There was a time in the 60s when every bike manufacturer was building factory scramblers. And 60 years later, thanks to the retro revival, everyone seems to be releasing classic-looking scramblers again. So I was a little surprised it took Royal Enfield so long to launch their new Bear 650 – a scrambler iteration of the Interceptor 650. They’ve been hinting at it for years and we’ve seen loads of custom builders creating street scramblers on the parallel-twin platform. Royal Enfield have even stated that many of these custom desert sleds inspired the final version of the Bear.
It would have been hard to miss the launch coverage late last year – it was a Royal Enfield new release, after all – but for those that don’t know the backstory: the bike is named after a legendary race in the Californian desert called the Big Bear Run. In 1960, a 16-year-old kid called Eddie Mulder won the race on a modified single-cylinder Royal Enfield. So to pay homage to Eddie and his mammoth win, they named this scrambler 650 the Bear.
As far as looks go, the Bear 650 undeniably carries the classic Royal Enfield DNA. Its silhouette would not look out of place riding alongside Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins in the movie On Any Sunday. And that’s exactly what Enfield was aiming for, with the clean lines, oval side number plate and retro colour scheme. The bike comes in four fresh paint jobs; the one I was riding is called ‘Boardwalk White’ that has a retro-inspired orange and blue graphic on the tank. My pick of the bunch is the Eddie Mulder tribute model, which is called ’Two Four Nine’ and has the blue frame and Eddie’s 249 on the number board.
At the heart of the Bear 650 lies the familiar 648cc parallel-twin engine as found in the Interceptor, the Super Meteor, and the Shotgun. I friggin’ love this engine. It delivers smooth power with a torquey character, plenty of low-end grunt for effortless cruising and sufficient high-end punch for riding on highways. While it only produces 47hp, it has been re-mapped and produces a bit more torque than the Interceptor. The 2-into-1 pipe sounds really throaty without being obnoxiously loud. I do love a high pipe on a scrambler, but understand why they decided to go with the low option; it’s a much safer choice that will appeal to a wider audience because it avoids impracticalities like heat issues under the leg (not to mention pipeburn).
But the big question you’re probably asking yourself: is this just an Interceptor dressed-up in scrambler clothing? Yes and no. The main difference is the chassis. The frame has been stiffened with reinforcements to help handle some off-road trails, and there’s a kicked-up rear loop at the back to increase ground clearance. The stance and ergonomics have also been modified, making the riding position more upright and aggressive. This is one of the things I love most about the Bear: with the wider handlebars and a more vertical stance, I feel like you have better visibility to see what’s coming up on the road and even see past the cars in front.
All these small changes make a big difference to the ride. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t ridden the Interceptor for many years, but the Bear seems to be a smoother ride. It holds a line really well into corners and feels really well balanced taking on twisties. The suspension feels pretty sporty for a bike at this price point. It can really be pushed, with plenty of power to handle the freeway at high speeds for a 650. The brakes are nothing special, but they do their job well. The bike does have ABS, but you can switch it off for a bit of hooligan fun. After doing a full day’s riding, the seat seemed pretty comfy to me, but I have heard riders complaining that it’s a bit too hard. I either have too much cushioning built into my backside or I was riding a press bike that had the optional after-market seat with 15mm of extra padding.
To be honest, I didn’t do a whole lot of off-road riding as I had the bike over the busy Xmas period. I did take it for a squirt down some local fire trails, which it handled with ease. But let’s be frank, this bike wasn’t designed to be going down enduro tracks: it’s more street scrambler than serious scrambler. Having said that, the Bear has decent ground clearance, and the front upside-down Showa suspension provides sufficient travel to absorb bumps and ruts. The rear twin suspension set up is still a bit stiff, and when hitting a pothole at speed I felt like I got punched in my back by Conor McGregor. (In hindsight, I should have adjusted the preload on the rear shocks.)
We obviously love our custom motorcycles here at the ‘House of Pipes’. And we think the Bear has loads of potential to be customised. With a few simple upgrades, like a set of quality high pipes, a bash plate, a slick paint job and a set of quality knobby tyres, you could create a pretty special scrambler. And as I was doom-scrolling through my social feed recently, I came across some renders by our mate Dutch from Bike Shed who has created something similar. His vision could be built with a pretty small budget, which makes the bike’s entry-level price point very appealing.
This is without a doubt my favourite Royal Enfield 650 twin they have built to date. Actually, this is my favourite Royal Enfield. Being such a versatile bike, I think this will be another success story for the Indian brand – there’s already a stack of official aftermarket bolt-on parts you can buy for the bike – but more importantly, we can’t wait to see all the bespoke parts the custom builders out there make. There’s probably already hundreds of Bears being built in sheds and garages around the world as I type this. When they’re finished, you know where to send them.
The Royal Enfield Bear 650 prices start from $11,490 (AUS), £6749 (UK) and $6849 in the USA.
