Royal Enfield has quietly started taking bookings again for the Scram 440 after putting things on hold for over a month because of this annoying engine starting problem that was leaving riders high and dry.
The Chennai folks had to slam the brakes on their latest scrambler back in early May when word got out about bikes just refusing to start after long rides. Royal Enfield’s been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, but dealers everywhere are now saying they’re back to taking orders for this adventure-ready machine.
The Problem That Grounded the Scram 440
Look, it wasn’t as scary as it sounds – nobody’s bike was going up in flames or anything like that. The real culprit was this tiny little thing called a “Woodruff key” buried inside the magneto assembly. This small semi-circular bit of metal – and I mean really small – is supposed to keep the magneto perfectly lined up with the crankshaft. Problem was, these keys were either dodgy from the factory or giving up way too early.
What happened next was pretty frustrating. Your bike would purr like a kitten during the ride, but the moment you switched it off? Dead as a doornail. Especially after you’d been riding for hours. Picture this: you pull into a petrol pump after cruising the highway, fill up, and then… nothing. Your bike’s just sitting there, mocking you. Not exactly the kind of adventure most folks had in mind.
The silver lining? At least it wasn’t dangerous – no bikes were conking out in the middle of traffic or anything scary like that. Only about 2 out of every 100 delivered bikes had this issue, but Royal Enfield decided to play it super safe and just stopped everything while they figured it out.
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Back in Business
Here’s the good bit – seems like they’ve cracked the code. Dealers are back to taking fresh bookings, though you’ll need some patience depending on which color catches your fancy. Could be as quick as 10 days, or you might be twiddling your thumbs for over a month.
The company’s been working overtime, shipping replacement parts to service centers and fixing the affected bikes. Those unlucky early buyers who got stuck with the dud units? They’ve all been taken care of, no questions asked, no charges either.
What Makes the Scram 440 Worth the Wait
Despite this whole mess, the Scram 440 is still a pretty solid evolution of what Royal Enfield’s been trying to do with scramblers. The heart of the matter is this refined 443cc air/oil-cooled single that churns out 25.4bhp at 6,250rpm and 34Nm of torque at 4,000rpm – definitely a step up from what came before.
But here’s the real kicker – they’ve finally given it a proper six-speed gearbox instead of that five-speed unit from the older Scram 411. That extra gear makes highway riding so much more civilized. Anyone who’s ridden the old one will tell you how much of a difference this makes.
Design and Features
Looks-wise, they haven’t messed with the recipe too much – and honestly, why would they? The rugged, ready-for-anything vibe is still there, just with some modern touches sprinkled in. The headlamp cluster looks more upmarket now, and they’ve given the tail light and indicators a bit of a refresh too.
The fuel tank’s got these bold ‘440’ graphics instead of the old ‘411’ badges – small detail, but it definitely announces that this isn’t your older brother’s Scram. They’ve also thrown in some fresh paint options across the two variants they’re offering.
Variants and Pricing
The Scram 440 comes in two flavors, and the difference is pretty straightforward:
Trail Variant (₹2.08 lakh):
- Wire-spoke wheels with those old-school tube-type tyres
- You get Trail Green and Trail Blue to choose from
Force Variant (₹2.15 lakh):
- Alloy wheels with tubeless tyres
- Force Teal, Force Grey, and Force Blue are your options
Both get dual-channel ABS that you can switch off when you want to play in the dirt, LED headlights, and you can even bolt on a top box that’ll carry up to 10kg of your stuff.
Hardware and Performance
The Scram 440 uses the same basic bones as the Himalayan – which is no bad thing – but they’ve made it even tougher. You get telescopic forks doing the work up front and a monoshock handling the rear, while stopping power comes from 300mm and 240mm discs front and back.
At 196kg with a full 15-litre tank, it’s only gained 2kg over the old bike – pretty reasonable trade-off for all the extra goodies. The 795mm seat height won’t have shorter riders on their tiptoes, and with 200mm of ground clearance, you won’t be scraping the underside on our lovely Indian roads.
The Verdict
Yeah, having to stop sales was probably a bit embarrassing for Royal Enfield, but you’ve got to give them credit for jumping on the problem before it got out of hand. This Woodruff key business might have been a pain for those who got affected, but it looks like they’ve got it sorted now.
With bookings back on, the Scram 440 can get back to what it does best – giving folks an affordable way into Royal Enfield’s adventure world. At ₹2.08 lakh, it’s significantly cheaper than the Himalayan 450 while still being genuinely capable of handling both city streets and weekend trail rides.
Sure, it’s not going to win any power contests, but it’s got that special Royal Enfield charm in a package that works whether you’re stuck in Bangalore traffic or exploring some forgotten trail in the Western Ghats. Now that they’ve sorted out the growing pains, the Scram 440 looks ready to win over riders all over again.