Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Test Ride and First Impressions

Today I test rode the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650. Here are my first impressions. Bear in mind that I have owned a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy since 2013 and have ridden it a fair bit around India. My longest ride was a 14 day, 6,500 km solo ride around the Golden Quadrilateral back in 2015. So I like to believe that I know a thing or two about highway cruising in India.

Power: The engine puts out a decent amount of torque, fit for a cruiser. Power delivery is linear, not jumpy. Makes for smooth and controlled riding.

Weight: Perfect for cruising. It’s heavy for sure. But there is a very good reason why cruisers are and need to be heavy. It makes them stable and planted at highway cruising speeds.

Brakes: Stellar. The motorcycle stops surely and in a controlled manner. ABS kicks in at the right time and in the right manner.

Clutch: The 1.5-year-old test-ride motorcycle had a sticky clutch. The new motorcycle in the showroom was a lot easier to squeeze.

Gearbox: Smooth. Good gear ratios. Complements the linear power delivery pretty well.

Seat: I rode the middle Interstellar variant which has the regular seat. I found it to be quite comfortable, although the ride was a short one. The Celestial variant in the showroom had a much more comfortable seat.

Ergonomics: Almost perfect. Almost because I’m 6 feet tall and I need to lean slightly forward to reach the handlebar, something that can be fixed by adding risers leaning backward. The position of the foot pegs is that of a proper cruiser.

Suspension: Stiff, as a cruiser’s suspension should be. Minor tarmac disturbances are handled surprisingly well.

Instrument Console: Very basic. For that price, one would expect something better. But frankly, being a Royal Enfield, the less stuff there is to fail, the better, if you know what I mean.

Exhaust Sound: Simple and clean. I quite like it. The Royal Enfield thump died a long time ago along with rattling and vibrating mayhem that came with it. Good riddance.

Highway: Minor vibrations start only after 100 kmph, which is ok. I couldn’t go past 110 kmph on the test ride, but the machine didn’t seem stressed at that speed. On Indian highways, a safe cruising speed is 100 to 110 kmph. I could sit in that range all day on its motorcycle.

City: Surprisingly easy to ride in crowded traffic. You can’t flick the motorcycle around the place, but it doesn’t feel like you are navigating a ship like my Fat Boy does.

Part Quality: Although the finish seems premium, I understood the real story when I compared the brand new motorcycle in the showroom with the 1.5 year old motorcycle that I test rode. Check out these pictures.

Hand grips were severely deteriorated

 

Red ignition switch faded. Marking on the switch gear vanished.

 

Left indicator arrow and high/lob beam indicators vanished due to constant finger contact.

 

Engine casing looks a little sad

 

Summary: Back in 2013 I bought a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 and rode it all around the place, including to Marsimik La (18,953 feet) in Ladakh and trails in the western ghats. Back then Royal Enfield was touting the motorcycle as a cruiser and nobody believed them, because it was not a cruiser. It was just a regular motorcycle with a different handlebar, that’s all. The engine, suspension, ergonomics, absolutely nothing resembled that of a cruiser. Over the years, the Thunderbird evolved in different ways and none of the evolutions resembled a cruiser. But today, as an owner of a Fat Boy, I can say that the Super Meteor 650 looks and behaves like a proper cruiser. This is why after I rode the motorcycle back to the showroom I booked a Celestial Red Super Meteor 650. I’ve been good boy this year and Santa has decided to gift me this beauty for Christmas. 🙂

So why am I buying a Super Meteor 650 when I already have a Fat Boy? Well, I need a lighter and simpler cruiser to ride with my nine year old daughter. The Fat Boy is too huge and intimidating for slow and easy village rides around Goa. My other motorcycles are meant for other activities. But most importantly, when Santa wants to give you a gift, you don’t say no. 🙂

I do hope that Royal Enfield improves their part quality. But then, I’ve been hoping for that ever since I bought my Thunderbird more than a decade ago. I’m not sure how long I will keep the Super Meteor 650. I’m buying it to serve a specific purpose for a specific period of time and I will most probably get rid of it before it starts disintegrating, as all Royal Enfields do, sooner than later.