The Bear 650 Has a Secret: A Hidden 12V Power Tap

What It Is and How to Use It

The Royal Enfield Bear 650 has a secret. Inside the headlight, tucked behind a ring, there is a connector that gives you an extra switched 12 volt power supply. It is a 2-pin Sumitomo MT090 connector, and you can use it to power another accessory. The video shows how to get to it.

What you need

You need the matching plug for that connector. I ordered mine from Amazon, and the link is in the parts list above. You can also buy them pre-wired, which saves you crimping your own leads.

You also need a Phillips screwdriver. A multimeter is optional, but it makes the polarity check below easy.

Check positive and ground first

Do this before you connect anything. Work out which pin is positive and which is ground, and do not trust the colors on a wire or a pre-wired plug. A pre-wired one can still be wired the way you do not expect. A multimeter settles it in a minute.

What the owner’s manual says about power

I checked the Bear 650 owner’s manual to see the specs. These are its numbers:

• The electrical system is 12 volts DC, with a 12 volt, 12 amp-hour battery.
• The alternator puts out 156 watts at 1,100 rpm.
• The bike has a fuse marked Accessory, a 10 amp fuse (F7), in the fuse carrier under the seat. Replace a blown fuse only with the same rating.
• The bike already has a USB-C charging port, rated at 5 volts and 2 amps.

The manual does not say which circuit the accessory connector is on, so I cannot tell you that the 10 amp accessory fuse protects it. Keep whatever you plug in small, such as a phone charger, a GPS or a light, and not something that draws a lot of power. If you are unsure, ask a Royal Enfield dealer before you tap in.

Watch the video

The full walk-through is in the video at the top of the page.