Royal Enfield Meteor 350

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is the first bike to have the famed 349cc J-platform engine that has replaced Royal Enfield’s ageing 350cc UCE (Unit Construction Engine). It also has the task of filling the gap left behind by the discontinuation of the Thunderbird.

So, does the Meteor 350 have what it takes to shoot Royal Enfield into a bold new direction?

The Meteor 350 comes with a classic cruiser design similar to the Thunderbird, but with a few changes. The Meteor comes with a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, the top of which swoops quite steeply down to the rider’s seat, similar to the fuel tank designs on Harley-Davidsons. The bike looks like a full-sized cruiser and has a commanding road presence that’s even more pronounced by the windscreen on the Supernova and Aurora variants.

The engine powering the Meteor 350 is a single-cylinder 349cc, air-cooled motor that produces 20.2PS and 27Nm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The numbers might seem a bit underwhelming but the Meteor’s tuning is such that it makes riding at triple digit speeds easier. The bike can comfortably sit at 100kmph in 5th gear all day without any vibrations at the higher rev range. The 90-105kmph cruising speed is where the bike is most comfortable. Overall, the performance is not disappointing but we wish the Meteor could push a little bit higher. 

The mileage is also quite impressive. We got a city mileage of 41.89kmpl and a highway mileage of 38.77kmpl. With the 15-litre fuel tank that the Meteor 350 comes with, these figures guarantee a good range.

Even though the Meteor 350’s spec sheet mentions a kerb weight of 191kg, the bike is quite agile and manoeuvrable, making it easy to navigate city traffic. The overall ride quality is quite decent but the issues with the lack of suspension travel and the relatively stiffer setup at the rear means that sharper and shorter imperfections like expansion joints and unlevelled concrete blocks can clearly be felt when travelling through rough roads. But, overall, the suspension setup is decent for a cruiser and can handle most issues that the rider will encounter.

The cruiser character of the Meteor 350 doesn't stop it from being fun when the roads stop being straight. The light and neutral steering of the bike makes it predictable through the twisties and is able to mask the bike’s weight, giving the rider confidence. The brakes are decent, but the initial lack of bite is quite apparent so the rider might have to put a bit more effort to bring it to a stop. The bike comes with dual-channel ABS as standard. 

The large seat and its slightly-forward-set footpegs are able to guarantee the rider a comfortable experience. The top end Supernova variant and the new Aurora variant both come with a sizable front windscreen which does a good job of keeping the wind off to a great degree without affecting the rider’s field of vision. The windscreen can be adjusted to suit taller riders too, but that requires a hex key.

The instrument cluster is a semi-digital unit, with an analogue dial that displays speed and a digital display that gives essential readouts like fuel level, time, gear position indicator, odometer and tripmeter. Other than that, customers have the option to get Royal Enfield’s Tripper navigation module which brings turn-by-turn navigation functionality. The Meteor 350 also gets the safety of dual-channel ABS.

The Meteor 350 is a really good deal if you’re looking for a motorcycle that brings the classic cruiser characteristic. The bike is pretty decent when it comes to performance and is able to guarantee that cruiser-like comfort which makes munching miles on highway easy, while also being a good handler that can manoeuvre through twists and turns. 

But if you want similar performance but with a different riding characteristic then you might want to look into other offerings from Royal Enfield such as the Classic 350 and the Hunter 350.