Royal Enfield Bear 650 Base

autocar.india

•44w

The two Royal Enfield 650s you are looking at are limited in terms of comfort in one way or another. The Continental GT 650 - with its committed rider's triangle - will be comfortable only for short blasts before you start to become uncomfortable. Meanwhile, with its rather stiff rear suspension, the Bear 650 will toss you around over anything other than perfect tarmac roads. Between the two, we'd still recommend choosing the Continental because at least you have the peace of mind of tubeless tyres if you fit the accessory alloy wheels to it, which isn't possible on the Bear. If you are open to considering the Interceptor, that makes for a fun Sunday bike, too, with far fewer compromises than both of its aforementioned siblings. A test ride of all three will help you make up your mind.

autocar.india

•46w

We would advise you to look at other options than the Royal Enfield Bear 650 because we found the rear suspension to be very stiff in our time with it. This means that on less-than-perfect city roads, your back will bear the brunt of the bumps, which won't be ideal given your long daily commute.Instead, we would recommend you look at the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 because it has much better suspension comfort and will have exciting performance while also fitting in your price range. If your heart is set on a 650cc bike, then the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is the best bet for city use with its supple suspension, neutral ergonomics and creamy smooth engine. Take a test ride and decide before you buy.

autocar.india

•47w

Between the two bikes you're considering, we'd recommend you steer clear of the Moto Morini because of its minuscule dealer network and because this bike has yet to prove its reliability in our market. Coming to the Royal Enfield Bear 650 is a great bike in many ways, but its stiff rear suspension can be a dealbreaker over bad roads. Instead, we recommend you look at the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 for highway usage. If you're open to the idea of a pre-loved machine, a good condition, used Kawasaki Versys 650 should be available around the Rs 5 lakh mark, which is a similar amount of money as the bikes you're considering anyway.

autocar.india

•49w

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.

autocar.india

•12w

Since you have listed long-distance capability and off-road fun as some of your priorities, that in itself rules out the sporty Aprilia Tuono 457 and the heavy Royal Enfield Bear 650 (at least to some extent). The 349cc/398cc KTM Adventure models are a better fit for your brief, and we'd wholeheartedly recommend spending the extra cash and going for whichever 398cc variant you like because the 349cc version just feels a little too boring to ride and has quite a bit of vibration too. Honestly, we'd recommend you also consider the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 because, while the Himalayan isn't the best at any particular aspect, the way it comes together as a package is quite commendable, and if you don't mind its extra weight, it can make for a wonderful companion. Take test rides of both the Himalayan and 390 Adventure before you make up your mind.