According to me, the year 2020 is not going that bad actually. As ROYAL ENFIELD has launched it’s all new 350cc motorcycle, which comes under J-platform. As the RE Thunderbird 350, and 350X got discontinued, this year 2020 RE finally got a substitute of this Cruiser the all new RE Meteor 350.

Now if we talk about it’s engine, then it is a J-type engine which is powered by an all-new 349cc air-cooled SOHC 2-valve motor with fuel-injection. The engine produces 20.4PS at 6100rpm and 27Nm at 4000rpm, and it comes with a 5-speed transmission. Well I wasn’t expecting that it comes only with 5speed transmission. The engine is counterbalanced for optimum refinement, which is a first for a 350cc Royal Enfield. The engine nestles inside a double downtube split cradle frame linked to a 41mm telescopic front fork and twin 6-stage preload-adjustable emulsion shock absorbers at the rear. The brakes comes with 300mm front disc and a 270mm rear disc unit with dual-channel ABS as standard. At 191kg kerb, the Meteor 350 is 6kg lighter than it’s sibling, the RE Thunderbird 350x.

This machine now gets a semi-digital instrument cluster with smartphone compatibility which is associated with GOOGLE. The secondary pod houses the display for the turn-by-turn navigation, which is a first for a Royal Enfield. Details like the speed, tripmeter, odometer readings, gear position are shown in the main pod. There’s also a USB port on the left switchgear and a dedicated hazard lamp switch on the right switchgear which is the most required systems. As now we talk about it’s safety, the it’s safety is concerned, the bike gets a dual-channel ABS as standard. The bike rolls on a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheel along with tubeless 100-section front and 140-section rear tubeless tyres which should also help in handling punctures much better than tubed ones.

Engine	Single-Cylinder, 4 Stroke, Air-Oil Cooled Engine
Displacement	349cc
Emission Type	BS 6
ABS	Dual Channel
Max Torque	27 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Max Power	20.4 PS @ 6100 rpm
No. Of Cylinders	1
Ignition	EFI
Transmission	Manual 5-Gears
Drive Type	Chain Drive
Fuel Type	Petrol
Fuel Tank Capacity	15litre
Chassis	Twin Downtube Spine Frame
Suspension	Front: Telescopic, 41 mm forks Rear: Twin tube emulsion Shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable preload
Disc Brakes	Front: 300mm Rear: 270mm
Length x Breadth x Height	2170 x 810 x 1120mm

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 looks a lot similar to it’s sibling, the Thunderbird 350X. This cruiser gets an easy-to-reach handlebar and forward-set footpegs, which almost gives the vibes of Harley Davidson to ensure a laidback riding stance. The round halogen headlamp gets LED DRL for a slightly more modern look. The tear-drop shaped fuel tank flows cohesively into the low split-seat setup. Though it looks almost similar to it’s sibling. So while taking a test ride on it, I didn’t find much difference than Thunderbird. But now its more smoother than it’s sibling and it produces less vibrations at higher rpm. Also now it’s top variant gets a windshield which helps to reduce windblast in the highway. Rounding off the retro appeal is the circular LED tail lamp.

Now let’s come to it’s price, this cruiser comes with 3 variants:

1.Fireball (Base Variant) – Rs1,75,186

2.Stellar (Mid Variant) – Rs1,81,327

3.Supernova (Top Variant) – Rs1,90,509

Now the best part that I love the most is that, that it comes with more and more color options i.e. 7color options according to it’s model variants, Fireball Yellow, Fireball Red, Stellar Red, Stellar Black, Stellar Blue, Supernova Brown and Supernova Blue.

After the launch of this cruiser, Honda, Benelli, Jawa, and more will get a very tough competition. As Royal Enfield is a well known and a very popular brand for cruisers and almost ruling the country since 1955. Well I’m well satisfied this motorcycle. Well done ROYAL ENFIELD!