Road Test: Royal Enfield Bear 650

ROYAL Enfield’s 650 parallel twin range has been a huge seller world wide. Royal Enfield debuted their newly developed parallel twin back in 2018. The engine utilised a 270 degree crank and was fitted to the new Interceptor and Continental GT models. Both bikes proved very popular here in Australia, thanks to their retro good looks and affordability. Being LAMS (Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme) certainly helped their sales success. The bikes lent themselves to easy customisation helping to create an booming aftermarket industry. Judging by the amount of images on the web a lot of people built their own scrambler version of the Interceptor 650. It may have taken the company a few years to catch up but now there is an official factory built 650 Scrambler. Royal Enfield calls it ‘The Bear’.

The Bear is named after a famous American off-road motorcycle race. It began in 1921 and ran 100 miles through the desert between Los Angeles and Big Bear Lake in California. By the 1950’s it had become a serious event with hundreds of competitors, entry fees and trophies for the winners. 1960 saw nearly 1000 riders participate in the Big Bear motorcycle run. The winner that year was a 16-year-old called Eddie Mulder riding a Royal Enfield Fury 500.

In the flesh the Bear is a good looking motorcycle. I know that’s subjective but everyone else seemed to think so too. The bike Royal Enfield had kindly lent me was in Broadwalk white with a blue seat. I am not usually a fan of white bikes but the Bear wears it well. It has been a while since I have ridden one of Royal Enfields 650 parallel twins. I think the last one was the Super Meteor. The 650 twin fitted to the Bear manages a little more torque thanks to its new 2-into-1 exhaust. 

The engine’s power output remains the same at a touch under 50 hp. It’s not a lot of power but it is delivered in a fun, easy to use way. The reasonably flat torque curve means that the Bear doesn’t really care which of its six gears it’s in.

You instantly feel at home on the Bear 650. It is such an easy undemanding motorcycle to ride, especially around town. The upright riding position, flexible nature of the engine, light clutch and smooth gearbox make commuting a simple pleasure. It is one of those bikes that has a lovely balanced feel to it. I am not sure whether it is the increased rake over the Interceptor or the new Showa inverted front forks but the Bear feels a little more planted to me than the Interceptor. Granted I did not ride them back to back and my memory is getting a little rusty. Perhaps the new wheel combination helped. The Bear runs a 19-inch front wheel and a 17 rear. The Interceptor has 18-inch wheels at both ends. However, even with the larger front wheel and new forks, the Bear does struggle a little with sharp edged bumps in the road. Such as potholes and speed bumps. The suspension front and rear is under-damped, and for a scrambler, a little short in the travel. The new inverted forks have 130 mm of travel, the rear shocks 115 mm. To put that in context Triumph’s Scrambler 400 has 150 mm at both ends. Strangely the set-up worked well on the one dirt road I took the Bear down. It dealt with the corrugations a lot better than I thought it would, feeling very stable and manageable on the dry compacted dirt. Obviously it is no off-road racer. 

The new TFT dash enables you to connect with your phone via Royal Enfield’s App to provide navigation. The large round unit is dominated by an analogue style tachometer and digital speedometer. Usually TFT displays look a little out of place on retro-styled motorcycles but Royal Enfield have done a great job with the design. They have even provided a USB port on the side of the TFT housing.

Out of town the Bear will cope with freeway work but it is not in its happy place. The high wide bars make a windsock out of the rider, and the seat started to grow teeth after a couple of hours. I did sit through a full tank of petrol on the freeway but that was enough for me. The 13.7 litre tank gives the Bear a range of around 300 km. The Bear is a lot happier on back roads, and within its intended role, is a whole lot of fun. It is up for a good time, just nothing too serious.

The brakes are easy to modulate and equipped with ABS. There is the added safety of traction control. Which can be switched off at the rear if you want to play in the dirt. 

As a bike to own through your learner and provisional licence the Bear makes a lot of sense. It will tackle a wide variety of roles and excels at commuting and weekend fun. It is not particularly heavy at 214 kg with a full tank of petrol. The seat height of 830 mm feels a lot lower as the saddle is pretty narrow. 

The ride-away price of $11,500 represents great value for money and Royal Enfield provides a three-year warranty with roadside assist.

I really liked the Royal Enfield Bear 650. It is one of those bikes that you just enjoy riding. It is definitely not just a motorcycle for learners — I think many experienced riders would enjoy its charms. As always, you do not need to take my word for it, go and take one for a test ride. I guarantee it will make you smile.