Brace For Impact As The Meteor 350 Is Coming!

[Update: Royal Enfield has launched the Meteor 350 in India. For pricing and other information from the launch, head here]

• The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is likely to be priced from around Rs 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom).
• Powered by a new thumper engine churning out 20.4PS and 27Nm, as per leaked brochures.
• It comes with turn-by-turn navigation, a first for a Royal Enfield.

The wait for the most highly anticipated launch of this month is almost over. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is set to be launched tomorrow. The all-new 350cc cruiser will be the first bike under the new J-platform. It is expected to be priced around Rs 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base variant, undercutting the Honda H’Ness CB350, by a considerable margin.

Also Read: How Does The Highness Stack Up Against The Upcoming Meteor 350?

Quite a lot of details about the upcoming motorcycle have been leaked online. We already know the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will be offered in three variants. The biggest talking point has to be the all-new 350cc single-cylinder long-stroke air-cooled thumper motor. As per the leaked brochures, the engine churns out 20.4PS at 6100rpm and 27Nm at 4000rpm. It may not be too different from the 346cc UCE motor’s output figures but the new engine is expected to be a lot more refined than the older one. It is likely to be counterbalanced and could be paired to a 5-speed transmission.

Royal Enfield has also mentioned in one of the leaked brochures that the gearbox has fewer moving parts inside. It is even claimed to ensure lighter clutch operation and better clutch life. The new engine sits inside an equally new double-cradle frame linked to a telescopic front fork and twin rear shock absorbers (as opposed to the more sophisticated gas-charged units in the Thunderbird 350X). The disc brakes are likely to be larger than that of its predecessor, the Thunderbird 350. Of course, a dual-channel ABS will be offered as standard.

In a first for a Royal Enfield, the Meteor 350 will feature a smartphone-compatible instrument cluster with turn-by-turn navigation. It also gets a nifty USB port on the left switchgear, not to mention laidback ergonomics and alloy wheels wrapped with tubeless tyres. The Meteor 350 should catapult the brand to greater heights as it promises to offer a much better riding experience than the too-long-in-the-tooth previous-gen 350cc range. Another notable alternative would be the more premium, performance-oriented tourer, the Bajaj Dominar 400, priced at Rs 1.97 lakh. Enthusiasts can also go for the Jawa Perak although it is also expensive (Rs 1.94 lakh) and is strictly a single-seater. All prices ex-showroom Delhi.