Yezdi Adventure & Scrambler: Short review by Himalayan owner

If you ask me to pick today, I'd buy the Yezdi over the Himalayan. And as for the Scrambler, apart from the stiff suspension, I didn't find many other negatives.

BHPian rahul4321 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So I found my way today morning to the Jawa-Yezdi dealership because I was quite interested in the Scrambler. To be really honest, I was not looking at making another motorcycle purchase because my D390 and the Himalayan are not racking up a lot of kilometeres due to COVID. However, as I have mentioned in some other threads - I always had a fascination for the Ducati Scrambler as well as the Triumph Scrambler and if there was a new Scrambler on the horizon at 1/4th of the cost of the other two scramblers, I was definitely going to take a long hard look at it.

Not too many people at the dealership and the few folks who were there were test riding a Jawa 42 which I found really strange but it left the Scrambler and the Adventure up for grabs. The SA told me that the Roadster hasn't been delivered to them yet but they are expecting it to land up in the next 3-4 days. No big loss - as that was one motorcycle I wasn't planning to ride anyway.

First up, the Scrambler; the SA was quite pleasant and wanted to know if I knew the specifications of the motorcycle. So I told him that I had a cursory glance but nothing very specific. He proceeded to give me a detailed explanation of the specifications and the tell-tale lights on the dashboard. I happened to mention to him that I had a Himalayan to which he insisted that I also test ride the Adventure (even though I told him I had no plans of buying it).

I ended up taking 2 test rides of the Scrambler and 1 of the Adventure.

Scrambler

Positives of the Scrambler

• Refined Engine - no vibrations at idle which was surprising considering it is a single.
• The Idling - The idle / zero throttle sound was absolutely musical. A bit like the Triumph. T100 with the high compression "whoosh" that you get. I cannot find any other words to describe it.
• Acceleration - Manic acceleration in 3rd gear- right from a low 30 to an effortless 80 (the traffic came up which prevented me from going higher).
• Throttle Response - Not abrupt like my KTM but not lazy like my RE either. Somewhere in between; nearer to the KTM than the RE.
• Tyre Grip: Fantastic grip from the fat 140 section at the rear. I never felt that they were out of grip (even on skittish surfaces where the roads were being constructed - I made it a point to go to these places).
• Engine Braking: Fantastic. No complaints.
• Brakes: Again, fantastic. As good as the Interceptor (and I rate them very highly).
• Torque: Ample torque in the mid-range to power your way out of slush / mud as long as you have momentum. I wasn't able to check the low-end torque to be able to comprehensively comment on it.

Negatives of the Scrambler

• Stiff Suspension: Now I don't really have a problem with this, to be honest. But the way I was looking at this was; I was expecting the Scrambler (which is an on-off road motorcycle) to have a more comfortable / supple suspension than the Roadster (which I didn't get to ride) but not as comfortable / supple as the Adventure (which I did get to ride - will review that later in the post). However, I found the suspension to be as stiff as my road-touring D390 which surprised me. I was definitely not expecting such stiffness where I could feel the edge of the small potholes / imperfections in the road as I was climbing out of them or the residual surface at the bottom of these small potholes / imperfections as I climbed into them. I would have gladly taken up a slightly more comfortable suspension for any loss in cornering abilities / the ability of the motorcycle to hold a tight line in a flowing corner.

Not many other negatives to be honest. I did end up battling with a lot of wind on my chest but that's to be expected with a naked. If I do end up buying one, I'll fix an aftermarket windscreen on it as I did on my Duke.

I'll also pen down my notes on the Adventure and its comparison with a Himalayan. I have just completed a 2000 kilometre Hyderabad-Gokarna-Goa trip 10 days ago so my muscle memory for comparison is fresh.

Positives of the Adventure as compared to the Himalayan

• Free-er Revving Engine: The Yezdi pulled cleanly in the 1st to 4th gears. Better acceleration as compared to the Himalayan. The gearing had more range in them. So if you could do 45 in 3rd on a Himalayan (for example) - you could do 50 in 3rd on an Adventure before the engine wanted you to shift up. Two quick wins: Not only was the "speed of acceleration" faster - but the range of speed in between the gears was also higher.
• Brakes: You must all have read how much I despise the brakes on the Himalayan. So much so that while touring on the KTM, I aim to stop hitting an obstacle. However, with the Himalayan, I just aim to avoid it as the brakes simply do not have the stopping power to bring the motorcycle to a halt from speeds of 85 and above (alternatively - you could say that I've been spoiled by the KTM but I swear that even my 2011 Electra stopped better than the Himalayan). The brakes on the Adventure are fantastic and about 2.50 times better than a Himalayan. Yes - they are not as good as the Scrambler (but that's only because the tyres on the Scrambler are more highway oriented while the Adventure tyres are more off-road-oriented so the absence of friction when compared to the surface area, shows up the flaws of the Adventure when braking on roads). However, I was very impressed with the braking of the Adventure. If you ask me to choose today, I'd buy the Yezdi over the Himalayan any day. But since I already have the Himalayan and know now how to dance with the devil (the brakes), I am not looking to change it.
• Suspension: I found it to be at par with the Himalayan (which I rate very highly). Again; most of the test ride, apart from the 500 metres where the road was being constructed, was on a proper road - so you could say I didn't get a chance to evaluate it in its real environment. But I think it should be just like the Himalayan; neither better nor worse.

Negatives of the Adventure

• Low-end Torque: I found the low-end torque at the absolute bottom of the rev range in 1st and 2nd gear to be lower than that of the Himalayan. While my Himalayan (and also my Electra) would just chug their way out of any mud / slush / steep inclines just as I let the clutch go, the Adventure needed a dab of the throttle. No big deal but just wanted to call it out.

I found the Adventure to be solidly built and it looks like it can take a beating but only time (and social media) will tell.

I may end up buying the Scrambler but let's see - will decide in a few weeks.

Here's what BHPian neil.jericho had to say about the matter:

Thanks for sharing your experience on the Scrambler and Adventure. Like most other forum members, I too am very intrigued by the delicious looking Scrambler. Unfortunately, the new Yezdi bikes are still a few days away from arriving in the Cochin showroom.

What is your take on the fit and finish levels? Does it look comparable to its similarly priced competition?

I think the main question now is whether Mahindra can deliver these bikes with class matching / leading fit and finish, as well as quality and reliability. With the BSA Goldstar prototypes, they showed that they can up their game. I hope that this extends into the exciting new Yezdi range as well.

P.S - This is only to be taken in a lighter vein, Team-BHP riders do not promote unsafe riding practices like wheelies!

Here's what BHPian Cyborg had to say about the matter:

Thank you Rahul for the insights.

I guess you couldn’t get a chance to check the tyre pressure on the bike you rode. Any idea about the recommended tyre pressure front and rear for the Scrambler? Mostly showrooms don’t bother about tyre pressure at all and generally overfill them. Maybe excess tyre pressure could be the culprit for the stiff, maybe bouncy ride.

Since you are interested in a purchase you will probably take another couple of test rides to make up your mind. Please check with the sales advisor and try to ride it with the company recommended pressure (if overfilled) and see if there is a difference. Kindly update the thread as well with your observation.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.