After a brief hibernation, when Royal Enfield summoned the bike back and simply kept it for almost three months, the Bear 650 has returned to the Turbocharged Garage, and I have been commanding it ever since. I may have control over the Bear 650 but it is the Bear who commands attention from other road users.
In traffic jams, the striking design of the Bear gets positive head turns, with some riders appreciating it with a smile and others simply giving it a flyby thumbs up. I have a smirk on my face when that happens; and all the credit goes to the Royal Enfield designers who designed it. I am only showcasing their work.
I have a 20 km commute to and from work and I take the liberty of taking the longer way home to spend some quality time with the Bear 650 on Pune’s roads. I often end up on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, where the Bear can easily stretch its legs and slap me with an ear-to-ear smile. That doesn’t happen often, let me tell you.
Although the smile comes at a cost, something that I am happy to bear, but I am not sure how others would fare. I am referring to its fuel consumption; being a 648cc motorcycle with two cylinders to feed, the Bear 650 consumes fuel like a Bear indulges in honey. However, when I am being conservative with the throttle, the Bear sips lightly on the dino juice. Next time, maybe I will tell you exactly how I do it.
