Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Review - 5 Likes & 3 Dislikes

We head to the dunes of Rajasthan to sample the new premium cruiser from the stables of Royal Enfield.

When the 650 Twins made their debuts many years back, it got us excited! The thought went through every enthusiast's mind, what next will Royal Enfield create on this platform? A scrambler, ADV, Bobber and what not? It was in 2020 that we first got the glimpse of the Super Meteor 650 and we realised that it will be a cruiser! As you can see the wait has been a rather long one and luckily so was the around 500km ride in Rajasthan. Here’s what we liked and what we didn’t about Royal Enfield’s new flagship motorcycle. 

Likes

Styling

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise as Royal Enfield is renowned to design some of the most gorgeous bikes on sale right now. With the Super Meteor 650, you can see heavy design inspiration from American cruisers and yet, it manages to be unique as well. The proportions of the bike are perfect, not too big to intimidate anyone, not too small, to be ignored. The round headlight is a classic design detail, but what’s unique is the LED headlight, a first for any production RE. 

Moving on the wide front mudguard, with a chunky aluminium brace and the thick USD fork endow the Super Meteor with a super stance. The long fuel tank, scooped-out seats and the minimalist rear section complete the look. I also particularly liked the new Royal Enfield badge on the tank and gorgeous fuel cap. And being a product from Royal Enfield you get an array of colour options, two variants and an exhaustive list of accessories. 

Quality

Now this will catch a lot of you readers by surprise as quality has never been Royal Enfield’s forte. But things change with the Super Meteor 650 and how! Just one glance of the new frame and its powder-coated finish is enough to convince you of the step-up in quality. Then there’s the aluminium switchgear covers that scream premiumness. Panel gaps are tight, the paint feels lustrous and weld quality looks clean. The Super Meteor 650 not only looks like a flagship but also feels like a flagship and it’s by far the best Royal Enfield motorcycle with respect to quality. 

Comfort

C for cruiser and C for comfort, and in this department the Super Meteor 650 is brilliant. The riding position is relaxed with your feet stretched and the low wide handlebar. Seat height is very accessible at just 740mm. Adding to the comfort factor is the large seat, which is very comfortable, however the stock pillion seat is rather small and unusable. If you plan to ride with a pillion, my bet will be the Touring version because not only is the rider seat more comfortable, but the pillion seat is larger as well. The windshield also is very useful and aids you in holding triple digit speeds. 

Performance

While the initial acceleration isn’t as sprightly as the 650 Twins, but the Super Meteor 650 doesn’t feel slow by any means. One will have to feed in a bit more throttle for this big cruiser to gain momentum, but once it finds its footing, it just feels perfect. The most impressive bit about the Super Meteor 650 is its high speed stability. We were cruising at speeds around 140kmph on the arrow-straight roads and not once did the bike feel nervous. This not only gives the rider but also enables him or her to cover distances at a brilliant pace. The sweet spot for the Super Meteor 650 is between 110-130kmph and when pushed, I saw a speedo-indicated 175 kph. 

Brakes

The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 sports the largest rear disc brake fitted on any production bike from the brand. The 300mm rear disc offers sharp bite and is very useful given the performance on tap. In fact, the bite is so severe that you can feel the ABS kick-in swiftly to keep the rear wheel from sliding. As for the front brake, I felt the bite could have been sharper and more feel through the adjustable lever would have been welcome. 

Dislikes

Firm rear suspension

The Super Meteor 650 is also the first RE bike to feature USD fork, and the rear setup uses a twin shock unit, the suspension hardware is sourced from Showa. While the USD fork do a good job in absorbing the bumps and undulations, the same can’t be said about the rear suspension. You can feel the hits of sharp edges on your back, so you better be careful while riding through broken patches of road. Another point of concern is the 135mm low ground clearance, however we will be able to test its impact properly in a road test review. 

Weight 

At 241kg, the Super Meteor 650 is a hefty bike. This weight not only affects its performance as I mentioned earlier, but also makes it cumbersome to push the bike around parking. While I can’t comment on this with authority as the ride was on open straight roads, the large turning radius of the cruiser might make it difficult to ride in city traffic. Adding to the woes of riding the Royal Enfield cruiser in traffic is its heavy clutch action. 

Pricing

Pricing for the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 starts at Rs 3.49 lakh, which is quite a hefty premium when compared to the Interceptor 650. Yes, I agree that the flagship cruiser has been loaded with premium components and that will escalate costs, but a better launch price, at least as introductory would have been a welcome move. 

Which variant?

The Super Meteor 650 is available in two variants - standard and Touring. Out of the two my pick is the Touring variant because it not only makes the bike like a proper cruiser, but it’s also functional. The windshield helps in maintaining higher speeds, the touring seat is very comfy, and the backrest not only makes the ride for the pillion comfortable but also safer. 

Verdict

Was the wait worth it for the Super Meteor 650? And my answer will be an affirmative one. As a cruiser, the Super Meteor ticks all the right boxes and more. It looks the part, has very good cruising dynamics and is very comfortable. My only concern is the first rear suspension and the extra heft. Another worth considering is that the cruiser as a market is shrinking with the advent of ADVs, so I don’t expect the Super Meteor 650 to set the sales chart on fire. Having said that, if you always dreamed of owning a performance cruiser, the Super Meteor 650 is your best under Rs 10 lakh!