Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Long Term Report

Long Term Report: July 2021 (End of Term)

It’s been well over eight months now that I have been living with the RE Meteor. It’s a shame, though, that it’s time to hand over the bike back to RE. This was, perhaps, the one RE motorcycle on which I have covered the most distance, and if it wasn’t for the damn pandemic, I could have probably clocked a whole lot more miles. Over the months, I have come to appreciate the fact that it provides easy riding with incredibly comfortable ergonomics. Initially, I had complained about the stiff rear suspension, but that is something you can get used to after a while, and if you stay away from bad roads, well then, this bike really is something special.

I have faced no mechanical issues with the bike, except for the instrument cluster, which needs significant improvement on all RE models. That said, this bike not only excels as a daily rider but also as a machine to take long-haul highway trips on the weekend with your significant other. The engine has just the right amount of power, the chassis feels stable, and the bike, on the whole, feels solid and well planted at all times. It also handles wonderfully when you ride on twisty mountain roads. Still, it’s the comfort and ergonomics of this little cruiser that really blew me away. I wish I could have had a little more time with the Meteor, but I guess all good things come to an end. It’s a great first motorcycle for riders looking to find an affordable cruiser that ticks all the right boxes. It’s also great to ride in urban conditions. I will definitely miss the Meteor.

Long Term Report: June 2021

It’s been a rough month for all of us. The lockdown was in full effect and we were all confined to our homes. I live a bit outside of the city and it’s not easy to get the essential items I need on a regular basis. Luckily, I had the Meteor 350 with me for my every day commutes. If I had any other bike then yes, I could have still commuted around easily, but the fact that the Meteor 350 is such a comfortable and enjoyable bike to ride made all the difference. Every time I needed to leave the house to pick up groceries or supplies, I always looked forward to taking the Meteor instead of my car. It’s comfortable to ride on mostly all road surfaces and riding it in the countryside, where I live, felt like a great escape ride every day. It’s got great character and the engine has that proper old-school feel. These traits make the Meteor a fantastic machine to own and use not just as a cruiser, but as a practical and reliable work horse as well. It might be heavy and not the best on bad roads, but it’s still something I love to swing my leg over. Eight months and four long road trips later, I have had no problems with the bike still. It’s a great machine that makes you want to ride all the time.  

Long Term Report: May 2021

This month I spent a lot of time on the road travelling between Delhi and Mussoorie. I had to go there for work on multiple occasions and decided to ride the Meteor each time. I’ve already done a few road trips on the Meteor and I love the ride quality and comfort of the motorcycle. After spending a significant amount of time on the newly laid out highways between Delhi and Mussoorie, I have found out a few more things about the Meteor. First of all, the Meteor is a great highway cruiser. It’s easily manageable, has a great engine and beautiful seats for rider and pillion. Long road trips are great; however, I do feel that slightly more power and a higher top speed would make this bike unbelievable to ride on the open road. I guess we will have to wait for the 650cc version of the bike. The Meteor handled itself very well in the high mountains. It’s got enough torque, but on some steep roads it did feel like it could use some more power. After riding the bike for nearly six months now, I still think the Meteor is a fantastic bike as it has given me zero problems. It definitely is a great bike to go on long road trips.

Long Term Report: April 2021

While the Meteor 350 has certainly been marketed as a small cruiser motorcycle, it certainly is a fantastic daily commuter as well. I am now about to reach the 5,000kms mark on the odometer and I have to say that the Meteor continues to grow on me. I have ridden it on all sorts of roads and conditions but I use it the most as a daily commuter. My route from my house to the office consists of broken village roads, twisty back-country roads, a national highway, and crowded city streets. It’s an hour-long ride one way, and not once have I ever complained about the ride not being comfortable. The seat is so unbelievably good and is the best I've ever experienced on a Royal Enfield. The placement of the foot pegs and handlebar also make it an easy rider. The only thing that doesn’t live up to my expectations, when it comes to comfort, is the rear suspension, which is too stiff. But even this I have overlooked because when the roads are good the bike feels fantastic. The other thing that does bother me is that the side mirrors are very poor in quality and now the brakes are also making a very loud noise. This goes to show that even though the Meteor is a well-built and tough bike, RE still needs to focus a little more on the overall quality. The 5,000kms that I have spent with the Meteor have been wonderful and I hope I can ride another 5,000 on it before RE asks me to return it.

Long Term Report: March 2021

It’s been a pretty great month for our long-term Meteor. It won the prestigious IMOTY 2021, and even better, I took it for its first proper long-distance trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Meteor as an everyday commuter because of its comfort and beautiful engine. Now that I finally took it for a long road trip, I like it even more. The Meteor has amazing road manners and is a wonderful laid-back cruiser. The seating position and the cushy seat really make riding down the open road a wonderful experience. As long as the roads are nice and smooth, you are guaranteed a beautiful ride. I even had my wife with me on this trip and we also carried two small bags, which meant that the fuel economy came down to 19km/l even though we were cruising at roughly 90km/h most of the time. The bike was enjoyable and comfortable for both of us. The bike handles and rides beautifully. There are some quality issues for sure though as the front brakes are very squeaky now. The right rear-view mirror has also come undone and the RE logo on the Tripper Navigation has come loose as well and rattles under the glass. There aren’t any major issues in terms of quality though as the bike still feels tough and well-built. I rode a total of 700km in three days on the beautiful backcountry highways of Rajasthan and loved every bit of it. Once the weather gets better, I will surely be taking the Meteor on a trip to the mountains.   

Long Term Report: February 2021

It's been two months now that I have been riding the Royal Enfield Meteor. I have clocked a decent number of miles on it and there are a few things I would like to point out. The first is the more I ride the Meteor, the more I like it! It’s really a comfortable motorcycle for my long commute to the office. The engine is meaty and the exhaust sounds great. It handles itself well on the highway and in the city, it's an easy-riding machine.

The only problem continues to be the stiff rear suspension. On bad roads, it doesn’t feel good and it’s not very easy to stand up on the bike. Another issue that I have started to notice is that the front brake is pretty weak and has also started to make a squeaky sound. There isn't much to worry about but these two problems really take away a lot from the bike. The ABS system though works very well. Still, the strong engine and comfortable seat add a lot of value to someone of my size, who spends a lot of time riding. The quality of components seems to be very good so far and there is no rattling of parts. After the first servicing, I plan to do a long road trip to see how the Meteor performs.

Long Term Report: December 2020

Royal Enfield has been kind enough to lend us the Meteor 350 for a few months and within just a few days of riding the bike, I was mighty impressed! I have never ridden a cruiser bike on an everyday basis, but for the past two weeks, the Meteor has been my bike of choice.

The most amazing thing about the Meteor 350 is that it’s such a comfortable bike to ride. I have never felt more comfortable on a Royal Enfield bike before in my life. The ergonomics and the seating position are great, and so is the seat itself. We have the top-end variant with us and it comes with a really soft and comfy seat.

On the highway, the refinement levels have really improved. The engine has more than enough power in the low and mid-range, but it doesn’t really impress at the top. The engine is perfect for lazy cruising but you can still ride it hard if you want to. I am pretty hard on the throttle, which is why the fuel economy hovered around 22km/l. On the highway, you should be able to get around 30km/l.

Even in the city, it’s easy to live with just as long as the city you are riding in has great roads. The one thing that's quite upsetting for me is the stiff suspension setup. The bike really hurts you if the roads are bad. Still though, it’s an impressive 350cc cruiser. I am yet to go on a tour as of now, but very soon I will.  

Read more:

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Review

Royal Enfield Meteor 350: Price and Competition Check