While 650 twins have an athletic profile, Super Meteor 650 is all bulked up for an impressive street presence
As rivals like Honda, Jawa and Yezdi attempt to challenge Royal Enfield’s supremacy, the company is working to strengthen its portfolio. An average of one product every quarter has been planned for launch over the next five years. This approach will also help cater to larger segment of users with varying tastes and preferences.
While 350cc motorcycles like Classic, Meteor and Bullet will continue to be the primary volume generators, Royal Enfield will also be focusing on 650cc segment. One of the new offerings in this space will be the Super Meteor 650 cruiser. It could also be referred to as Thunderbird 650. Royal Enfield is working on Shotgun 650 as well, which is expected to be launched in early 2023.
Super Meteor 650 – New Spy Shots
Designed to dwarf most other bikes on the streets, Super Meteor 650 commands respect and attention with its sheer size. It has a curvy, retro profile with features such as round headlamp and rear view mirrors, tear-drop fuel tank, extra-large rear mudguard and wide rear tyre. The bike gets a horizontally placed exhaust note in chrome finish.
Twin pod instrument console looks similar to that of Meteor 350. The larger pod on the left has an analogue dial along with a digital screen in the centre. The smaller pod on the right is likely to be a Tripper navigation system. Below is the latest spy video of the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser, credit to Inigo M Sabastian. It also captures the exhaust sound of the Super Meteor 650.
While the bike has large proportions, the scooped-up seat will ensure easy handling even for shorter riders. Seat height can be expected to be close to that of 650 twins. Rider seat section looks wide and snug, but the relatively narrow pillion seat may not be that comfortable. This is especially true in case of longer journeys. Rider fatigue is expected to be minimal with ergonomically placed handlebar and forward-set foot pegs.
Super Meteor 650 specs
While 650 twins have standard telescopic forks, Super Meteor 650 gets USD forks at front. At the rear, the bike has twin shock absorbers. Braking setup comprises disc brakes at both ends, integrated with ByBre callipers and dual-channel ABS. While this test mule has been spotted with alloy wheels, it is possible that wire-spoke wheels may also be offered at the time of launch. The test mule can be seen with road-biased tyres.
Powering Super Meteor 650 will be the 648cc parallel-twin, air-oil-cooled motor that does duty on 650 twins. It generates 47.5 PS of max power and 52 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 6-speed constant-mesh transmission.
In comparison to Interceptor and Continental GT that are available at a starting price of around Rs 2.90 lakh and Rs 3.05 lakh respectively, Super Meteor 650 could be launched at a price of Rs 3.50 lakh. This will make it the costliest RE bike. But it will still be affordable in comparison to 650cc bikes offered by other brands. Next month, RE is getting ready to launch Hunter 350.
