 411

When the CEO of a popular two-wheeler brand is excited about the ‘scrambler phenomenon’ in India, it screams potential out loud in the two-wheeler market that the scrambler has, and we too hope that more people sit up and take notice of the various scramblers that one can buy in the market and wait for the few scramblers that will be launched in the next one or two years.