2023 Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 | First Experience Evaluation

There are various definitions for the phrase “cruise,” however one in every of them is to journey “and not using a exact vacation spot, particularly for pleasure.” One other is to “journey easily at a average or economical pace.” These definitions apply effectively to driving a cruiser just like the 2023 Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650.

In America, “cruiser” brings to thoughts bikes which might be lengthy, low, and heavy, sometimes with an enormous air-cooled V-Twin and a emblem from a heritage model like Harley-Davidson or Indian on the tank. Royal Enfields have been in steady manufacturing since 1901 – beating Harley-Davidson by two years and matching Indian’s yr of beginning – so it’s obtained the heritage half coated. However Royal Enfield takes a special strategy to constructing a cruiser.

Impressed by the 1956-62 Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 700 – U.Ok.’s largest-displacement Twin on the time and obtainable with factory-fitted touring panniers – the brand new Tremendous Meteor 650 is powered by an air/oil-cooled 648cc parallel-Twin and has styling that leans extra British traditional than American conventional. Chrome is discovered solely on the twin exhausts and mirrors, whereas most different finishes are black or satin silver. It’s obtainable in customary trim in addition to with Solo Tourer and Grand Tourer accent packages.

Commercial

The Tremendous Meteor’s wheels are solid aluminum, with a 19-incher up entrance carried by an inverted fork and a 16-incher out again flanked by uncovered twin shocks. With fairly beneficiant rear suspension journey, a 29.1-inch seat top, and a 59.1-inch wheelbase, it’s each taller and shorter than most cruisers. (The Indian Scout Sixty, for instance, has a 25.6-inch seat top and a 62-inch wheelbase.)

Using By means of Rajasthan

Primarily based in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield invited motojournalists from around the globe to its house nation for a primary journey on the Tremendous Meteor 650. Over the course of two days, we logged almost 300 miles on rough-and-tumble roads within the western state of Rajasthan, a principally desert area that borders Pakistan. Curves had been few, however highway hazards had been many, together with crumbling (or lacking) pavement, teeth-rattling cobblestones, sudden dips and drops, ubiquitous pace bumps of all sizes and shapes, and even an extended, deep patch of sand.

The true-world dealing with course was made spicier by chaotic swarms of pint-sized bikes, smoke-belching tuk-tuks, trailer-towing farm tractors, clapped-out busses, and overloaded vans. Since India is a former British colony, everybody drove on the left facet of the highway, however in any other case site visitors legal guidelines had been all however ignored. Oh, and let’s not overlook the wandering (and sacred) cows, herds of goats and sheep, unpredictable canine, much more unpredictable pedestrians, and some camels.

“In India, horns are put on objects,” mentioned Mark Hoyer, Cycle World’s editor-in-chief, and utilizing them is its personal suave language. Vans in India are sometimes colorfully painted, and plenty of have “BLOW HORN” written in giant letters on the again.

So we didn’t precisely journey the Tremendous Meteor 650 for pleasure, nor did we journey it easily or at a average pace. However the journey actually was memorable.

Soul of a Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor

The Tremendous Meteor 650 is the third mannequin constructed on Royal Enfield’s 650 Twin platform. The primary two had been the Continental GT and INT650, each of which debuted for 2019. All three share an air/oil-cooled 648cc parallel-Twin with giant cooling fins, SOHC with 4 valves per cylinder, and a single-piece cast, counterbalanced crankshaft with a 270-degree firing interval. The engine has a 9.5:1 compression ratio and runs on common gasoline, with injection and engine administration provided by Bosch. For the Tremendous Meteor, the Twin will get new engine covers and darker finishes.

Associated: 2019 Royal Enfield INT650 and Continental GT | Highway Take a look at Evaluation

All fashionable Royal Enfields are collectively designed by groups on the firm’s design facilities within the U.Ok. and India. The Tremendous Meteor 650 was extensively examined and validated with state-of-the-art rigs and lab gear in addition to a purported 1 million kilometers on quite a lot of roads. The engine endured 1,500 hours on the dyno beneath numerous obligation cycles, and bikes had been subjected to rain, deep water, mud, altitude, and harsh environmental circumstances.

Though a 650 is taken into account an enormous bike in India – most bikes are 100-125cc – it’s thought of a middleweight by American requirements. The 650 Twins are world fashions designed to be accessible for as many riders as attainable. The engine fires up eagerly, idles quietly, and chugs alongside at a relaxed cadence with easy throttle response, minimal vibration (only a contact of that Twin tingle), and easy-to-manage energy. Just like the Continental GT and INT650, claimed output is 46.4 hp at 7,250 rpm and 38.6 lb-ft of torque at 5,250 rpm. Modest figures, sure, however the Tremendous Meteor 650 felt peppy pulling away from a cease and ran at 80 mph with out grievance for lengthy stretches of our take a look at journey.

Gear Up

Royal Enfield endeavored to create what it considers a “correct” cruiser – one with a relaxed driving place the place the rider’s physique line is barely reclined. In contrast to the stretched-out, arched-back rider triangle of lengthy and low cruisers, riders sit extra upright on the Tremendous Meteor, and the ergonomics are appropriate with spending lengthy hours within the saddle. I’m 6 toes tall with lengthy arms and a 34-inch inseam, and I discovered the seat to be supportive (it’s huge on the again for consolation and slim in entrance for simple stand-over), the angle and place of the pullback handlebar to wager pure, and the ahead foot controls to be sensibly positioned.

Royal Highway Warrior

Like the opposite 650 Twins, the Tremendous Meteor 650 is solidly constructed. Its tubular-steel backbone body was collectively designed with Harris Efficiency (now owned by mother or father firm Eicher Motors Ltd.), and it’s constructed from a mixture of funding casting, urgent, extrusion, and forging. Beneath the seat is a V-shaped rear body loop that mimics these discovered on different Royal Enfields just like the Bullet and the Meteor 350.

Associated: Residing with an ‘Iron Barrel’ Royal Enfield Bullet 500

Associated: 2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 | Highway Take a look at Evaluation

Up entrance, a nonadjustable 43mm Showa Separate Operate Huge Piston fork – the primary inverted fork supplied on a Royal Enfield – has 4.7 inches of journey. Out again, twin shocks have five-position preload adjustment and 4 inches of journey. Damping was compliant with minimal harshness even beneath the antagonistic highway circumstances we encountered – particularly these infernal pace bumps – and the rear springs had been sturdy sufficient to help my husky body weight. Single discs – 320mm in entrance, 300mm at rear – are pinched by 2-piston floating calipers that present respectable stopping energy, with customary anti-skid insurance coverage (ABS).

With a large handlebar, a tidy wheelbase, and slim tires (100/90-19 and 150/80-16), the 531-lb Tremendous Meteor wound round curves and dodged obstacles with ease. The agility take a look at we carry out repeatedly at press launches and photoshoots is U-turns, and through these tight maneuvers the bike’s steering felt impartial and its weight balanced.

Ensconced inside a satin-finished bezel, the Tremendous Meteor 650’s LED headlight is one other first for Royal Enfield. The brilliant-white mild is eye-catching throughout the day, and as we came upon whereas driving again to our resort after late-light pictures, it initiatives a large, distant beam at evening. Mounted on the rear fender is an LED tail/brake mild. The Tremendous Meteor comes customary with a centerstand, which simplifies chain upkeep.

Match and End

Constructing on the spectacular basis of the Continental GT and INT650, the Tremendous Meteor 650 is Royal Enfield’s most premium motorbike so far. There are considerate, engaging particulars from stem to stern, corresponding to a crossbar bearing an embossed Royal Enfield emblem contained in the headlight. The headlight holder, higher and decrease yoke, and handlebar risers and clamps are all made from cast aluminum with an anodized end. Each hand levers are adjustable for attain, and the change cubes are made from aluminum with a satin end. The twin spherical gauges embody a big meter with analog speedometer and an inset multifunction digital show. A smaller meter homes the Tripper navigation system, which supplies turn-by-turn routing.

On the 4.1-gal teardrop tank is a ravishing meteor-shaped Royal Enfield badge that follows the form of the tank and echoes winged Royal Enfield logos of the previous. The brushed aluminum gasoline filler cap is gorgeous to behold. A number of colorways embody gold pinstriping on the tank that’s performed by hand – by the identical two brothers who’ve labored on the Chennai manufacturing facility for years.

The Celestial Pink Tourer model I rode on the launch had a two-tone tank in addition to a number of equipment – a windshield, a deluxe two-up seat, and a passenger backrest. The windshield offered good safety from oncoming airflow, and its middle vent equalizes strain to scale back buffeting. Others rode a solo model of the usual mannequin with the small pillion pad changed by a fender-hugging rear rack. Grouped beneath Grand Tourer and Solo Tourer themes, there are 50 Real Motorbike Equipment for the Tremendous Meteor 650, together with hard-shell saddlebags, a prime field, machined alloy wheels, and an extended checklist of bolt-on bits for each type and performance.

On the world launch in January, Royal Enfield introduced pricing and availability for Europe and India, however that info has not but been launched for the U.S. By the use of comparability, the U.Ok. value for the Tremendous Meteor 650 is £6,799, and the Continental GT with a chrome tank is priced at £6,899. Within the U.S., the identical Continental GT mannequin begins at $7,149, so if pricing is roughly equal, then count on to pay about $7,269 for the Tremendous Meteor 650 right here.

Its nearest competitor within the U.S. is the Kawasaki Vulcan S, which additionally has a 650cc parallel-Twin and is priced at $7,899. Nevertheless it lacks passenger lodging and isn’t almost as engaging because the Royal Enfield.

Maintain On Cruisin’

On a number of events throughout my first yr as a Rider staffer, my enthusiasm exceeded my expertise, leading to me dumping a couple of bikes. Whereas crying the blues to my pal Maeve about placing my dream job in danger, she reassured me and mentioned, “You’ve obtained to search out your internal cruiser.”

As a lot as I prefer to dwell the previous CityBike motto – journey quick and take probabilities – I’ve additionally discovered to decelerate and revel in a extra relaxed driving type. Cruisers are supposed to cruise and to look good doing it. The Tremendous Meteor 650 does each – impressively so for such an affordable value.

2023 Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 Specs

• Base Worth: $7,269 (estimated)
• Web site: RoyalEnfield.com
• Guarantee: 3 yrs., unltd. miles w/ roadside help
• Engine Kind: Air/oil-cooled, transverse parallel-Twin, SOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl.
• Displacement: 648cc
• Bore x Stroke: 78.0 x 67.8mm
• Horsepower: 46.4 @ 7,250 rpm (manufacturing facility declare)
• Torque: 38.6 lb-ft @ 5,650 rpm (manufacturing facility declare)
• Transmission: 6-speed, cable actuated slip/help moist clutch
• Remaining Drive: Chain
• Wheelbase: 59.1 in.
• Rake/Path: 27.6 levels/4.7 in.
• Seat Peak: 29.1 in.
• Moist Weight: 531.3 lb (90% gasoline, manufacturing facility declare)
• Gas Capability: 4.1 gal.