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January 2023 marks the introduction of Royal Enfield’s first twin-cylinder cruiser for the domestic and global markets, proudly made in Tamil Nadu.

The demands of the Indian motorcycling community are unlike in any other country. There was a boom in the past decade in India of adventurous youth and older people alike taking long journeys on their motorcycles.

For ages now, Royal Enfield has been leading the Indian cruiser motorcycles market with their Classic, Electra, Thunderbird, Meteor, Interceptor and the iconic Standard Bullet models. Since parent company Eicher has given Royal Enfield a second chance with more funding, newer models with better research & development have been released. This has culminated in what RE is now.

New bikes from Royal Enfield are prized either for their smoothness compared to earlier models, or refined performance while grounding design aspects to the roots. In recent years, the company has faced stiff competition from other Indian motorcycle brands

New bikes from Royal Enfield are prized either for their smoothness compared to earlier models, or refined performance while grounding design aspects to the roots. In recent years, the company has faced stiff competition from other Indian motorcycle brands. The revival of Jawa as well as Yezdi and fine motorcycles from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and TVS have humbled the Royal Enfield

The revival of Jawa as well as Yezdi and fine motorcycles from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and TVS have humbled the Royal Enfield. For instance, the release of Jawa was on the same timeline as Interceptor 650’s release. But we didn’t see a twin-cylinder from Jawa in India.

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But in the Czech Republic, Jawa has twin-cylinder powered bikes called RVM 500 Scrambler and Adventure versions. The Scrambler is made in partnership with ‘Bristol Motorcycles’ based in the Philippines. The Jawa RVM 500 Scrambler looks much the same as the Bristol Veloce 500. Another classic twin-cylinder Jawa is the ‘640 Sport’ which was a 350cc two-stroke powerhouse.

The Classic Jawa 640 Sport

RE has now improved its R&D, manufacturing standards which has led to the release of newer, better models.

Royal Enfield’s Newest Offering – Super Meteor 650!
Since the launch of Interceptor 650 in 2018, a craving for a twin-cylinder cruising machine was felt among Indian enthusiasts. The Interceptor is just a regular middle-weight street bike compared to the Super Meteor.

It offers a much more relaxed riding posture and packs a parallel-twin 650 engine with adequate torque for highways. Royal Enfield has taken styling cues from Harley Davidson for the Super Meteor. However, it has very few design hints borrowed from the original Meteors, the 1940s and 50s Meteor 700 and Super Meteor 700.

The Classic Meteor

While the 350cc variant of Meteor is an attempt at improving the Thunderbird, the Super Meteor is an improved version of Meteor. The overall build of the Super Meteor is robust like the Thunderbird X with a few design cues borrowed from Harley Davidson Sportster SuperLow 883.

The price is not is not an issue as the bike is a masterpiece. At under Rs. 4 lakh, it is the cheapest middleweight (650cc bikes and above). It is inexpensive because it is made in India, in Chennai.

The Super Meteor 650 is a highly capable machine that could crunch miles with ease and go the distance. It has the right electrical and mechanical ingredients to make a powerful, stylish and stable cruiser motorcycle. As it is narrower in the middle, it is easier to manoeuvre. 

It’s not just cruiser enthusiasts in India that are anticipating the release of this bike. Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, and the rest of Europe including Sweden and Slovakia, Serbia and Czech Republic are also awaiting the latest Super Meteor.

A video of two Super Meteors being tested surfaced in July 2022, when a biker captured glimpses of the two test bikes while being stuck in traffic.

How good is it?
The Super Meteor 650 is a highly capable machine that could crunch miles with ease and go the distance. It has the right electrical and mechanical ingredients to make a powerful, stylish and stable cruiser motorcycle. As it is narrower in the middle, it is easier to manoeuvre.

Upon riding this motorcycle, certain aspects become evident; like the fact that the bike can’t do much offroading. Even if it does slight offroading, it’s got a bash plate (underbody protection plate) atleast to cover the engine, frame and exhaust bend pipes. Moreover, if the rider isn’t careful enough while passing on a hump, this low flung bike’s underbody could take a hit.

Also Read: Ever wonder about Chennai autos’ distinctive sound? Chintadripet gearheads pound that beat

On the roads however, there is little that could bother the Super Meteor. Weighing a massive 240 kilograms, this is a cruiser that could perform miracles on the highway. With a regular interceptor 650 weighing just 200 kilograms, the extra 40 kilos make the Super meteor more stable against harsh crosswinds on flyovers or gusts of wind when a speeding bus/truck flies past.

The ergonomics on this model are very unconventional for Indian bikes but it allows comfortable laid back riding for long hours of mile crunching. The bike, however, lacks ride-by-wire and cruise control systems — but that would increase the price.

The exhaust note is similar to the Interceptor but a little softer — between Interceptor and Super Meteor they are distinct and don’t sound the same. Maybe the Super Meteor is tuned differently. However, the engine produces the same power output for both bikes.

Engine of the Super Meteor 650

The Super Meteor 650 accelerates fast and can hit a top speed of 160 kmph. Even though it revs hard, Royal Enfield doesn’t want you to know the RPM, as there is no tachometer on it.

This 650 is definitely taking cruiser enthusiasts to the next level with its mighty road presence. As each brand strives to gain an edge in the marketplace, it is likely that the competition will only intensify in the years to come.

One thing is for certain, Royal Enfield is likely to go adventurous with its 650 twin engines. It would be easy to predict that the Himalayan/Scram 650, a Super Himalayan or even the Shotgun 650 bobber could be next in the Royal Enfield pipeline.

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