Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650

[Hugh Janus]

A new scrambler variation of Royal Enfield’s INT650 looks to be in the pipeline. (Royal Enfield/)

The next in Royal Enfield’s growing range of 650cc parallel-twin models will be a retro-styled scrambler, and now new trademark applications from the company suggest it’s getting the name “Bear.”

Royal Enfield’s parent company, Eicher Motors, has filed trademark applications for the name “Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650″ in Australia and “Interceptor Bear 650″ in New Zealand. The applications leave no gray areas over the upcoming bike’s 650cc capacity or the fact it will be derived from the Interceptor model, though in the States that machine is called the INT650 because Honda still owns the “Interceptor” trademark rights in the US and Canada.

Although Enfield has several new 650cc models in the pipeline, the scrambler version that’s been spotted testing in India and the UK over the last few months is the most likely candidate for the Bear title. It’s very clearly based on the Interceptor/INT650′s chassis as well as its engine, which aligns neatly with a name that suggests it’s a sub-model of the Interceptor. The term Bear also gives the sort of rugged, outdoorsy overtones that would suit a scrambler.

The new Interceptor Bear 650 will use the 47 hp parallel twin from INT650. (Spenser Robert/)

Prototypes that have been seen on test show a bike that’s very much in the mold of the scrambler models Triumph has derived from its Bonneville range over the years. The frame and tank are straight from the Interceptor, as is the 650cc, 47 hp parallel-twin engine, but the upcoming scrambler gets an upside-down fork and longer-travel twin shocks to increase ground clearance. The twin exhausts of the INT650 are also gone, replaced with a 2-into-1 system that sees the header from the left-hand cylinder take a sharp turn to the right, across the front of the engine. On the prototypes, the two pipes then run together down the side of the engine before merging into a single pipe running under the footpeg and into an upturned muffler. It’s hard to imagine that the firm won’t offer a higher-mounted exhaust, like the Triumph Scrambler’s, as an option.

Some prototypes of the 650 scrambler have featured oval number plates on the side panels, while others borrow the standard INT650 parts, again suggesting scope for customization. Deep-treaded, dual-sport tires on wire wheels are another feature, and where the INT650 has 18-inch rims at each end, the scrambler-style machine appears to have a larger front and smaller rear—possibly a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear, matching the Triumph Scrambler 900′s setup.

Royal Enfield’s SG650 concept will inspire aspects of a new bobber believed to be named Shotgun. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)

The trademark applications and the regular sightings of prototypes on test suggest the Royal Enfield 650 scrambler is due to launch before the end of this year, to join the 2024 model range. However, it’s not the only new 650 machine in the pipeline, as Royal Enfield is also believed to be developing a bobber derived from the Super Meteor 650, with a short rear fender and single seat to match the SG650 concept shown in 2021. That bike is believed to be getting the name “Shotgun,” which Eicher Motors owns the trademark rights to in much of the world, including the US. The company also has a pending US trademark over the name “Constellation,” historically used on an upgraded, 700cc version of the Super Meteor in the 1950s.

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