The RE Meteor 350 was launched in India in Nov 2020, made its way to European markets in Dec 2020 and has now entered the US
Royal Enfield had launched the Meteor 350 in India in November 2020. In India, the motorcycle has been averaging sales of 8k units a month. Waiting period is high, as bookings numbers continue to rise. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has also made its way to global markets and has now been introduced in the US.
The RE Meteor is offered in three variants of Fireball, Stellar, and Supernova and priced from USD 4,399 that converts to Rs.3.28 lakhs for the Fireball variant. Price of the Stellar variant is about Rs 3.6 lakh and that of the top of the line Supernova variant is about Rs 3.75 lakh.
In India, these variants are priced in the range of Rs 1.84 lakh to Rs 1.93 lakh. Prices are on the higher side in the US, because there is import duty added. RE motorcycles sold in the US are exported from India as CBUs.
Key Features of Royal Enfield Meteor 350
The Meteor 350 borrows some styling cues from the now discontinued Thunderbird 350 and 350X. It gets Tripper Navigation system as one of its major highlights and is the first model in the company lineup to receive this feature. Tripper Navigation is a small screen situated next to the instrument cluster which allows customers to connect their smart phone via Bluetooth and via the RE mobile App to take advantage of turn by turn navigation.
On board features also include retro styled head lamp with an LED ring, side turn indicators, a tear drop shaped fuel tank, comfortable seat for a more relaxed ride position and alloy wheels. Ergonomics are enhanced with high set handle bars, forward set foot pegs and a low slung seat.
Like the Thunderbirds, the Meteor 350 rides on 19 inch front and 17 inch rear alloy wheel fitted with tubeless 100 section front and 140 section rear tubeless tyres. It gets a kerb weight of 191kgs, thus making the Meteor 350 lighter than the Thunderbird 350X by around 6 kgs.
Engine Specs
Power and performance on the Meteor 350 come is via a new 349cc, air cooled, SOHC, 2 valve motor with fuel injection. The engine makes 20.4 hp power at 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm mated to a 5 speed transmission. Suspension is via 41 mm telescopic front fork with twin 6 stage preload adjustable shock absorbers at the rear. Braking is handled via 300mm front disc and 270mm rear unit with dual channel ABS offered as standard.
In terms of competition in India, the RE Meteor 350 contends with the Honda H’Ness CB350, Jawa Perak, Benelli Imperiale 400, Honda CB350RS and the Bajaj Dominar 400. In a similar price range competition also includes Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 and KTM 200 Duke.
