New Royal Enfield Bear

[inditx]

So, just traded in the Super Meteor and got a Bear.
Just picked it up this afternoon so ride reviews to follow.
Obligatory pic.



inditx

[Clifton]

Looks nice what's different between the two?

[Dirk_S]

It plum ticks me off that Guzzi hasn’t done something similar. It ain’t hard—install the longer forks from a V9, add a 19” front wheel, scrambler pipe, and we’d have an updated V7 scrambler. I plan on building a 19” front as an alternate wheel size for my V7 dual sport (alongside the 21” that I’ve built). And, I have a set of V9 forks, so…

[inditx]

Looks nice what's different between the two?

The Bear is a scrambler type instead of a cruiser
Same motor but a bit more torque and lower in the rpm range
More upright seating
Longer travel suspension
Taller
Think dual sport if you will
inditx

[JJ]

CONGRATS!   Specifications below look OK....(My mistake...it is a 650, thanks Dave!)

[Dave Swanson]

CONGRATS!   Specifications below look OK....
Only 418 pounds, 350cc, so should be just fine. (Wonder why it says "Bear 650" if it's only a 350?)

JJ, it is a 650.  It is a cool bike, and yes, I do wish MG would do a V7-850 Stornello. 

https://www.royalenfield.com/us/en/motorcycles/bear-650/

[JJ]

JJ, it is a 650.  It is a cool bike, and yes, I do wish MG would do a V7-850 Stornello. 

https://www.royalenfield.com/us/en/motorcycles/bear-650/

Thanks Dave!  (Corrected above....) 

[Dirk_S]

One of the reasons I dislike this AI crap. The AI search says 445 lb, but yet, Royal Enfield themselves say 475 lb.

[DoubleGuzzi]

One of the reasons I dislike this AI crap. The AI search says 445 lb, but yet, Royal Enfield themselves say 475 lb.

Hefty, compared to a 750 Breva. 

[inditx]

Yes but a totally different bike than the Breva as I had one of those too.
Still, I wish it were 400#’s!
inditx

[davethewelder]

A few years back I test rode a RE INT650, it was like riding a new bike from the 70's, in a good way.   And then the Bear comes out,  I really like the one with Orange and teal.

[bad Chad]

Yeah, right.  It’s not like Guzzi makes any bikes that fit that nitch 😂

[vxn750]

Royal Enfield is producing some fun and interesting bikes. I've been seriously considering the Guerrilla 450.

[egschade]

Nice bike! RE does a nice job tweaking their bikes into interesting models and gets the Scrambler thing. Is it just the photo or are the bars rotated far forward?

[kballowe]

We have a Meteor 2024 650 and a 2022 Meteor 350. 

They're fun bikes.

[guzzisteve]

Drop in a 900 Kit w/cam & will blow those Chinese V85's down the road. Flat track pipes too. Comes from WI, what's not to like!!

[inditx]

Nice bike! RE does a nice job tweaking their bikes into interesting models and gets the Scrambler thing. Is it just the photo or are the bars rotated far forward?

Good eye, I actually moved them back and ordered up and back risers as well

[turboguzzi]

blow those Chinese V85's down the road

didnt know the V85's were made in China.... since when?

[guzzisteve]

All smallblocks since 2017 use valves, piston rings, and other engine parts from China. When Vagrent's went tits up I called Tech Rep for Piaggio that used to hang out in our shop, lives down the road here 25mi.

[kballowe]

didnt know the V85's were made in China.... since when?

The Moto Guzzi V85 is made in Italy.

There are many "knockoff" models being made in China these days and a V85 lookalike is one of them.

[guzzisteve]

Assembled in Italy with parts from China, not plastic bits but engine parts, how do you think they saved enough money to redo the factory

[YellowDuck]

I miss my C5 Bullet and have though about another RE. If only the Bear had tubeless wheels I'd be off to the RE dealer to have a look. While I'm sure the wheels could be converted with one of the DIY methods that's not for me.

Nice looking bike. Enjoy!

The latest Interceptor and Continental GT models are available with alloy wheels.  90% sure they would fit the Bear if it is on 18".  Not expensive as wheels go.

[Dave Swanson]

My introduction to RE was this 2016 Bullet 500.  2 years ago, it came up for sale just a couple of miles from me.  The original owner somehow turned this bike into a complete turd in only 1300 miles.  It was cheap and it needed to be rescued from its long term abusive owner!   

I poured many hours and not too much money into bringing it back.  What surprised me is how much fun this anachronistic relic actually is.  For a bike that does nothing all that well, it has become one of my favorite bikes.  It is my number 1 choice for shorter hops. 

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

All smallblocks since 2017 use valves, piston rings, and other engine parts from China. When Vagrent's went tits up I called Tech Rep for Piaggio that used to hang out in our shop, lives down the road here 25mi.

Could be, but sounds like a lazy claim to me. If I look up 1A015607R and check the country of origin on sites that list it as required for international shipping duties, it lists Italy. Doesn't necessarily mean that's accurate or reliable, but just one spot check that is turning up Italy rather than China. I'm sure there are parts made in China, especially common components not unique to the bike. When I dug into the headset bearings on my V7 850 they were a FAG (Schaeffler) bearing inscribed Vietnam, but possibly with an outer ring from China. https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=116677.msg1837298#msg1837298

Country of origin does not necessarily dictate quality either way. Metallurgy, manufacturing process, quality control, and supplier requirements do. Vehicles sold in the EU do a decent job weeding out some of the rubbish we can buy in the states with their Conformity of Production standards set out under European Whole Vehicle Type Approval.

[guzzisteve]

Not a lazy claim when a 30Kmi bike has no compression and you call Guzzi's TechRep to find out why. He has to fix the stuff or help find the answers for warranty bikes. He doesn't sugarcoat diagnostics. From the horses mouth, engine parts from China.

[Dirk_S]

Not a lazy claim when a 30Kmi bike has no compression and you call Guzzi's TechRep to find out why. He has to fix the stuff or help find the answers for warranty bikes. He doesn't sugarcoat diagnostics. From the horses mouth, engine parts from China.

*All* engine parts?

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Repeating something a tech said is a lazy claim to me. Pointing to documentation or the packaging the part comes in showing the country of origin would not be.

[bad Chad]

ALL MFGs source parts from other countries.   There is essentially NO mass market vehicle sold in North America, that is 100 percent content of its country of origin.  I have a Chinese enduro from CSC, it has a Japanese carb, battery and various parts from out side China.  The amount of parts sourced out of a particular country will obviously vary, but Piaggo is no different than any other mfg when it comes to parts sourcing.  The fact is the bikes are still produced in Italy, with a majority of parts made it Italy.  We are lucky to still have Guzzi as an active brand!

My MY25 v85tt has been flawless so far, and I expect it to be a great machine for the long haul.   My 2016 CSC (made in China) has also been near bullet proof, but for one bad oem spark plug and wonky brake light switch, in ten years.

[guzzisteve]

*All* engine parts?

No, Rings & valves.

[kballowe]

Well, the laced spoke wheels on my 2016 Harley Heritage Softail are made in Italy.