Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will replace the now discontinued Thunderbird 350 and 350X from the brand’s product profile
After months of delay Royal Enfield has finally revealed the date in which its upcoming cruiser bike is going to launch. The upcoming retro-classic cruiser Meteor 350 will, at last, be launched on November 6.
New RE Meteor 350 will sport retro-classic elements such as circular halogen headlamp, LED DRLs, round turn indicators, LED tail lamps, forward-set footpegs and raised handlebars. From the brochures it was revealed that the upcoming retro cruiser will be offered in three variants- Fireball, Stellar and Supernova. Below is the latest teaser, which also reveals the thump / exhaust sound of the Meteor 350.
Features
Meteor 350 has spotted testing on roads on multiple occasions prior to this for well over a year now. Specifications have been leaked on the internet. Features addition on this bike includes Tripper Navigation which is assumed to be a Bluetooth-enabled GPS system.
This tech is offered as standard across the range and will come in handy in long-distance touring. It also comes equipped with a USB charging port which enables the riders to charge their phones and action cameras, thus becoming useful as a tourer. Other features on offer are a semi-digital instrument cluster, a TFT screen that reads out important details of trip metre, service reminder, odometer, a ring of LED DRLs around the headlamp and more.
The mid-spec variant Stellar variant comes with an additional backrest whereas the top-spec Supernova will come with premium leather seats and a windscreen. It will also be offered with machine-finished alloy wheels. The bike will be made available in seven colours namely- Fireball Yellow, Fireball Red, Stellar Red Metallic, Stellar Black Matte, Stellar Blue Metallic, Supernova Brown, and Supernova Blue.
Powertrain & Transmission
Coming to its most critical addition, the Meteor 350 will be powered by an all-new 349cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine which kicks out 20.5hp and 27Nm of peak torque. This is 0.4 bhp more and 1 Nm less than the current generation 346cc engine.
This will be paired with a newly developed 5-speed gearbox which is expected to offer far smoother shifts. It will also employ a new clutch with less number of linkages and components – resulting in a longer life.
Royal Enfield Meteor will be the first bike which will be underpinned by the all-new ‘J’ platform. It is expected to be priced between Rs 1.60-1.80 lakh (ex-showroom) and will directly lock horns with recently launched Honda H’Ness CB 350. It will replace the outgoing Thunderbird 350 from Royal Enfield’s portfolio.
