Royal Enfield Meteor 350: Same Price, Other Options

You could instead get a Himalayan, a KTM, or even a Husqvarna!

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a big step-up over the Thunderbird X 350 that it replaces, and you can find out why right here. But if it still doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, here are some other bikes that you can pick up in the Meteor’s price range of Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 1.90 lakh:

KTM 200 Duke

It might be 8Nm down on the Meteor’s output, but the KTM 200 Duke produces an extra 4.5PS and is a whole lot quicker in the real world than the more laidback RE. And with its new Super Duke-inspired styling in the BS6 era, it’s also more appealing to most youngsters than the ‘uncle’ Meteor. All yours for Rs 1.77 lakh.

Husqvarna Svartpilen 250

As opposed to the Meteor’s pukka retro design, the Swedish Husqvarna does a modern interpretation of a classic look and it pulls it off rather well. It also packs in the 250 Duke’s powerhouse, so you’ve got 29.91PS and 24Nm on tap. The Svartpilen 250 will set you back by Rs 1.85 lakh.

Suzuki Gixxer SF 250

Some people just want a fully-faired bike over anything else. If you’re one of those, you should consider the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250. Heck, Suzuki will even sell it to you in some gorgeous MotoGP-inspired colour schemes to up the raciness quotient. You can pick one up starting from Rs 1.76 lakh.

Royal Enfield Himalayan

If you want your thrills to continue even after the road ends, you have a very capable option in RE’s very own stable, in the form of the venerable Himalayan. Its own 411cc single-cylinder engine is as smooth as the Meteor’s new J platform motor. The Himalayan can be yours for Rs 1.91 lakh.

Honda H’ness CB350

Of course, the Meteor’s biggest competition is going to come from Honda’s exciting new H’ness CB350. It seems to have the RE beat on paper, with a more advanced engine, slightly higher output figures and a lower kerb weight. If that sounds good to you, you can pick one up starting from Rs 1.85 lakh.

*all prices ex-showroom