Modern Vibe Free Dug Dug
To Be Honest I have never been a fan of Royal Enfield motorcycles, but then the 650cc twins happened and today an Interceptor 650 sits in my garage. Over the years Royal Enfield has changed gears and how! The RE showrooms resemble those of lifestyle brands rather than those of automotives. The new-age 650cc twins now get the highest sales numbers in their segment in which ever country they are available. A successor of the Thunderbird and Thunderbird X, The New Meteor 350 is no different and brings a sea of change in the concept of RE motorcycles.
Let’s talk mechanicals first. The new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is underpinned by a newly-developed twin cradle frame and draws power from the all-new 349 cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke, SOHC engine that develops 20.2 bhp at 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. The new motor replaces the traditional pushrod design on the older Royal Enfield engine with a primary balancer shaft with an overhead camshaft, allowing for higher revs and more refinement. In layman terms, the Meteor is vibration free. The engine is paired with a new 5-speed gearbox that offers more seamless gearshifts compared to the older models. The Meteor’s kerb weight of 191 kg, makes it about six kg lighter than that of the outgoing Thunderbird 350. It also gets a longer wheelbase than the Thunderbird 350, allowing for improved straight-line stability. The new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 comes with 41 mm telescopic front forks with 130 mm of travel, and twin-tube shock absorbers with six-step preload adjustability at the rear. This suspension is set up very nicely and feels taut while absorbing bumps and potholes with ease. Braking performance comes from a 300 mm front disc with twin piston floating calipers. A 270 mm disc on the rear wheel with a single-piston caliper and dual-channel ABS is standard. The Meteor 350 rides on alloy wheels with a 19-inch unit at the front and a 17-inch wheel at the rear, both of which are wrapped in tubeless tyres. The Electronics – yes, there is more than an electric starter here. The instrument cluster is all new and drops the RPM meter of the older Thunderbird for RE’s Tripper navigation system, which is powered by Google and displays Google maps data when connected to your phone. The Instrument cluster displays important things like how much fuel is left, what time it is and what gear you’re in, and it has two trip meters.
The new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a comfortable bike to be on. The rider’s triangle is extremely comfortable and the forward set foot pegs along and along with the high handlebar, it offers good ergonomics. It is based on an all-new platform, one that will be the base of many future models.
