ROYAL ENFIELD BEAR 650

The Bear 650 is Royal Enfield's scrambler twin, and the biggest bike we rent. Its 648cc air-oil-cooled parallel twin delivers 47.4 PS at 7,150 rpm and 56.5 Nm at 5,150 rpm — the strongest peak torque of any 650 Royal Enfield builds, thanks to a 2-into-1 exhaust — through a six-speed gearbox that pulls cleanly from low revs without ever feeling frantic.

What sets the Bear apart from its road-going siblings is what it rides on. Showa upside-down forks give 130mm of travel up front, twin rear shocks another 115mm, and a 19-inch front wheel wearing dual-purpose tyres rolls over the broken tarmac and gravel sections that Northern Thailand's back roads are full of. The rear ABS switches off when you want the back wheel to move, and switches straight back on for the ride home. Dual-channel ABS, a 320mm front disc and a 270mm rear keep 214kg under control on a long mountain descent.

The name comes from the 1960 Big Bear Run, a California desert race won by a Royal Enfield carrying number 249 — the number still on the bike's side panel. A round Tripper Dash TFT gives you full Google Maps navigation on screen, so the Mae Hong Son Loop needs nothing more than a phone in your pocket. This is a proper touring machine for a confident rider: 830mm seat, 13.7-litre tank, roughly 300km between fuel stops.