Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Launched At Rs 1.75 Lakh

Royal Enfield has launched the Meteor 350 motorcycle in India at a starting price of Rs 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai). The company has introduced it as a replacement for Thunderbird 350X. The Meteor is available in three variants: Fireball, Stellar and top-of-the-line Supernova. Their pricing is as follows: –

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Engine 

The Meteor is powered by a new BS6-compliant 349cc single-cylinder fuel-injected long-stroke air-cooled engine, mated to a 5-speed transmission. The engine is more refined than the classic 350's 346cc engine, and it also features a new counterbalance, making it more revv friendly. Here are the power figures: – 

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Design 

The Fireball is the entry-level variant of the Meteor 350. It gets a blacked-out theme with color-coded fuel tank and rim stickers. Instead of 3D logos, it features a badging sticker on the fuel tank and side panels. 

The mid Stealler variant gets slightly more premium appeal with a chrome-finished exhaust system and fuel injector cover, color-coded body panels, cushioned backrest, and 3D logos/badging on the fuel tank and the side panels of the bike.

On the other hand, the top-line Supernova trim gets all the features of the Stellar along with a dual-tone paint job, large windshield, premium seat covers, and chrome-finished side indicators.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Features

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 comes with a host of new features that mainly include a twin-pod semi-digital instrument cluster with smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation assist, day and night mode, gear position indicator, time, Eco mode, trip meter, and odometer readings. It also features circular LED DRL integrated into headlamp housing, LED taillamp, and a switchgear-mounted USB charging port for better convenience. However, instead of the LED units, it gets a conventional halogen bulb headlamp. 

Underpinnings

The 350cc Meteor cruiser is the first bike based on the Royal Enfield’s new ‘J’ platform, which is mainly designed for a more enjoyable riding experience than the older UCE range. It uses a double-cradle frame, suspended on 41mm telescopic front forks and twin 6-step preload-adjustable emulsion shock absorbers at the rear. 

On the braking quotient, it is better than the Thunderbird 350X, featuring a larger 300mm front disc (up by 20mm) and a 270mm rear disc (up by 30mm), coupled with dual-channel ABS as standard. It gets a 19-inch front and a slightly smaller 17-inch rear alloy wheel shod with tubeless-type tires: 100-section front and 140-section rear as standard.

Rivals

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 competes against the likes of Honda H’ness CB350 (Rs 1.85 lakh to Rs 1.90 lakh) and Jawa (Rs 1.74 lakh to Rs 1.83 Lakh).