Meteor 350 has been the flag bearer for RE motorcycles based on the modern J-Series platform
Royal Enfield has been synonymous with retro and classic motorcycles that evoke a certain nostalgia. Especially in India where most people buy an Enfield because their family used to own one or they aspired to own one. Other brands have tried to create this sense of nostalgia that RE evokes, but have not managed so far.
Meteor 350 was an important launch by the Chennai-based company. Before Meteor 350, Royal Enfileds got UCE engines that were notorious for their spine-shattering vibrations. Since Meteor 350 launched in 2020, Royal Enfield has introduced a new J-series engine that gets overhead cams and balancer shafts for a vibe-free experience. Now Royal Enfield has launched Hunter 350 which is priced at a lower price segment than Meteor 350. But how does Meteor 350 fare in international markets? Let’s find out.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 UK Sales
Royal Enfield bikes are made in Chennai. It is from here they are sold across India, and also across various global markets like Europe, North America and more. The brand is also well known in Britain too. Meteor 350 was on sale in Britain and has achieved something remarkable. From January 2022 to July 2022, Royal Enfield Meteor 350 UK Sales stood at 1,135 units in Britain. While doing so, it has become the best-selling motorcycle in the above 125cc segment.
Meteor 350 has appealed to 1,135 British people in the course of seven months and while doing so, dethroned BMW R 1250 GS ADV which had been in that spot for a very long time. Hero Splendor is standing over there in the corner, flexing that it can sell more bikes than that in the business hours of a single day in India. While Meteor 350 took 7 months to do so in Britain. That’s not the point, but okay.
Royal Enfield has been ecstatic about this achievement in Britain. They have established a strong global presence with models like Himalayan, Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. Meteor has been on sale in most global markets since 2021 and has been making Royal Enfield retro classic charm more accessible to a wider audience.
Specs & Price
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is powered by the modern JD1 engine that also does duty on other 350 cc bikes like Classic 350, Hunter 350 and will also power the upcoming Bullet 350. It is a modern and potent engine that displaces 349 cc and gets modern features like oil cooling and finally getting rid of pushrods in favour of a smoother SOHC setup.
This engine makes 20.4 PS at 6100 RPM and 27 Nm at 4000 RPM. Meteor 350 comes with disc brakes at both fronts tied with a dual-channel ABS system and weighs 191 kg. Even though Meteor 350 is also very popular in India, Royal Enfield Classic 350 is the highest-selling classic bike in India.
It is a cruiser and hence also gets cruising-friendly accessories fitted as standard in higher variants. Speaking of variants, Royal Enfield Hunter 350 prices start from Rs. 2.05 lakh for Fireball and goes till Rs. 2.21 lakh for Supernova variant (both prices ex-sh). In Britain, Meteor 350 prices start from GBP 3,879 (approx Rs. 3.66 lakh) for Fireball and go till GBP 4,039 (approx Rs. 3.81 lakh) for Supernova.
