Royal Enfield Meteor 350: Pros and Cons

When the Meteor 350 came out, it was the next step for Royal Enfield in terms of affordable cruisers. Having just replaced the Thunderbird, the Meteor was RE's first J-Series product, giving us a hint of things to expect on this very platform. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 should be on your list if you're looking for a cruiser that's comfortable in the city and on the highway, and yet it doesn't break the bank.

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Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Pros

Engine

Built on the new J-Series platform, the Meteor 350 was the first to be powered by an all-new 350cc, single-cylinder engine. The engine offers good low-end grunt for daily usage and at the same time, it does not feel out of breath when you are cruising on the highway as well. The vibrations are very well contained too, and you don't feel too much even when cruising at highway speeds. The power delivery is linear, and overall, the Meteor 350 does not demand too much application from you. The engine is tractable, smooth, and its potential is easily accessible for a wide range of riders.

Handling

Something that may surprise you; the Meteor 350 is a rather sorted handler. While the typical Royal Enfield heft can be felt when you are starting, things change once you are on the go. In the city, the Meteor 350 does not feel as cumbersome as you would expect it to, and you can, in fact, move around traffic with surprising ease. Take it out on the highway and it encourages to you to keep cruising, because it feels that sure-footed.

On bad roads, the Meteor 350 keeps you comfortable enough without the risk of bottoming out, even with a pillion on-board. However, you'll be surprised if you take it around a set of corners. It's not an outright corner-carving tool, sure, but it is remarkable how planted the Meteor 350 feels when you're pushing it around. Granted, you need to exercise a certain degree of caution, but if you are sensible enough, you will notice how forgiving the Meteor 350 is.

Ergonomics

The low-slung seat of the Meteor 350 makes you feel like you are properly sitting 'in' the motorcycle, and not over it. It feels comfortable enough for daily city usage and for longer highway rides as well. The handlebars too, are well within reach, and you will not feel like you have reposition yourself consistently while dealing with traffic. The footpegs are centre-set as well, resulting in an overall sorted riding position.

The look of your choice!

The Meteor 350 allows you to choose from four different trims; Fireball, Stellar, Aurora, and Supernova. Choosing between these trims depends on what kind of look you prefer from your motorcycle. The Fireball is the base variant with mono-tone paint schemes and black treatment, while the Stellar trim comes with some amount of chrome treatment. Those looking for a properly retro theme should consider the Aurora, while the range-topping Supernova gives you a dual-tone paint scheme and a certain amount of chrome.

Also read: Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Variants Explained: Fireball, Stellar, Aurora or Supernova?

Cons

Tripper Pod

Royal Enfield offers the Tripper Navigation pod as an option on the higher variants of the Meteor 350. To put it simply, it does not function well enough. While navigation is powered by Google, somehow the directions seem to load up slower than usual and it is not very well calibrated.

Exhaust note

While the 350cc engine itself is quite nice, a little more character to exhaust note would have been great. Yes, the thump might still be there, but it feels rather muted and died down.

Acceleration

The Meteor 350's laid-back, easy nature comes at the expense of performance, and it lacks outright acceleration, even when compared to something like a Yezdi Roadster. However, do remember that the Yezdi is a high-strung, high-revving machine, while the Meteor 350 is powered by a slow-moving, long-stroke engine.

Lack of features

Something that the Meteor 350 does lack is equipment. Rivals such as the TVS Ronin offer more kit, such as glide-through technology, switchable ABS modes, a slip-and-assist clutch, voice commands, incoming call/SMS alerts, and more.