Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 First Ride Review: Highway Star

They say, celestial bodies cruising through space are a window to the past, and a door to the future. The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is similar. Last seen cruising between 1956 and 1962, it helped build Enfield’s legacy. Decades later, it’s back, opening doors to a new future for the brand. But before we proceed, let us tell you, this is a first ride experience on some smooth, arrow-straight roads, and a proper road test will go live very soon.

Design:

The Super Meteor 650 is a bike of many firsts for Royal Enfield, stuff that we'll see on more bikes from the company in the future.

For starters, it looks a million bucks. Long, brawny, stretched out like an old school American cruiser, the design and all the elements do justice to the theme. Everything you see or touch on this motorcycle feels premium. It's Enfield's most premium motorcycle after all. And I appreciate that it has pulled all the stops to make this cruiser special. 

From the brushed aluminium bits like the switch cubes, to the powder coated finish on the frame, there's a sense of luxury when you're in the saddle. Even more so on the Tourer variant: the top-of-the-line trim, of the top-of-the-line Enfield one can buy today. That tall windscreen, wide handlebar, scalloped seat – all accentuate and evoke a true-blue cruiser’s kick back and relax attitude. 

The Super Meteor 650 is available in three trims: base- Astral, mid- Interstellar, and top-of-the-line- Celestial aka 'Tourer'. What sets them apart? Well, nothing much apart from accessories from the GMA catalogue. Same formula as on the Meteor 350, so you can either buy from these, or buy the base variant and add what you need from the GMA kit.

Ergonomics:

The ergonomics are pretty standard cruiser-like. Upright body, hands out wide, legs perched forwards and your butt seated on a big wide seat. Tick, tick, tick… it’s all there. I am five-feet and nine-inches tall, and the reach for the handlebar or kicking my feet forwards was not hard. That said, if you’re looking to ride with a pillion often, get the accessory back support which is offered as standard on the Tourer variant. The bike is not as pillion-friendly without it.

Seat Height: 740mm

Features:

This is the first time Royal Enfield is trying an all-LED headlight. Another first for the brand. Other than that, the instrumentation is pretty much the same as on the Meteor 350, but the Tripper pod will be thrown in as standard.

Difference? Well, it’s finished differently. I'm a bit disappointed on this front, as a newer, nicer chrome-girded all-digital display and Tripper would have looked better with the rest of the motorcycle.

Engine: 

This is the same 650cc engine that debuted on the 650 twins. Even the power and torque are roughly the same. So, we know that the power is enjoyable and the torque is fat. However, RE has given the Super Meteor a larger airbox and revised fuel map. So, while it may not feel as quick as the 650 twins (the Interceptor or the Conti that is), the torque spread really allows you to pull each gear that much longer. And that lack of oomph also comes down to its heft which robs a bit of peppiness. 

Engine: 648cc | 47PS |  52.3Nm

Parallel twin | Air/Oil-cooled

Gearbox: Six-speed

Out in Rajasthan, it’s all long, straight roads and well-paved tarmac, therefore the only thing we could thoroughly experience was how it handles highway riding. Triple-digit speeds are easy to hold and the gearbox is slick. 

Fuel Tank: 15.7-litre

Yes, the clutch feels heavy, but you get span adjustable levers for the brake and clutch, which helps make things easier. On the highway, it hides its heft well, but how cumbersome will that heavy clutch and 241kg mass be in the city will be seen when we put it through its paces in our thorough road test.

241kg (kerb with 90% fuel and oil)       

Underpinnings: 

The frame on the Super Meteor 650 is all-new. Holding that frame up is a 43mm big piston USD fork by Showa, a first for any Royal Enfield. Jaisalmer hardly has any broken roads, but the road levels dips and rises a fair bit. Here the front end felt stable even at higher speeds, but the twin coiled rear felt a bit tossy. 

Front Suspension: 43mm Upside Down Fork | 120mm travel

Rear Suspension: Twin Shocks | 101mm travel | 5-step Preload Adjustable

Go fast and the 241kg weight and long wheelbase helps it feel very planted. Go slow and the same two things make taking U-turns difficult. It requires some muscling, for we are dealing with a cruiser afterall. 

Wheelbase: 1,500mm 

Another area of concern for most people has been the - ground clearance. It’s low and it took on a few speed breakers just fine, but yet again, urban conditions are rougher and more demanding than these highways. The extent of this limitation will be known in our road test.

Ground Clearance: 135mm 

Braking:

Even the braking hardware has been revised to help anchor the heavy cruiser better. It now gets a larger rear disc brake which has a strong bite. You can feel the ABS system intrude quickly (at the rear) and try hard to keep the bike in check. Thank God for dual-channel ABS. 

That said, under heavy braking, the front end of the Super Meteor 650 feels way more stable than on the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. And that could be down to the tyres, new Showa front fork and the span adjustable levers. Combined, they offer more confidence to go heavier on the brakes without having to worry about unsettling the bike. However, real world braking performance will be determined in our road test review. 

Front Brake: 320mm Single Disc

Rear Brake: 300mm Single Disc

ABS Dual Channel

Price:

Now for what you’ve been waiting for, the price. As expected, all the premium hardware on the Super Meteor 650 also brings with it a premium price tag. The Super Meteor 650 costs from Rs 3.49 lakh (ex showroom) onwards.

*All prices ex-showroom India

Verdict:

Has the Super Meteor been worth the wait? Yes, it has. It's taking everything we liked about the 650 twins, adapted it to a new format while making good on a lot of the 650 twins’ weak points. While it might not be the most friendly of the 650 family in the city, it's quite usable as a motorcycle by cruiser standards. And as a cruiser, it certainly ticks a lot of boxes. If you're looking for a premium-looking motorcycle with a friendly performance, something south of Rs 10 lakh, the Super Meteor surely makes a strong case for itself. 

Not only is it a very competent cruiser, but there’s literally no other cruiser of this size and capacity anywhere in the ballpark of its price range. But, how well will it handle the rigours of everyday use? Well, the real world road test will decide.