The History

We’d already heard a little about Royal Enfield’s Bear 650 after the world launch in the US, and judging by early reports, it sounded like a great motorcycle. So when we were invited to the Australian Launch late last year, it was a bike I was extremely keen to ride, especially after being so impressed with RE’s last few 650s.

The new Bear 650 comes with a very interesting story too, as it was named after Eddie Mulder, who won the desert race at Big Bear Lake in the US. It was back in 1960 when Eddie, at just the age of 16 rode his privateer Enfield Fury to victory, in the Big Bear desert race, where over 750 riders took part in the point-to-point race across the desert. It was wild and extremely competitive, with Eddie making it into the top 20 in just the first lap. He persevered and even after a couple of crashes, made his way to the front, eventually winning against hundreds of other riders, which was an amazing feat and one that deserved recognition. Eddie continued to enjoy a very successful racing career along with stunt riding for Hollywood and was even in attendance at the world launch as the guest of honour, so it was quite fitting to learn that the ‘249’ model has been dedicated to Eddie Mulder.

First Ride

After our brief history lesson, we made our way downstairs and fired up the group of Bear 650’s, which were all sitting proudly parked out the front of Urban Moto Imports in Melbourne. From there we made our way out of the city and down the Great Ocean Road to Anglesea for lunch, before heading bush for the afternoon. Now I’m not overly experienced when it comes to off-road riding, sure I can hold my own and have a lot of fun, but I’m well aware it’s not my forte. Having said that, after spending most of the afternoon riding dirt roads and fire trails, I was feeling a lot more comfortable in the loose stuff as the day rolled on. Sure it’s not a motorcycle that you’d enter into the Dakar Rally, but that’s not what the Bear's been designed for, instead it’s a motorcycle that’ll take you back to the very essence of motorcycling – which is all about fun. But for now, I’m getting ahead of myself, instead, let me tell you about my first impressions of Royal Enfield’s new Scrambler.

The 650 Parallel Twin

Once again making great use of the 650 platform that was introduced back in 2018, the Bear 650 is powered by the same 648cc parallel-twin motor found in all of Royal Enfield’s 650 Twins including the Continental GT, the Super Meteor, the Shotgun and the Interceptor, which the Bear 650 is loosely based on, but with a distinctive Scrambler design, which many would agree, was one model missing from Royal Enfield’s lineup. Yes, we’ve seen a few custom RE builds that resembled scramblers over the years, but it seems now the production model has arrived, and it’s a cracker.

Obviously the power from the 650 donk isn’t going to tear your arms out of their sockets, but it does pump out a respectable 46.4hp at 7.250rpm and 41.7lb-ft torque at 5,150rpm, with the extra torque being provided thanks to the new 2-into-1 exhaust, which looks great blacked out, keeping with the theme of the blacked out motor and other components. You won’t find any ride modes on the Bear 650 either, or traction control, which is understandable for what it’s been designed for, which is a mid-sized motorcycle with controllable power that will undoubtably provide a lot of fun riding.

Suspension

One notable addition on the Bear 650 is the new Showa inverted 43mm fork featuring the Separate Function Big Piston technology like we see on the Meteor and Shotgun models, increasing suspension travel to a 130mm and 115mm front and rear respectively. Admittedly it’s not significant enough to label it as a dedicated off-road motorcycle, you’d be leaning more towards the Himalayan 450 for that, but it’s more than enough to enjoy some spirited riding along some reasonably sedate bush terrain. And with the Showa front fork being anodised gold, it just adds a touch of class to give it a higher-end look, which works.

To handle the increased forces from the inverted fork, they’ve strengthened the steering head area for additional support along with a slight alteration of the frame with a larger diameter front axle, which all contributes to smoother handling. And when you do head bush, more stability comes from those chunky dual sport tyres, which were developed specifically for the Bear 650 by Indian company MRF and offer great feel whether you’re rolling up a dirt road or cruising along the highway.

Brakes

The braking system is once again more than adequate for a 650, with the ByBre braking system, which also includes ABS as standard. Up front the single action twin-piston caliper paired with the 320mm disc offers great feel, even in the dirt, while the 1-piston caliper biting on the 270mm rear disc is progressive and will pull the Bear up with ease. The ABS can also be switched off at the rear, which is always handy if you’re spending more time off-road.

Heading Off-Road

As mentioned, our first day was predominately spent riding fire trails and dirt roads through the middle of the Ottoway National Park in Victoria, which covers some vast countryside, sometimes making you feel like we were in the middle of nowhere. From the outset, I could feel the difference in riding position compared to some of the other 650’s, especially the Interceptor, as you sit a little higher and more upright on the Bear 650. This is due to the repositioned footpegs, which have been moved slightly back, the taller and wider bars along with the new bench style scrambler seat. Personally, I felt it was quite comfortable with the feel of more control from the higher bars and a lot of room for your legs not feeling cramped, which can often be the case on some mid-sized motorcycles. The wheels have also been changed with a 19” at the front and a 17” at the rear as opposed to the Interceptor, which sports an 18” front wheel. You can feel the difference in handling too, especially along the dirt tracks, where it feels more than sturdy enough to keep your confidence riding high. It’s comfortable to stand up on the footpegs too, which I did a few times, and not being an avid adventure rider, it’s not something I’m accustomed to, but I will say it makes a lot of sense and feels a little more controllable when you’re ripping over creek crossings and similar terrain.

How does it handle?

Ground clearance is slightly higher too at 184mm, allowing you to tear up and over the dirt mounds and tracks easier while the seat height at 830mm is quite manageable for riders of all sizes. There is the option of a deeper padded seat that sits you a little higher with an extra 15mm of padding, but for me, the standard seat seemed perfect. And weighing in at around 214kg fully wet, it’s agile enough when you need to manoeuvre it around in the bush.

TFT Dash

The Bear 650 is also the first in the RE 650 line-up to receive the round TFT dash, or Tripper Dash as first seen on the Himalayan 450 and Guerrilla 450, which is a 4” pod providing you all the required info like gear selection, fuel, time, temperature etc, and also includes Smartpone connectivity to allow access to Bluetooth/Google maps along with an analogue-style tacho. It can be a little challenging to read in some conditions, but it isn’t too bad and is small and styled to suit the bike. It also features new LED lighting, another first for the 650 range.

Playing in the Dirt

Now as previously mentioned, riding off-road isn’t my forte, and even though the route wasn’t technical by any stretch of the imagination, it was more than enough to show off the capabilities of the Bear, especially when lead rider Chas, IOM legend Cam Donald and flat track racer sensation Josh Farrell started to let off some steam. Man can these guys ride! Watching them tear through the corners totally sideways was nothing short of impressive, and the scramblers handled it all with ease. I will say that by the end of my time playing in the dirt, which at one stage included a hill-climb that looked like Mt Everest, my confidence was already growing thanks to how easy and comfortable the Bear feels to ride. It was good to finally get to our destination for the night though, which was at a beautiful little spot called Cumberland River, where we had cabins and a barbecue organised. Not only was it a chance to have a shower and enjoy a cold beer, but it also marked the end of the dirt and a day of road riding, which is where I knew I could push harder and find the limits of the new 650.

The night was spent enjoying a barbecue dinner before sitting around a campfire for the evening, which was a great way to wind down after the first day of the launch. And man did we have some laughs as it was a great group to be a part of. They did have a satellite dish set up for internet, but it seems most were happy to get away and enjoy an evening without much contact with the outside world. And after a few drinks, with midnight fast approaching, it was off to bed for a good night’s sleep as we had an early start planned the next morning.

Road Test

We spent most of the following day riding the Great Ocean Road with quite a few photo stops. And if you’ve ridden along the Great Ocean Road before, you know just how good some sections are, especially from Lorne down towards Apollo Bay, with some great winding corners one after the other for kilometres on end, all with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop. And after spending most of the previous day in the dirt, it was great to get the opportunity to feel what the Bear handled like on the road, which is where I got to push it a little more now that I was in my comfort zone. Well, it handled just like I expected, feeling agile and holding a great line through the corners at speed. The combination of the 19” and 17” tyres feel great, and the braking power is progressive and wipes off speed easily when needed.

The mercury had crept up a little higher than the day before, which only got hotter as the ride progressed. But nothing too bad, just meant keeping your fluid levels up every time we stopped for photos, which is all part and parcel of the job. Thankfully Mal from UMI was following along in the support vehicle with eskies full of water, which went down nearly as well as a cold beer. Once all the required photos and videos were completed, we got to enjoy a nice cruise through the countryside where we rolled up to enjoy a brilliant lunch at a Winery, before the last two-hour blast back to inner city Melbourne, which is when it really heated up. To make matters worse, we got caught in city traffic on the motorway, but again, it was just another opportunity to test the Bear 650 in varied conditions, this time in crawling traffic. The heat seemed to dissipate from the motor quite well, even when you were sitting idling at the lights in the 35-degree heat, and being quite nimble, it was easy to lane-filter and duck in and out of all the cages. Chas’ experience as lead-rider came to the forefront once again as he somehow managed to keep the entire pack together through the labyrinth of turns and exits along the Motorway and Ring Road as we made our way back to UMI’s headquarters on the outskirts of the city. Well done bro, I can see why Royal Enfield always choose you to lead their rides!

Perfect Commuter

I will say that after two days in the saddle of the Bear 650, which saw us riding in various conditions thanks to a well organised and mapped out route, Royal Enfield’s new scrambler delivers a sweet balance of both sportiness and comfort. It’s a motorcycle that you can commute to work on every day, but still have a lot of fun when the weekends roll in. Available in a variety of striking colours, including Boardwalk White, Golden Shadow, Petrol Green, Wild Honey and Two Four Nine, which is a tribute to Eddie Mulder and includes the number ‘249’ on the side plate, the Bear 650 really is a scrambler with a touch of sixties soul to it. And don’t forget the added benefits of it being LAMS approved along with it including a 3-Year Unlimited KLM Warranty and 3-Year Roadside Assistance. That’s value for money if I’ve ever heard it!

Top Quality

The styling along with the ultimate finish on the new Bear 650 go a long way to further ending any misconceptions that motorcycles being built in India are inferior, as Royal Enfield keep proving with their latest releases over the last couple of years, all now culminating in a line of modern motorcycles that are high in quality when it comes to engineering, styling, detailing, paint and finish, all delivered at an insanely competitive price.

The Bear 650 is again another worthy addition to RE’s 650 range, creating even more competition within their own brand, which is a good problem to have. And let’s be honest, whatever style of riding you like, there’s now a RE to suit! Whether you’re learning, looking for a cruiser or maybe plan on exploring the wilderness, drop into a Team Moto – Royal Enfield dealership near you and take some for a test ride, because trust me when I say, you’ll be impressed.