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VM

Vineet Madhok

16w

I have been riding a Royal Enfield Classic 500 for 12 years now and am looking to upgrade. I am confused between the Himalayan 450 and the Bear 650. Which one should I go for?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
15w
Between the two options you've shortlisted, we would steer you toward the Himalayan 450 because it is a more versatile machine and has better suspension comfort of the two bikes, by some margin.
While the Royal Enfiled Bear 650 is a competent bike in many ways, its rear suspension is far too firm for its own good and it cannot be had with cross-spoke rims permitting tubeless tyres - like the Himalayan can - which means fixing a puncture on this 216kg machine will be a task to say the least, even before you take into account the lack of a centre stand.
Royal Enfield Bear 650

Royal Enfield Bear 650

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Posted on: 29 Nov 2025