Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Long Term Reports

Our cruise with the Royal Enfield Super Meteor has come to an end. We lived with it for over three months, and during that time I developed a sort of love-hate relationship with this motorcycle. So, here’s a quick summary of all the things that I love and loathe about RE’s heavyweight cruiser.

The 650cc twin engine first. It’s a stellar performer, period. We’ve experienced this very same powertrain in the Interceptor and Continental 650 earlier, but my personal view is that it works best in a super cruiser. The motor is supremely refined and offers punchy performance throughout the rev range. The mid-range kick is fantastic, addictive even. And, irrespective of the gear you’re in, it always pulls like a freight train. It is a mile-muncher in the true sense of the term. Also, despite being only a few kilos lighter than the moon, the Super Meteor, surprisingly, never feels heavy. Be it in traffic or on highways, it’s an easy and forgiving motorcycle to live with. In fact, it doesn’t feel out of its depth even when ridden within the confines of a city. And, finally, it’s quite a looker. Let’s now turn our attention to its flaws – and the biggest of them all is the stiff rear suspension. On short rides / commute, the ride quality is acceptable. However, tackling daily traffic isn’t what a super cruiser is meant to do. It’s made for the open road, and that’s where its firm setup rears its ugly head. If you hit a bump or go over expansion joints at high speeds, the suspension washes its hands of the matter. Plus, it’s not only that your spine takes a hit but also that it throws you off the saddle – or tries to, anyway. It can get a bit unnerving at highway speeds. There are some other niggles as well. The digital fuel gauge is imprecise – it goes from three bars to ‘reserve’ abruptly despite having enough fuel in the tank. In fact, this isn’t the first time that we have noticed this on an RE. Even the Interceptor, Hunter, and Meteor had this exact same issue. Very annoying, really.

Overall, the Super Meteor is a mixed bag. It’s a fantastic effort from RE, no doubt. It excels in all areas…except for one, which is cruising. And that, quite ironically, is the only area where it’s supposed to excel.

So, I’ve had this Royal Enfield super cruiser with me for the past two months, and I’ve done everything with it, except cruising, let alone do it in a ‘super’ fashion. Now, in my defence, I can say that I’ve had a busy month as I was mostly travelling. However, on one of those rare weekends where I found myself free from all the work-related travel, I planned to go on a road trip to Chandigarh on the Super Meteor. I couldn’t, however, execute it...

It wasn’t because of outright laziness that I chucked the plan. Instead, there were other factors involved. And if you stay here to hear me out, you’ll understand the problem. You see the Super Meteor is meant for munching miles on smooth roads. It’s so focused in that respect that it immediately feels out of its comfort zone as soon as you get on slightly bad roads. The suspension is jittery, and it wiggles about quite a lot. It’s manageable for short distances, but not the whole day.

The other problem is our new highways, which aren’t quite our own in case you happen to be on a motorcycle. Almost all new highways/expressways such as Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, et al, have now barred two-wheelers’ entry. And the fines are hefty – to the tune of `20,000! This means you have no other option but to cruise on the old bumpy highways. And, given what I just told you about the Super Meteor’s suspension, I don’t think you can blame me for cancelling the road trip...

When Royal Enfield offered us a long-term unit of the Super Meteor 650, I was in two minds. You see, it’s a brilliant motorcycle, the best from RE probably, so I definitely wanted to spend some time with it. But, then, it’s also a super cruiser, meaning it’s suited more for leisurely rides on open roads than crawling in stop-go traffic of our cities. And since I hardly get to tour these days, I wasn’t sure if I’d be doing justice to the bike. However, like they say, you should never judge a book by its cover. And that’s precisely what I’ve realised after living with the Super Meteor for over four weeks now.

Even though it’s a heavy (240 kilos) laid-back cruiser, the Super Meteor doesn’t feel ungainly or cumbersome to ride in the city. I’ve been using the bike for my daily commute and it’s actually quite effortless and easy to manage. It’s got a low seat height, so you can flat foot it easily when you come to a stop. The engine is an absolute peach as it’s got strong performance throughout the rev range, and it’s also pretty smooth. I also like the throttle response and the fuelling, it’s not jerky at all. The brakes also offer strong performance. And then there’s the Showa BPF USD forks, they keep the bike planted at high speeds with feeling excessively firm or rigid. The Super Meteor is the most sophisticated RE motorcycle
in the dynamics department. For sure.

There are a few things that could have been better. First, the rear shock. In daily riding, you will find it backbreaking if you ride on bad roads often.To be honest, I find it manageable and easy to live with. You just have to be extra cautious of big potholes and reduce the speed right down to a halt so as to save your spine. Among other things that I didn’t enjoy, the fuel gauge is quite inaccurate, just like other RE motorcycles, and the clutch is a little hard. Having said that, I am actually enjoying riding it to work daily, even if it requires navigating this behemoth through rush hour traffic.
For next month’s report, I’ve planned a short road trip. So, stay tuned as I put the ‘Super’ of this Meteor to test.

Read more:

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Review: RE's best foot forward?

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Launched in India; Top Highlights