It has rained Meteors today and this particular Meteor shower is the doing of none other than Royal Enfield. Royal Enfield has launched the Meteor 350 in India at a starting price of INR 1.75 Lakh. Royal Enfield is offering the Meteor 350 in 3 trims: Fireball, Stellar and Supernova. The names of the variants were already out in the open but the prices of the respective variants were revealed today.
Pricing
The Fireball serves as the base variant of the Meteor 350 is priced at INR 1.75 Lakh, the Stellar is the mid-spec variant and is priced at INR 1.81 Lakh and the top-spec Supernova is priced at INR 1.90 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom.
Looks
At least in pictures, the Meteor 350 looks like a well-finished product and a proper retro cruiser with round halogen headlamps with an LED light guide, a 15-litre fuel tank, and an LED taillight. Royal Enfield badging is seen on its teardrop-shaped fuel tank while it also gets long exhaust ends and a swooping rear fender. The new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 sits on machine-finished alloy wheels measuring 19-inch front with 100/90 tyre and 17 inch rear wheel with 140/70 tyre. The new 350 motorcycle, based on the brand’s new ‘J’ architecture, receives a low seat along with high set handlebars and forward-set footpegs relating to an upright seating position and better rider comfort.
Variants explained
The Meteor 350 Fireball, available in vibrant red or yellow single colour fuel tanks and matching wheel rim lining, features blacked-out cycle parts and engine, which is finished with machined fins. The Stellar, with contemporary red, blue or matt black tanks and matching body components, comes with chrome handlebars and exhaust plus a comfy backrest for the pillion. The top-of-the-line Supernova, finished in dual-tone blue or brown with matching body parts, is detailed with machined wheels, a choice of premium seats and a windscreen.
Powertrain
The launch event witnessed Royal Enfield talking about the refinement of the new engine, seat comfort, and the ease with which the new bike can be ridden all day. Coming to the engine front, The Meteor 350 derives power from a 349cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine with an OHC design. This engine makes 20.2 hp power at 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The engine will allow for lower emissions and instant acceleration. Royal Enfield has confirmed that the Meteor 350 is a successor to the Thunderbird. Compared to the old 350cc engine, the all-new engine has a spread of an extra 1000 rpms and has been tweaked for crisp throttle response.
The engine also gets a balancer shaft to iron out all vibrations. It has been tuned to deliver a healthy dose of torque in the low and mid-range. One of the main niggles which Royal Enfield’s 350cc motorcycles have always been riddled with is vibrations. But it seems like Royal Enfield has managed to turn things around with the Meteor 350. This will certainly help the Meteor 350 to make a stronger case for itself against its prime rival Honda CB350. Royal Enfield says the brand has spent a really long time to test all the new components. RE has also worked hard to keep the signature thump intact and much like every other Enfield, the spec sheet isn’t what the bike is all about.
Suspension and braking
The bike also gets new brakes and suspension which have been tuned to match the character of the bike. The bike’s ride height has been optimised to make it a comfortable motorcycle to ride in all kind of conditions for the majority of riders. The bike’s wheelbase measures 1400mm, the seat height stands at 765mm and ground clearance stands at 170mm. The 41mm front forks offer 130mm of travel and the twin rear springs are adjustable for pre-load in six steps. The Meteor 350 has optimum braking performance as well, assisted by dual-channel ABS. The front rotor is of 300mm while the rear measures 270mm. The bike’s rake angle is adjusted to make within-town and long rides a comfortable affair and in the saddle, it comes close to making the rider feel like he’s in command of a roadster.
Features
Royal Enfield has included a Digi-analogue instrument cluster with 8 tell-tale lights and an analogue speedometer with kmph and mph markings. The digital screen will display readouts for a service reminder, a much-needed fuel-level bar, a clock, a gear indicator and an eco indicator among other things. Sitting alongside this dial will be another colour TFT screen to the right which RE calls a Tripper Navigation Display Unit. Pairing with the rider’s smartphone via Bluetooth, it will display turn-by-turn navigation through signage in both day and night modes. This has been developed in association with Google Maps and being offered as a standard feature.
The screen, however, does not display incoming messages or calls, as Royal Enfield believes it doesn’t want to distract the rider.
Accessories
The Meteor 350 will also be available on the “Make It Yours” online configurator. The Meteor 350 is supported by a suite of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories, designed and developed for it, which can be added when ordering the motorcycle. The range includes functional accessories, such as the passenger backrest, touring screens, luggage options, robust engine and sump guards, as well as classic styling embellishments, including a variety of brushed stainless steel and black powder-coated slip-on silencer options and beautifully crafted touring seats, all of which come with a 3-year warranty. For further individual self-expression, a selection of riding gear, including helmets in complementary colours, t-shirts, and personal accessories have also been developed around the Meteor and cruiser lifestyle.
Colour options include Fireball Yellow, Fireball Red, Stellar Red Metallic, Stellar Blue Metallic, Supernova Brown and Supernova Blue along with an exclusive Stellar Black Matte. The Meteor 350 will be offered with a 3-year warranty.