Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Launched At Rs 1.75 Lakh: Undercuts Honda H’ness CB350

It’s the first bike from RE based on the brand’s new ‘J’ platform

• The engine is all new and so is the frame.
• We finally get to see a modern smartphone-compatible instrument cluster on a Royal Enfield. 
• There are three variants to choose from: Fireball, Stellar and Supernova.

After a number of delays, Royal Enfield has finally launched the Meteor 350 in India. The bike is available in three variants: Fireball, Stellar and Supernova priced at Rs 1,75,825, Rs 1,81,342 and Rs 1,90,536 (ex-showroom, Chennai) respectively. At a starting price of Rs 1.75 lakh, it undercuts its current arch-rival, the Honda H'Ness CB350. The Meteor 350 will be the first bike based on Royal Enfield’s new ‘J’ platform to be rolled out. It sets the stage for the manufacturer with its new 350cc engine, chassis, and also brings along a number of new features never seen before on Royal Enfield bikes.

The Meteor is powered by a new BS6-compliant 350cc fuel-injected long-stroke air-cooled single-cylinder engine that makes 20.48PS at 6100rpm and 27Nm at 4000rpm. It features counterbalancers for better refinement. The motor has been tuned to offer better highway capabilities despite having just a 5-speed transmission. The Thunderbird’s massive 20-litre fuel tank has been replaced by a smaller 15-litre unit on the Meteor. 

The frame holding the bike together has also been developed from the ground up. The Meteor uses a  double-cradle frame linked to a telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers at the rear. Braking, on the other hand, is handled by a larger 300mm and 270mm disc at the front and rear, coupled with dual-channel ABS as standard. It gets chunkier rubber for better stability -- 100/90- 19 up front and 140/70- 17 at the rear.

Mechanicals aside, the Meteor 350 comes with a bunch of new features including a semi-digital instrument console with smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation as well as day and night mode. You also have a switchgear-mounted USB charging port, LED tail light, and a circular LED DRL that runs around the headlight. Read more about it here.

In terms of competition, the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 competes against the Honda H’ness CB350, BS6 Jawa and the BS6 Imperiale 400. We’ve already spent a fair amount of saddle time on the Meteor 350 so don’t forget to check out our full review of the bike.