Motorcycle specifications Royal-EnfieldBear 650 2025 The desert in the back

Royal-Enfield continues to expand and conquer new markets. Its catalog already has enough to satisfy a good number of chic-urban entry-level motorcycle enthusiasts. So, to avoid overload, it's time for one of its models to take a powder. Jeans, a suit jacket, a beret, and clods of dirt under the headlight - that's it, we want it crunchy under the wheels, and that's the niche of its new 650 Bear.

Have you seen the little bear on the tank? It's fitting that this bike should salute the animal whose name it bears. This Chennai-born Scrambler smells of dry grass, sweet dust and sun beating down on the shoulders. In designing it, the manufacturer took the Interceptor six-and-a-half as a starting point, in order to create a machine that would be equally at home in the city or on unpasteurized roads.

A charming Scrambler

The least we can say is that he believes in it. The Bear 650 presents itself well, without too much show off, but with just the right amount of elements to assert its desire to move. Old-fashioned side number plates, saddle with flanges, raised rear frame, small round stern light, large handlebars... But it's above all with its spoked rims, mixed tires and inverted forks that the Bear stands out from the crowd. Its front drivetrain shows that it can handle hard knocks, almost eager to taste rocky terrain rather than asphalt.

R.E. has also given it a little more ground clearance. At 184 mm, or 78 mm more than the 650 Interceptor, the Bear is almost on a par with a Honda NX 500 or CFmoto 800 MT. Obviously, this machine won't be used for touring like a trail bike, but the decorum is there, with 19" and 17" MRF Nyrolex-F block tires (Indian wraps in the same category as Pirelli Scorpion Trail or Michelin Anakee), disconnectable ABS, and a slightly more typical riding position. All that's missing is an engine cover and a small grille on the headlamp for the full scrambler touch.

The Bear is powered by the biggest engine in the range, the 648 cm3 parallel twin. As pleasing to the eye as ever and so old-school, the block is presented here in a two-tone finish: metal for the cylinder head / black for the head cover and the entire engine. Beyond this purely cosmetic wink, it takes advantage of the new 2-in-1 exhaust system with an 8% torque gain. Well, 4 Nm more won't change much; but the effort is there, eager to provide more consistency at all revs. Power remains at 47.4 hp, impeccably calibrated below the A2 limit.

The front brake is identical to that of the Interceptor : a 320 mm disc. The rear brake, on the other hand, is larger, increasing from 240 mm to 270 mm. Each is bitten by a 2-piston caliper. Another change is the fully digital instrument panel, with a 4-inch TFT color display. The Tripper Dash system allows the rider to interact with his or her smartphone and enjoy, among other things, a GPS navigator running on Google Maps. A USB-C port is also included.

The genealogical glance

Like most communication-hungry brands, Royal-Enfield looks to its past for an emblematic figure to historicize and even legitimize the genesis of its model. Focus on Eddie Mulder, a 16-year-old Californian. It's 1960, in the Mojave Desert in the western United States. Riding a 500 Royal-Enfield Fury, this intrepid rider set off on the tough "Big Bear Run" endurance race alongside 765 other participants. After almost 4? hours of racing, he finished first out of 197 finishers and was the youngest winner of the event.
Does the Royal-Enfield Bear 650 of 2025 intend to do the same? Certainly not; but it wants to remind us of it.

After spreading its range widely in the cruiser and roadster sectors, not forgetting the Himalayan "workhorse" trail bike, Royal-Enfield is venturing into territory where it wasn't expected: the scrambler. A genre that has been in the spotlight since its revival, boosted by Triumph(865 Scrambler) and BMW(R NineT Scrambler) but initiated long ago by Voxan . The 650 Bear adds its own touch, with style and a much more affordable definition.

M.B. - Image credits: manufacturer