Royal Enfield Meteor 350: A fine motorcycle, but is it RE’s best?

The Meteor is a refined bike; launched final 12 months, it changed the Thunderbird X 350. On the Meteor, the rider sits comfortably—toes ahead, low upright seating, holding handlebars with out a lot stress on shoulders, and forming excellent ergonomic angles. Nevertheless, is it one of the best bike made by Royal Enfield? Whereas its construct high quality, paint job and fit-and-finish are immaculate, how good is the Meteor to stay with? I spend three months with it.

The experience

Its 349cc air-oil cooled engine (20.2bhp energy; 27Nm torque) is refined—and it’s excellent for a motorbike this measurement and weight. The preliminary acceleration (0-60 km/h) is easy, however gradual. Nevertheless, it’s the 40-80 km/h acceleration in fourth gear the place the Meteor will get in its component (the utmost torque of 27Nm is achieved at an early 4000rpm, and so even in a excessive gear at a pace of about 50 km/h it doesn’t really feel underpowered).

The driving place

The gearshift pedal has each a heel-shifter and a toe-shifter—so you need to use both foot or heel to shift gears with equal ease. Engine vibrations—through the handlebars, foot pegs and the seat—are pretty managed, and you’ll experience for an extended distance, at a pace of about 80 km/h, with out getting drained. Nevertheless, at speeds above 100 km/h, handlebars vibrate quite a bit, despite the fact that foot pegs and the seat stay rock strong. Additionally, whereas cornering is a breeze on well-paved roads, it’s not as sure-footed because the Himalayan on moist roads and gravel.

Carrying baggage

Securing baggage on the rear seating space (in case one is utilizing bungee ropes) isn’t as straightforward as it’s on the Himalayan (the gold customary for any bike).

Gas effectivity

I did one 600-km highway journey on a freeway (the place the Meteor returned 46 km/litre) and one other 400 km driving on Delhi roads (the place it returned 41 km/litre).

Know-how

The Meteor will get a turn-by-turn navigation pod known as the Tripper. It connects to the rider’s smartphone through Bluetooth, and real-time instructions—utilizing Google Maps’ two-wheeler navigation—are displayed on a small display subsequent to the tripmeter. The Tripper undoubtedly makes highway journeys straightforward.

The very best half

In the course of the second-wave lockdown, the Meteor was parked in my condominium’s basement for eight weeks straight, and after I began the engine after this lengthy a time, it began on the flick of a change. Not like age-old RE bikes, there was no oil leakage, no low battery, no tyre flat spots, no rusting anyplace. That exhibits the Meteor is a new-age RE.

Is it the best RE?

Priced from Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 1.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai), the Meteor could also be good worth for cash (related bikes at roughly related costs embody Honda H’ness and CB350R), however when it comes to total possession and driving expertise it maybe doesn’t match as much as the all-new Himalayan (which is marginally costlier). Whereas each these bikes cater to totally different sorts of riders, the benefit the Himalayan has over the Meteor is that the previous can do all issues the latter can, after which much more.

Specs

Engine: 349cc, air-oil cooled

Energy: 20.2bhp @ 6100rpm

Torque: 27Nm @ 4000rpm

Gearbox: 5-speed

Floor clearance: 170 mm

Weight: 191 kg (with 90% gas & oil)

Gas tank: 15 litres

Brakes: Entrance & rear disc

Value: Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 1.9 lakh

(Value is ex-showroom, Chennai)

Using expertise

Complete distance travelled: 1,000 km

Gas effectivity (metropolis): 41 km/litre

Gas effectivity (freeway): 46 km/litre

Comfortable cruising pace: 70-80 km/hour

Worth-add function: Tripper navigation

Feels planted on: Highways

Feels jittery on: Gravel