Royal Enfield meteor 350,better than thunderbird?,A detailed review.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350.

An overview.

This is the new royal enfield meteor 350.the new gold standard for cruisers.now royal enfield have gotten a hang of the success formula ever since the 650 twins happened and this is like a perfect sequel to that blockbuster launch.running you through the concept behind this launch royal enfield want to celebrate the true cruiser spirit and highlight the city by concept hailing from the legendary lightning 535 motorcycle of the 90 s and the thunderbird which now remain as a cult classic .a bike that would be just as easy to ride through the city as much as one would enjoy cruising through the highways and mind you they have not just stopped,there they have given us everything we want.we can call this bike as the royal enfield fan edition, because almost everything a true royal enfield fanboy craved for has been provided in this motorcycle.

starting with the design,you get a proper low slung cruiser design with the neo retro cruiser concept.courtesy of the blacked out engine compartment and the alloy wheels that the bike gets up front.we get led ring type drl which looks absolutely gorgeous and classy.we also get chrome surrounds for the turn indicators. the teardrop shaped tank comes with dual tone paint to add on to the pure elegance that surrounds the bike.the seats are super premium and very comfortable.we also get three different variants to choose from one is this top of the line dual tone paint scheme variant.then we have the second variant which is similar to dual tone variant.it misses out on the chrome surrounds for the turn indicators and gets single tone paint scheme. we have the sporty variant with blacked out silencer, blacked out housing for the indicators.no backrest and the traditional red and black paint scheme that we used to get with the thunderbird 350.now mind you it is the only model which reminds us of the thunderbird to certain extent.when you look at the other two variants,they look like completely new or unique.motorcycles built from the ground up and that is a fact.this is indeed a completely new motorcycle.the frame is all new, the engine is all new,as well powering the bike is a 350 cc single cylinder fuel injected bs6 compliant engine that puts out 20.2 bhp of max power and 27 newton meters of max torque.we get a 5 speed gearbox .now this appears to be an air cooled engine, but royal enfield claims that it also have oil cooling to keep a check on the engine temperature which is better now. please note that we also get a primary balancer shaft to cancel out all the vibrations that the thunderbird was plagued with.so this one, as smooth as silk, offering buttery smooth refinement,sounds too good.you'll fall in love with this bike once you ride it.

then we have another major inclusion which is the part digital part analog speedo console.the digital readouts includes a fuel gauge gear position indicator,trip meters,odometers range and a lot more.we also get the time listed separately. i like the offset layout of the speedo console which provides a modern retro feel. the best part about the console is that it comes with bluetooth connectivity.and you can pair it with your smartphone using the royal enfield app.guess what we get turn by turn navigation which is outstanding stuff.

we have a 15 liter tank which offers superb tank range.another thing more important are the tubeless tires and the alloy wheels. we get a 19 inch front wheel and a 17 inch rear wheel.at the back we now get a super fat 140 section rear tyre which adds on to the muscle chopper kind of feel.the switches are all new, we do get a high beam flasher.we could get an integrated starter button with the engine kill switch.we also get hazard light switch that is nice while touring. the tail lamp also gets the led ring light at the back which looks very beautiful. the expected mileage as claimed by royal enfield is around 36.2 kmpl,that is pretty decent. about the brakes we get dual channel abs as standard. we also get a rollover sensor and a side stand sensor which is really good in terms of safety.the launch price will be updated soon.

First ride review.

the suspension is nice and plush,the proper cruiser feel is here.you do kind of feel a buzz for a moment.but it just becomes free within a few seconds.very refined,very clean acceleration,consistent throttle response.suspension it's like gliding through air,that's how beautiful it is.i'm pretty damn sure people will fall in love with it.it'll be like love at first sight and love at first flight.what an amazing machine satisfying,really satisfying feel when you ride it.laid back low slung cruiser design the handlebar reaches out to you have good,well cushioned seat, well padded seat.five speed gearbox, the balancer shaft really makes a world of difference in.you know ironing out all the vibrations you feel like the king of the road.riding this i love the offset meter console the speedo console and it comes with turn-by-turn navigation.everyone complained about royal enfield not giving fuel gauge and other stuff. well they've given the fuel gauge gear position indicator whole lot of stuff. even the kind of distance to empty kind of the sink repeaters,odometers and the clock.and you also have a battery volt meter. it says built with google how cool is that.truly amazing, feeling truly satisfyinG .feeling this is a blockbuster by all means. so royal enfield claimed that this bike is easy to ride through the city as much as you would enjoy it on the highway you can flick it around.the brakes are good the 19-inch wheel gives you great confidence.suspension is the best part switchgear everything is bang on It.you can just glide through traffic, you have good handling capabilities. the super fat 140 section rear tire make you feel that you can put your knee down and that's good. it offers great road grip.then the slightly loose lung seat and lower center of gravity gives you the feeling that planted feel of the bike very refined very satisfying .the seat is super comfortable, the clutch is very easy to use and it's not too hard or too heavy.the gearbox is also very smooth. gear ratios and the fifth gear is nice and tall for highway.so i think four gears are sufficient. use fifth gear is primarily for overdrive or kind of highway cruising. so this is my first impression, very refined good throttle response and amazing ride quality.undoubtedly one of the best in this price segment.built like a tank.great fit and finish, amazing equipment,dual channel abs tubeless tires ,alloy wheels,bluetooth connectivity for the speedo console with turn-by-turn navigation.