Replacement of the Thunderbird range, new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will launch next month in India
Equipped with a new engine and an entirely new platform, Meteor 350 will be the newest edition to Royal Enfield’s product portfolio. A replacement for Thunderbird 350 and Thunderbird X 350, Meteor 350 will launch in Sep 2020.
It will be the first of several other next-gen products that Royal Enfield has plans to launch in the near future. Spy shots had earlier revealed another new RE motorcycle that appeared to have the same power plant as that of Meteor 350.
Design upgrades
Meteor 350 sports a new bodywork, even though things like round headlamps, teardrop indicators and wide fenders give it the quintessential RE flavour. It has a brooding character, as can be seen with the blacked out components such as engine, wheels, and exhaust pipe. The motorcycle has a beefy profile and comes with a relaxed, upright riding stance. The motorcycle seems close to perfect for long distance rides and cruising at high speeds on wide open roads.
Key features of Meteor 350 include halogen headlamps with integrated LED DRLs, semi-digital instrument cluster, and long split grab rails. The digital cluster will connect to your smartphone via bluetooth, and offer turn by turn navigation. Components that have been updated include new alloy wheels and brake and clutch levers. Fuel tank design has been refreshed and it comes with a new fuel-filler cap. The side profile also looks distinct as compared to existing RE motorcycles.
Meteor 350 engine
Powering Meteor 350 will be the next-gen UCE 350 air cooled, single cylinder engine that gets OHC (Over Head Cam). It will be mated to a 5-speed transmission. Meteor 350 will be the first next-gen RE product to get this new engine. The new engine is expected to offer a range of benefits including higher power output and faster acceleration.
The existing BS6 compliant UCE 350 engine is a 346 cc single cylinder, FI engine that churns out 20 bhp of max power and 28 Nm of max torque. It comprises an archaic tappet valve system.
Another key change in Meteor 350 is the new modular J platform. This is expected to be used for various other 350 cc Royal Enfield motorcycles. The new chassis and engine will allow Meteor 350 to be more responsive and have less vibration. The motorcycle will have disc brakes at both ends and dual-channel ABS will be offered as standard.
To make the rides even more comfortable and safer, Royal Enfield will be offering a range of accessories to go with Meteor 350. These include a tall flyscreen or windscreen, broad footpegs, pannier mounts and crash guards. Meteor 350 will primarily compete with the likes of Bajaj Dominar 400 and Jawa. Launch price is expected to be close to Rs 1.65 lakh (ex-showroom).
