The Meteor 350 is one of the latest cruisers in the Royal Enfield lineup that significantly focuses on comfort, style, and everyday use. Positioned for a broader audience, the bike has a mix of modern features and timeless design cues to carry forward the classic appeal while featuring the J-series engine platform for finely-tuned, smooth, and reliable performance.
Well, with relaxed ergonomics, low seat height, and cushiony suspension, the Meteor 350 is crafted for the safety of steady city commuters as it lays down an open highway for occasional cruisers.
Apart from this, several variants offer different styling and features to help buyers find one that's suitable for their taste and budget. In the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 overview below, we will look at how the bike cuts across the design, features, riding experience, cost, and total value among different riders.
Engine & Performance
Royal Enfield has derived this cruiser from its modern J-series platform and fitted it with a 349 cc air- and oil-cooled single-cylinder engine that cranks out a little over 20.2 bhp at 6100 rpm and a maximum torque of 27 Nm at a low 4000 rpm, metrics very much in sync with its cruiser character.
An engine designed to be motor-efficient but not intended for high-speed thrills, this powerplant is smooth and lazy; it eases the way to cruising at steady speeds. It's a good feeling with the stock for aggregation-the long-distance capability is supplemented with robust low-end torque that facilitates smooth riding in the city.
In terms of efficiency, the Meteor 350 claims to give about 41.9 kmpl, but the figures usually drop a bit in real-world conditions or styles of riding. Still, this combination of friendly power, tractable performance, and a decent fuel economy perfectly positions the Meteor for every rider looking for a fun and reliable cruiser.
Chassis, Suspension & Brakes
This new chassis increases the rigidity and stability of the ride, especially at longer distances, as well as on uneven surfaces. The Meteor 350 adopts a double downtube spine frame, as opposed to the single downtube frames that were once seen in many of Royal Enfield's older models.
Hence, at the front, 41 mm telescopic forks with an approximate travel of 130 mm support the bike, while the rear has twin-tube emulsion shock absorbers mounted with a preload of six stages adjustable. These balance pretty well between comfort and control: an easy ride over the bumps, rough city roads, and still quite manageable between corners and some passengers.
Alloy wheels, 19 inches in front and 17 in the rear, with tubeless tires, separate their going-around-the-bend and stopping capability. Ground clearance is about 170 mm, which amounts to some reasonable limitation on the Meteor's ability to take some bad stretches and speed bumps.
Braking hardware consists of discs, front and rear: a 300 mm disc up front with a two-piston floating caliper and a 270 mm disc at the rear with a single-piston setup. A standard dual-channel ABS ensures safer braking under different road conditions.
Design & Styling
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a lovely blend of traditional cruiser allure and contemporary design sensibilities. The forms are well defined as to whether they have rounded LED headlamps, teardrop-shaped fuel tanks, and sweeping curved fenders for that vintage charm, and a split-seat layout that whispers comfort without letting go of vintage appeal.
Very well mixed; emits a soft shine and matte black finishes across the trim levels. Added accents from these on the exhaust, engine casing, mirrors, and badging complete the character.
The variants are distinguished from each other in terms of their lighting, trim treatments, and colour offerings. Lower trims like Fireball and Stellar are lean in monotone hues with a minimum of elaborateness in their frills. In contrast to these lower trims, higher trims such as Aurora and Supernova boast a dual-tone or triple-tone paint job and more chrome detailing, as well as adjustable levers and a touring seat or pillion backrest. On the whole, the styling means that the Meteor 350 projects a strong presence while giving buyers the option to scale the amount of glitter or classical restraint they desire.
Features & Technology
Style and high-tech features combined in a full-sized cruiser: the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. The bike has a hybrid analogue-digital instrument cluster with two pods: one being the analogue speedometer, while the other features a coloured display on which gear positions, trip meters, fuel gauge, and time can be viewed, with turn-by-turn navigation available through the Tripper pod.
Connectivity is also there, wherein drivers can connect with the RE app to handle routes and the statistics of each ride for their mobile phones through the use of Bluetooth.
A USB-Type-C charging port located near the handlebars, allowing phones and action cameras to be charged while riding, really adds to the comfort factor.
This means low, wide, and conditioned seats that are built for long riding hours with minimal fatigue. Higher trims add things like a backrest for pillion passengers, adjustable levers, and styling enhancements. All of these little touches make the Meteor 350 much more than just a cruiser-it's a versatile touring companion, either in the city or getting away for the weekend.
Dimensions, Tank & Range
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has a kerb weight of 191 kg, which gives it a planted and stable feel on the highway while still being manageable in city traffic once the rider gets used to its cruiser stance.
The seat height of 765 mm is relatively low, making it accessible to riders of different heights and adding to the relaxed, feet-forward riding posture that cruisers are known for.
Fuel storage is taken care of by a 15 litre tank with a usable reserve of about 3 litres. On paper, Royal Enfield claims a mileage of 41.9 kmpl, but in day-to-day riding, the numbers vary.
In city conditions with stop-and-go traffic, the Meteor generally returns between 25 and 30 kmpl, while on open highways, the efficiency can stretch closer to 40 to 45 kmpl if ridden steadily. This translates to a practical riding range of around 350 to 400 kilometres on a full tank, which is adequate for long weekend rides and relaxed touring without the need for frequent refuelling stops.
Ride & Handling
The whole design of the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has been intricately crafted, keeping in mind comfort and stability above all other things, making it apt for everyday riding and long hauls.
On the road, the suspension configuration comprising telescopic forks in the front and twin emulsion shock absorbers in the rear caters to a good job of ironing out bumps and rough patches, ensuring that the rider and pillion are comfortable even over rough surfaces. Plus, a plush seat adds to the relaxed feel of riding so that one can spend more time on the seat with minimal fatigue.
To talk about stability, the Meteor feels truly planted at constant cruising speeds, thus making it an excellent companion for highway riding. Cornering behavior can easily be predicted, and the chassis provides sufficient confidence for sweeping turns, perhaps not really meant for an aggressive lean angle like a sports bike, while in the city, the low seat height and wide handlebars make maneuverability easier.
The good weight distribution helps balance at low speeds. Overall, the Meteor 350 is smooth riding, composed handling, and daily usability, which all contribute to making it a suitable candidate in the cruiser category.
Variants & Pricing
The Meteor 350 comes in four color variants: Fireball, Stellar, Aurora, and Supernova. The price and features are incrementally increased with each step-up in colored variants. The price range starts at about ₹1,95,762 for the Fireball, up to about ₹2,15,883 for the Supernova (both prices ex-showroom Delhi).
All the variants in the mid-range, Stellar and Aurora, present an attractive middle ground between styling and trim, considering their added features from the bottom end to the top.
Because variations such as the finishing touches are more often specified in higher trim, the most expensive finish will receive the ever-premium features in color scheme, alloy design, and accessories right out of the crate. The Fireball variant serves as the value entry, providing you with basic features, while looking even better and more luxurious from there.
Verdict
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a rather comfortable and relaxed cruiser that seamlessly marries classic looks with modern practicality: the smooth, tractable J-series engine, relaxed ergonomics and an easily accessible and low seat height, combinations of vintage and contemporary design, all of which come at prices that are different from one another for multiple variants to be present for the buyer to choose from so that he can adapt both type and pricing to his needs.
There are, however, certain aspects that could be addressed with respect to the Meteor. Its vibrations at higher speeds, while reduced compared with earlier Royal Enfields, are still felt.
It has a feel of being heavy in tight traffic, while cornering capability talks more about stability than agility. A few riders may also desire some improvement in outright performance for highway overtaking.
The all-new Meteor 350 serves two purposes: it gives an easy entry-level ride to cruiser-focused users who want to enjoy the lifestyle of cruisers at a low price, or for long driving cruising, or for city riding with style, comfort, and reliability. This bike wasn't built for aggressive riders; rather, it was designed for cruising at a steady pace and for everyday use.
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