The Meteor 350 is Royal Enfield's first all new single cylinder motorcycle after the Himalayan, and one whose engine will find its way in the company's entire 350 lineup in times to come. Does that mean the Meteor is RE's best 350 yet? We'll answer that and a lot more in this review.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Review: Design and Ergonomics
According to Royal Enfield's development team, the Meteor 350 has cruiser characteristics, but with proportions and geometry that would work on Indian roads.
Therefore, the footpegs are not placed in a different timezone altogether and the steering geometry isn't utterly lazy as well. The seat height is low (765 mm), which, coupled to the slightly forward set foot controls, make for a semi-cruiserish riding position. The overall design will remind you of the Thunderbird, which is a good thing if you're a Royal Enfield loyalist. Even otherwise too, it's a pleasing design. However, the best is that the ground clearance has been increased substantially. It's now 170 mm; the Thunderbird's was 135 mm.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Review: Performance, Handling, Ride Quality, and Fuel Efficiency
As mentioned earlier, this motorcycle is absolutely new from the ground up. That means that the engine, chassis, panels, and all cycle parts are new as well. The engine is a two-valve SOHC (Single Over Head Camshaft) unit that produces 20.2 bhp at 6100 rpm 27 Nm at 4,000 rpm. It's mounted as a stress member within a new dual cradle chassis. The other 350s also use the engine as a stressed member, but they employ a single downtube frame.
The most important bit of the new bike is that it's a refined engine where the vibrations have been almost eliminated. Therefore, now you will be able to hold even 100-110 km/h for long without any worries. The "sweet cruising spot" has moved only marginally from 70-80 km/h to 80-90 km/h, but it's an improvement nevertheless. The top speed is a speedo-indicated 120 km/h. It still carries the tractable trait of REs, and you will be able to pull it cleanly from as low as 40 km/h in 5th gear without any protest fom the engine. The new bike is the quickest RE 350 yet, and dismisses the 0-60 km/h sprint in just 4.1 seconds, while 0-100 km/h comes up in 12.5 seconds.
The ride quality is quite good, however, lighter riders might find the rear suspension to be a tad stiff even at their softest preload setting. The fuel efficiency in this 500 km test was a good 30.9 km/l. This was despite the acceleration and top speed runs, and the bike hadn't even had its first service yet. Therefore, it won't be impossible to get a figure of 35 km/l and even more with a careful right hand after the first service.
This RE's brakes are fantastic as well. I did multiple hard braking stops and it always stopped in a straight line and that too in quick time. How quick? It took just 2.4 seconds to come to a complete halt from 80 km/h.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Review: Verdict
The RE Meteor 350 is a remarkable motorcycle. It's an easy motorcycle to ride in the city, thanks to its tractability, and it's absolutely phenomenal on the highways. The inclusion of the Tripper function, which means you won't have to take your phone out to check Google Maps, is a thoughtful touch.
RE has also managed to finally get rid of its Achilles heel (read: "vibrations") with this motorcycle. The rider and pillion seats are some of the most comfortable in the business as well. Overall, this is finally a single-cylinder Royal Enfield that I won't hesitate in recommending to non-RE fans as well.
