Royal Enfield Scrambler 650 Launch Soon, Based On The Interceptor 650

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 made a smashing debut in the Indian market six years ago as it made a mid-capacity, twin-cylinder motorcycle accessible. As impressive as the bike was, it had its set of flaws and when the Interceptor 650 update with alloy wheels, LED headlight and blacked out components was launched we were disappointed. Royal Enfield had an opportunity to address the issues with the bike but it took an easy approach. When we spoke with RE officials about this we got to know the focus of the brand was to expand the 650 twins platform and the 350 cc portfolio. A patent image of the 2024 Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 has emerged and it seems the upcoming scrambler offering will solve most of the issues associated with the Interceptor 650. 

What’s new?

One of the biggest issues with the Interceptor 650 personally for me was its suspension setup. The damping of the telescopic fork was unpredictable and the twin shocks were too softly sprung. This setup meant that you hardly had much confidence while cornering fast, even though the chassis feedback was good. RE engineers have equipped the new Interceptor Bear 650 with an USD fork as seen on other 650cc offerings and even the rear suspension is different and is similar to the one seen on the Shotgun 650. The revised suspension unit should make the ride quality of the 2024 Interceptor 650 better and also improve its handling dynamics. Being a scrambler offering, the tyres could be different from the ones as seen on the roadster and it will run on spoke wheels. 

Also read: Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Price Rivals

The other big problem area for the 650cc roadster was its seat as the padding was too less and the rider used to ‘dig in’ to the frame. This resulted in a very uncomfortable ride and lots of owners modified their seats with extra padding but it ruined the aesthetics of the bike. In the RE Scrambler 650, the seat has been redesigned. Whether this new design improves comfort or not remains to be seen. The other change is the exhaust muffler, which is a shorter single-sided unit and seems to be less raked, which should improve the pillion rider comfort as there will be more leg space and the seating position wouldn’t be as cramped as experienced on the Interceptor 650. 

The twin-pod analogue instrument cluster has been replaced with a circular TFT screen from the Himalaya 450. The all-digital console gets Google maps, Bluetooth connectivity for call and message alerts, music control and more. Other visual changes include a new centre panel and the rear taillight is a circular unit and even the mudguard has been extended. It also seems that the 2024 RE Interceptor Bear 650 will get all LED lighting.

Also read: Royal Enfield Classic 350 Might Get A Feature Refresh in August

What remains unchanged?

The heart of the bike remains the same, which is a 648cc, oil-cooled, twin-cylinder engine delivering 47 bhp and 52 Nm. The 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch will also be carried forward in the new Royal Enfield motorcycle. The chassis, brakes and spoke wheels also remain the same as the Interceptor 650.

India Launch & Pricing

The 2024 Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 might go on sale later this year with a global debut at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. The upcoming RE offering might be launched in India at the 2024 Rider Mania in Goa scheduled in late November. Prices for the current Interceptor 650 range start at ₹ 3.03 lakh and go up to ₹ 3.31 lakh depending on the colour option. We expect the 2024 Interceptor Bear 650 to carry a premium of around ₹ 15,000 to 20,000 given the major upgrades.