The Brixton Crossfire 500 XC is the newest scrambler to arrive on our shores, and Royal Enfield’s Interceptor Bear 650 is its closest rival in this space. In this article, we’ve compared the specifications of both of these twin-cylinder scramblers across various relevant parameters.
| Powertrain | Type | Capacity | Power | Torque | Transmission |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | Liquid+cooled, DOHC, twin-cylinder | 486 cc | 47.6 hp @ 8,500 rpm | 43 Nm @ 6,750 rpm | 6-speed |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | Air+oil-cooled, SOHC, twin-cylinder | 648 cc | 47.4 hp @ 7,150 rpm | 56.5 Nm @ 5,150 rpm | 6-speed |
The Bear 650 has the higher displacement of the two and, while peak power figures are largely similar between both bikes, the Bear has a significantly higher peak torque compared to the Crossfire 500 XC.
| Dimensions | Kerb weight | Seat height | Wheelbase | Ground clearance | Fuel capacity |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | 195 kg | 839 mm | 1,441 mm | 180 mm | 13.5 litres |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | 216 kg | 830 mm | 1,460 mm | 184 mm | 13.7 litres |
These are both tall-riding motorcycles with similar ground clearance and seat height. While both bikes are heavy, the Royal Enfield is quite a bit more than the Brixton tipping the scales at 216 kg, a significant 21 kg heavier.
| Power-to-weight ratio | Horsepower per tonne |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | 244.1 hp/tonne |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | 219.44 hp/tonne |
As a result of its lower weight, the Brixton also pulls ahead with a better power-to-weight ratio.
| Brakes and tyres | Front brake | Rear brake | Switchable ABS | Front tyre | Rear tyre | Wheel type | Tyre type |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | 320-mm disc | 240-mm disc | No | 110/80-19 | 150/60-17 | Spoked | Tubeless |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | 320-mm disc | 270-mm disc | Yes | 100/90-19 | 140/80 R17 | Spoked | Tubed |
The Crossfire 500 XC gets a significant convenience addition over the Bear in the form of cross-spoke wheels with tubeless tyres, whereas the Bear gets tubed tyres. The Bear does however, give you the option of switching off the rear ABS, which you cannot do on the Crossfire 500 XC.
| Suspension | Front suspension type | Front wheel travel | Front suspension adjustability | Rear suspension type | Rear wheel travel | Rear suspension adjustability |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | USD fork | 150 mm | Compression and rebound | Monoshock | 130 mm | Rebound and preload |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | 43-mm USD fork | 130 mm | None | Twin coil springs with shock-absorbers | 115 mm | Preload |
The Brixton also offers adjustable damping on its front and rear suspension set-ups, whereas the RE only gets the standard preload adjustment for the rear and no adjustability up front.
| Price | Ex-showroom |
| Brixton Crossfire 500XC | Rs 5.19 lakh |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 | Rs 3.39 lakh |
The Bear has a significant advantage when it comes to price. It’s priced at Rs 3.39 lakh (ex-showroom), whereas the Crossfire 500 XC costs a whopping Rs 5.19 lakh (ex-showroom), Rs 1.8 lakh more than the Bear. Taking into consideration everything the Brixton offers as well as the fact that being a new company in India, their after-sales service is relatively untested, the premium over the RE is nearly impossible to justify.
You can check out our ride reviews for the Brixton Crossfire 500 XC as well as the Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 on the Bike India website.
