This New Rider-Friendly, Retro-Styled Scrambler Could Be the Ultimate Off-Road Gateway Drug

The tragically forbidden fruit dares to tempt with its throwback looks and approachable, dirt-ready specs.

Close-up of a Yezdi motorcycle engine with "69 Scrambler" branding on the yellow side panel and exhaust.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published April 28, 2026

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When I got my moto license a decade ago, I was properly obsessed with the Triumph Scrambler.

Then I went to the dealership, swung a leg over the 865cc beast and had my reverie interrupted by a salesman saying, “We really don’t recommend that bike for first-time riders.”

Man wearing a yellow helmet riding a yellow and black motorcycle with "69" on the side panel. — Three of Yezdi’s biggest strengths on display: small-displacement retro-styled motos, unintentionally hilarious number plates (the brand name was trademarked in 1969) and overly stylized imagery.

If only the latest beginner-friendly bike from recently resurgent Yezdi had been around then.

Because the Mumbai-based brand’s new Scrambler sure looks like the most tempting, realistic off-road gateway drug yet.

Scramble on

With a colorful history dating back nearly several decades and spanning two countries (Czechoslovakia and India), Yezdi’s reputation for stylish, small-displacement bikes is well established.

Since being resurrected by auto giant Mahindra and Mahindra’s Classic Legends sub-brand a few years ago, the brand has had a chance to be discovered by a whole new generation.

Yellow and black Yezdi Scrambler motorcycle with knobby tires and protective headlight grill. — This eye-popping OG Yellow paint scheme presents a tempting alternative to Triumph’s pricier Scrambler 400 XC.

That cause is only helped by the recently unveiled 2026 Yezdi Scrambler, which improves upon its forebears in several ways.

Most notable is a tuned-up 334cc Katar engine, which makes a claimed 30 horsepower and 22 ft-lbs of torque, small performance boosts that should make the bike a bit more lively and fun in the urban and rural settings to which it is best suited.

Red and silver Yezdi Scrambler motorcycle with black seat and tires on a white floor. — Shown here in Rogue Red, the bike also features a delightfully jaunted upswept exhaust pipe.

At the same time, Yezdi has introduced lighter components that help trim the bike’s weight from 401 pounds to a lean, mean 384.

Together with a respectable seat height of 32 inches and ground clearance of nearly 8 inches, that makes the bike a bit more agile in the tough spots for newer riders, including low speeds, tight spaces and uneven surfaces.

White and red Yezdi Scrambler motorcycle with knobby tires and a black seat on display. — Thanks to that beefy front fork’s half a foot of suspension travel, you’ll be rolling over boulders (or at least somewhat big rocks) in no time.

While the suspension remains the same (telescopic forks with nearly 6 inches of travel and a rear monoshock with just over 5 inches of travel), rider-friendliness is further enhanced by a stiffer, more stable chassis.

Meanwhile, switchable traction control offers three preset modes that let you dial in the best level of assistance for your experience level and the terrain you are tackling with the bike’s versatile semi-knobby tires wrapping spoked wheels.

Black and gold Yezdi Scramblers 69 motorcycle with red and yellow stripes on the fuel tank. — The Legacy Black edition is the only one with a blacked-out exhaust pipe. Throw in the striped tank and restrained branding and it’s easily my favorite of the bunch.

The instrument cluster’s LCD display has also been revamped to be clearer, more readable and more user-friendly.

Suffice to say, the bike has gotten much more than a fresh coat of paint, or should I say four, as the updated tank graphics and side panels are accompanied by fresh Legacy Black, OG Yellow, Rogue Red and Rally Blue color schemes.

Availability and pricing

The 2026 Yezdi Scrambler is available now in India at a starting price of ₹ 1,99,950, which is roughly equivalent to $2,112. Were it to ever reach our shores, the price would likely be at least twice that amount.

Black Yezdi motorcycle with red and gold stripes on the fuel tank and the number 69 on the side panel.

2026 Yezdi Scrambler

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About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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