Bike Review | 2025 Royal Enfield INT Bear 650, Aussie Launch

I’ve contributed to a number of bike publications in my 20-odd years of riding, and attended close to 60 launches, but I’m not one to geek out on the spec’s and numbers of a bike. For me, riding is a passion. It’s about the feel. Here is my review of the Royal Enfield INT Bear 650…

Jeff recently attended the Global Launch of the INT Bear 650 in Palm Springs, California, where he rode on mostly silky smooth roads. But back here in Australia, we were keen to find out how the bike handles Australian conditions. The launch began at Royal Enfield’s Melbourne HQ in Pascoe Vale, where I arrived to see the glorious fleet of INT Bear 650’s lined up waiting to hit the open road.

We would be the first to ride these freshly pre delivered machines and we were all ready to go. The first thing that struck me about the bikes was the retro styling and the bold and exciting colour combos that RE have gone for. The INT Bear 650 was inspired in honour of Eddie Mulder from Lancaster California who won the Big Bear Run, the biggest desert motorcycle race in 1960, at the tender young age of just 16. He rode a Royal Enfield 500 single to take the outright race win. His racing number was 249 which appears on the blue frame Eddie Mulder tribute model.

Eddie Mulder, Gordon May.

The newest model in Royal Enfield’s 650 line up, the Bear has been closely modelled on the Interceptor 650. RE were finding that custom tracker/scrambler builds have been hugely popular since the release of the Interceptor, so the factory has taken that as inspiration to release their own retro inspired scrambler 650.

Check out our Tech Highlights video on the INT Bear 650 here…

The Bear 650, although based on the Interceptor, is a brand new bike with many upgrades including SHOWA upside down forks and heavy duty SHOWA shocks. The sub-frame has been kicked up to increase the travel and the ground clearance is approximately one inch higher than the Interceptor, which is noticeable with a slightly taller seat height. I’m 172cm tall and I could get almost a flat foot down when stopped on level ground and both feet down.

Jacinta is 172cm tall and can sit flat footed on the INT Bear 650.

The engine is the same, although it is tuned differently with a 2-1 exhaust. The instrument cluster has been upgraded from the double analogue clocks to the new single Royal Enfield trip TFT digital display also found on the Himalayan and Guerrilla 450 models. It has bluetooth connectivity which enables you to connect your smartphone via the app and the display will allow you to access phone calls, full colour display for navigation and music. It has switchable ABS, which I didn’t bother turning off. The headstock has been reinforced to make it more off-road compatible, however with all of the upgrades there has only been one kilogram in weight gained on the Interceptor.

TFT Dash.

Kicked up rear-end.

Reset handlebars.

Re-tuned motor with 2-1 exhaust.

So how does it ride?

Day one had us heading south towards the Great Ocean road, which saw us hit the Western Ring road for about an hour and a half so travelling towards Geelong. The bikes run a chunky, dual sport tyre design specifically for the Bear by MRF. After owning an Interceptor for three years and running dual sport tyres, it was extremely apparent to me how smooth and quiet the ride was on the Bear in comparison. There was no movement through the ‘bars at high speed and the six-speed gearbox was spot on at freeway speed with plenty of head room to overtake as needed.  The gearing is very tall, I got over 100km in third pushing it a little but not hitting the limiter and it cruised very comfortably at 110 in fifth or sixth gear.

Tall gearing, just like on the other 650 twins, sees the Bear 650 doing it easy at highway speeds.

We had a quick stop at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie in Bellbrae after which we took a turn and left the sealed bitumen behind us. It was loose gravel, dirt and sandy unsealed roads for the rest of the day. I felt really confident on the Bear 650. However, the suspension is rather rigid and to be honest I found it a little unforgiving. I’m not a heavy person (58kg) and I could feel absolutely every corrugation and bump with it wound down to softest setting.

It was loose gravel, dirt and sandy unsealed roads for the rest of the day…

I do think that the hard suspension is a big part of what gives the bike the stability and capability that it has off road, so it’s a bit of a double edged sword. I personally much preferred standing in the loose stuff as it allowed the bike to do its thing, independent of my control freak nature trying to override the ‘flow’ not to mention, it was a lot kinder on my arse.

“I’m not a heavy person (58kg) and I could feel absolutely every corrugation and bump with it wound down to softest setting”…

Chaz Hern, our lead rider from Royal Enfield Australia, thought the best way for us to really appreciate the ‘scramble ability’ of the Bear 650 would be to ride down a loamy downhill with semi washed out mounds scattered down it and rocks and roots on either side. Riding down the hill was sketchy but manageable. We had all just assumed this was ‘on the way’, until we were told to do a u-turn at the bottom and head back up!

Jacinta found the Bear 650 ergonomics good for standing.

The 650 is tractable for mild off-road hills.

Now I knew what I was thinking and could only suspect the others had similar thoughts judging by the looks on their faces and the comments being muttered when we heard this. I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous. Here I was the only female, the only non professional journalist in this group of old seasoned legends. I did not want to make an ass of myself. In Eddie Mulder’s words “There’s a thing inside your mind your body where your gut tells you if you’ve got the balls to do it. Once you find out how to put your gut and your body in order and you pull the trigger and get the job done, there’s no better feeling.”

“I picked my line, focussed ahead and took that hill like a boss!”

I was starting on an uphill slope on the right side of the track. There was one of those eroded mounds ahead of me and the good line was to the left of the track. The surface was loose, dry and rocky. I started the engine, right foot on the rear brake, right hand squeezing the front brake as I did not want to start rolling backwards which was a very real possibility. I knew I had to stand and keep momentum but was also very conscious of not taking off too eagerly and losing rear traction. Credit to the bike, the takeoff was smooth. I picked my line, focussed ahead and took that hill like a boss!

I am happy to say that there wasn’t anywhere near as much carnage as I had expected. Almost everyone got up it easily. I have to admit it was a clever ploy by the Enfield crew as I was definitely impressed by the bike’s ease and ability. I can confidently say that had I been riding on my own I wouldn’t have attempted that on a scrambler.

This brings to mind something I was told when I first started riding back in 2004. I don’t recall who said it to me but they were a much more experienced rider than myself. They said that “The bike has a lot more ability than you do, it’s been designed to do what it does so don’t try and fight it. Go with it. No sudden braking or throttle just be smooth and the bike will get you through”. Now obviously this isn’t the case 100 per cent of the time but I recon it’s true for 95 per cent of situations. This was one of those for me. It’s refreshing to ride a scrambler that can actually scramble and scramble well.

“The bike was moving around under me and I was loving every minute of it”…

We hit the gravel roads for another 10 or so kilometres after the hill and I felt invincible. I had picked up my pace. The bike was moving around under me and I was loving every minute of it. We ended the first day of riding with a few kilometres of beautiful twisty bitumen to get down to Cumberland river. Now I don’t know if it’s just me but I always find that I ride the road so much harder after a stint in the dirt.

“A bike zipped past me on the outside and I realised that it was Cameron Donald, three times Isle of Man TT winner”…

After a full day on loose surfaces, that road was such a pleasure and it felt like I was one with the bike. Even with the chunky dual purpose tyres, I was hooking in and chasing down the riders in front until I passed them and their headlight slowly disappeared from my mirrors. I was felling like I could take on anyone or anything. I was in the zone!

I gave my right mirror a quick glance as I often do out of habit and saw a headlight that hadn’t been there at last check. The light was gaining on me as if I was crawling along on a Sunday cruise. Before I knew it a bike zipped past me on the outside and I realised that it was Cameron Donald, three times Isle of Man TT winner. I attempted for about a split second to stay with him, then quickly came to my senses and laughed in my helmet as he pulled a gap. My bubble was burst. Just like that I was back to reality, enjoying the spectacular scenery that is the Great Ocean road and letting go of any hopes of being a road racer. Thanks Cam.

Day 2 began with a 4.40am alarm for a 5.30am gear up to get some sunrise shots. There were only three out of 11 of us that braved the morning air. I had checked the weather forecast for Melbourne before packing and they were scheduled for a heat wave, 28 and 32 on the days that we were set to be riding so I packed my lightest riding jacket (that doesn’t have a liner). I grabbed a jumper as an after thought, more of a casual dress jumper. Having grown up in Victoria and lived there for most of my life, I should have known better. I had forgotten how fresh the evenings and mornings get, all year round.

 It was worth the frozen core and chattering teeth to see that stunning glowing ball of orange, rising up over the ocean and feel the ever so gentle, warming, welcomed caress of the sun. The water glistened and the two into one pipes of the Bear gave a warm, guttural roar as we rode laps of that amazing coastal road with hardly another vehicle in sight.

Coffee and breakfast were at Lorne Central. We fuelled up and were back on the road with very full bellies. I’ve ridden the GOR about four times in my life and this was definitely the best experience. There were no road works and being mid week we didn’t encounter much traffic. It was amazing to be ducking and darting around the cliff edge corners with the stunning views uninterrupted, the sun shining on your face and the Bear 650 made it even more enjoyable.

This engine has been tuned to have an additional 4Nm of torque which is definitely noticeable in the lower to mid range. Although only a minor improvement, the performance is definitely more lively and exciting than the Interceptor. The peak horsepower has not changed however as Royal Enfield made a conscious decision to maintain it’s LAMS approval.

The weather was forecast to be 32 and it was starting to heat up. I had already lost my jumper under layer form the morning and was keen to lose more, problem being I didn’t have any more layers to lose. We turned off the GOR to head towards our lunch destination Mt Duneed Estate Winery. After breakfast we had stopped at Forrest General store for a refreshment. I have a squirrel bladder at the best of times and there was no bathroom at the refreshment stop, so 10 minutes into our ride to our lunch stop, I was needing a pee stop.

When you ride in a group the general rule of thumb is we have scheduled stops and everyone rides as one, so I had another 43 minutes of riding before I could expect any reprieve. Needless to say, it was this little stint that had me wishing that the bike’s suspension was not so firm. I was clenching all sorts of muscles and trying a plethora of antics from standing up to sitting back on the seat towards the pillion end, in an attempt to soften the bumps. To make the situation that little bit more challenging, the road we were on was one of the most corrugated stretches of bumpy, sh$t bitumen, that I have experienced in a while.

“Got to be a dunny somewhere around here”…

I got there without any accidents, to my relief, and enjoyed a delicious grazing platter and mocktail with much delight after making the ladies my first port of call! I feel like I’m oversharing way too much here, but it’s significant. If I were a superhero, my kryptonite would be onion. I have reason to believe that there was some onion in one of the delicious dips that I may have over indulged in at lunch. I say this because 15 minutes into our ride to the BP servo just out of Geelong I started to get the worst cramps across the right side of my abdomen that you could imagine.

After what felt like three hours, it was realistically only about 40 minutes or so, the BP turnoff appeared and I dumped my bike at the bowser and bolted to the ladies. Have you ever tried to spew up food that hasn’t even had the time to begin the digestion process? Don’t answer that. All I’ll say is that it wasn’t pleasant or easy but I definitely felt better for it.

t’s back to basics, raw, simple, motorcycling at its best. You have all of the modern day tech without it feeling intrusive to the riding experience.

The remainder of the ride was pretty straight forward, weaving through Melbourne traffic, crossing multiple lanes on the princess freeway to get over to the Western Ring road as a group of 11, which was no easy feat but we did it. No man left behind! In summary, the Royal Enfield INT Bear 650 is an extremely capable scrambler with plenty of guts to get the job done. The narrow seat and mid mounted ‘pegs along with the wider ‘bars make this bike much more scramble friendly than the Interceptor.On road the INT Bear 650 is lively and fun. It handles beautifully through the corners, nimble and easy to tip in and throttle out with plenty of zest. Not the bike for the MotoGP wannabe rider, but if you are looking for a daily commuter and are an adventurer at heart who doesn’t mind exploring the road less travelled, the Bear 650 is definitely worth considering all while being LAMS approved.

It’s back to basics, raw, simple, motorcycling at its best. You have all of the modern day tech without it feeling intrusive to the riding experience. Top speed I reached was 159km. It cruises comfortably on the highway in 6th and still has the responsiveness to pull with a little twist of the throttle. This motorcycle not only has legs, it also has stamina and had me grinning like a little kid with a new puppy at the end of each day.

2025 Royal Enfield Bear 650 Specifications

royalenfield.com.au

Price: From $11,490 R/A
Warranty: 3 year factory warranty & 3 year roadside assistance
Colours: TBC
Claimed power: 35kW [47hp]@7150rpm
Claimed torque: 56.5Nm [38ft-lbs]@5150rpm
Weight: 214kg wet
Fuel capacity: 13.7L
Fuel Consumption Claimed: 22km/L
Fuel Consumption (measured): N/A

Engine: SOHC air and oil-cooled 648cc parallel twin four-stroke, eight-valve, 78mm x 67.8mm bore x stroke, 9.5:1 compression, 270º firing order crankshaft, Bosch EMS/EFI
Gearbox: Six-speed constant mesh Clutch: Wet multi-plate slipper clutch, cable actuation

Frame: Steel tubular spine frame
Rake: N/A Trail: N/A
Suspension: 43mm Upside Down SHOWA BPSF forks, 130mm travel, non-adjustable, twin SHOWA Shocks, 115mm travel, preload adjustable.
Brakes: 320mm disc, twin piston floating caliper (f), ABS, two-piston, 270mm rotor, twin piston floating caliper (r) Wheels: tube type spoked alloy. Tyres: 100/90 – 19 MRF (f) 140/80 – 17 MRF (r)

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 1460mm
Seat height: N/A
Ground clearance: 184mm
Overall width: 855mm
Overall Length: 2216mm
Overall height: 1160mm

Instruments & electronics: TFT dash, tacho, speedo, dual trip, warning lights/fuel.
Electronics: Bosch Two-Channel ABS, Bosch EMS, USB point, LED headlight, LED taillight

2025 Royal Enfield INT Bear 650 Aussie Launch Gallery

Jacinta found the Bear 650 ergonomics good for standing.

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