Royal Enfield Bear 650

Scramblers, unlike sports bikes, adventure motorcycles, and street nakeds, were never designed from scratch. Historically, they were lighter, mildly stripped down, and more off-road friendly versions of street bikes. And from time immemorial, these were built either to race or to escape the humdrum of everyday life. More importantly, these were garage builds and not motorcycles that rolled off an assembly line.

That has changed over the decades. Now, motorcycle makers offer scramblers straight out of the factory. And interestingly, a scrambler today is more a lifestyle accessory than an escape tool. It is a growing fad. And Royal Enfield has decided to ride this wave with the Bear 650; a scrambler that is derived from the Interceptor 650.

The Bear 650 bears a striking resemblance to the Interceptor 650, but subtle differences set it apart. The obvious similarities include the fuel tank, mirrors, headlamp, and the engine and gearbox which are carried over lock, stock, and barrel from the INT. The chassis, brakes, handlebar, and switchgear look similar too, but a closer look reveals tweaks to improve upon the recipe. The suspension, wheels, tail lamp and indicators, as well as the stance, are unique to the Bear.

Notably, the Bear's stance, courtesy of the change in wheel sizes and suspension, is better than the Interceptor. Plus, the colours are an improvement over RE’s recent launches. There are five colourways. This is the Wild Honey. We also like the Golden Shadow with its gold-coloured front forks. The most expensive is the Two Four Nine which is a tribute colour to the Big Bear Run-winning motorcycle that inspired the Bear. The other two colours are Broadwalk White and Petrol Green.

As mentioned, the engine and gearbox combo continues unchanged from the Interceptor. However, the change in the exhaust routing - a two-into-one system - has liberated four more Newton-meters of torque, now generating 56.5Nm compared to the INT’s 52Nm. The Bear also runs a smaller sprocket on the rear wheel that makes the overall gearing taller. However, RE says the increase in the rolling circumference of the rear tyre has negated the effect of the change in gearing. So the Bear and the Interceptor, for all means and purposes, run the same gearing.

The chassis, carried over from the INT, has been strengthened around the neck and subframe area. Other changes include a kicked-up subframe, new master cylinders for the disc brakes, and a fixed-type front brake disc instead of the floating type seen on the Interceptor. The handlebar is higher and wider. And, though the switchgear looks identical, it now has a mode button to turn off the rear ABS when riding off-road.

The Showa upside-down front forks and rear twin coil-over dampers are a departure from the conventional setup on the Interceptor. As are the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels. The front uses a 100/90 section tyre, while the rear sports a chunky 140/80 radial unit. The wheels also run lighter hubs now to reduce the unsprung mass.

Ergonomics have also changed, with the rider and pillion footpegs positioned lower and further forward now. And, of course, the Bear runs a two-into-one exhaust system instead of twin end cans coming out on either side of the Interceptor resulting uin some weight saving. Lastly, the Bear gets a single-pod TFT cluster instead of the twin-pod analogue unit on the INT 650.

Now, the different bits on the Bear compared to the INT have not been developed from the ground up. Instead, RE has raided its parts bin and tweaked the parts to fit the scrambler form better. For example, the rider footpegs and the TFT screen are borrowed from the Himalayan 450, while the front suspension comes from the Shotgun, albeit with a longer stroke.

For us, one of the strongest reasons to buy the Interceptor - or the Continent GT for that matter - is the 650cc parallel twin. The magic of that engine is equally captivating in the Bear 650. This powerplant remains smooth, refined, and accessible, delivering linear, predictable and unrelenting power and torque that is irresistible.

Now, the claimed increase in torque courtesy of the new exhaust routing, wasn’t apparent on the ride. It could be down to the fact that this engine was never short of grunt. Riding it back-to-back with an INT might highlight the difference more pronouncedly. Nonetheless, the powertrain continues to sound good even with the new exhaust layout. And the gearbox remains a slick-shifting 6-speed unit.

The challenge with the INT and GT has been their pedestrian riding dynamics. The chassis, suspension - and to an extent, the brakes - on the motorcycles struggled to keep pace with the engine. That has now changed for the better.

The Bear feels nimbler, more alert to rider inputs, and remarkably stable - whether leaned into fast corners or when doing three-digit speeds on the highway. The wallow, weave, and nervousness that defined the INT and GT’s handling don’t plague the Bear. As a result, it can be ridden harder and faster without putting the fear of God in you.

However, the tautness and sharpness in the handling take a toll on ride comfort. For starters, the seat is firm. It is not uncomfortable, mind you, and over a day of riding it proved to be quite good. But over short distances, many might find it a little too hard for their tastes.

The suspension is set up on the firmer side as well. Instead of flattening the bumps and gliding over potholes, the Bear skips and thuds, and feels busy. The ride quality improves significantly as the speeds go up, but we still won’t term the ride comfortable or plush.

The brakes too could do with more power and bite.

If you are specifically seeking a scrambler, then the Bear 650 is worth looking at. It outperforms the Interceptor 650 on and off-road, and it looks good. So that’s a win.

But, if you are looking for a versatile motorcycle - capable of commuting, touring, off-roading, and the casual Sunday coffee run - then the Bear is a difficult sell. It is significantly more expensive than the Interceptor. And even though it is better dynamically and has a fancier TFT screen, most will find its firm suspension and seat setup uncomfortable. You will also need to be over five feet eight inches to feel comfortable and confident with its high saddle height.

This scenario holds true for the Indian market. Globally though, scramblers are the rage. These are supposed to be your ticket to quick weekend getaways. Therefore, the Bear 650 should do fine in markets like Europe and America, which is also the audience the bike is primarily designed for.