[jeepster]

Looks like Royal Enfield wants to expand twins lineup!

They have registered METEOR trademarks in Class 12 and Class 25. (Vehicles & clothing respectively)

Source: Cartoq.com , gov.uk

IMO If they are planning the METEOR then it will be a 700cc or 750cc.

[navpreet318]

So it seems RE will finally heed to the requests of numerous RE fans and build a 650 Twin to look like a Standard 350/500.

Would actually be a superb move. Those rider and passenger pegs are indeed a sore point in the whole 650 equation. Plus peashooter exhausts would indeed look nice.

[ninjatalli]

Reposting what I had posted on the Interceptor thread a few days ago

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Zigwheels team seems to be suggesting that RE is planning on two things in the near future

1. Increase the price of the Twins (possibly with cosmetic upgrades; maybe alloy wheels, tubeless tires, etc)
2. Launch a new VFM version "Meteor" with a lower price tag with some edits to the current version of the Twins.

More Affordable Royal Enfield 650 Twin In The Works?

Any views on this? Seems a bit too far-fetched. Considering RE has already registered the "Meteor" trademark, I'd probably think RE is looking at a more customized bike based on the Twins platform at a more premium price; while the current Twins remain priced at the current levels.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Heard a lot of complaints from RE fans that the 650 twins didn't feel 'Royal Enfield' enough!

This could be the result of those complaints. Wonder if RE will do something for a louder 'th(r)ump' though - may be specific to the Indian market. Lower pricing will help sales as well.

The old Meteor 700 shown above looks However - I only hope they incorporate twin silencers (of similar design as above single) without making it too wide as is the case with the current twins setup.

[ram.iyer95]

An even lower priced 650 twin would take the market by storm. Something like a Classic with that sweet 650 twin motor would make for a worthy proposition. All reviewers have been singing praises for that 650cc motor.

RE is one of the best in the business when it comes to marketing their products. So, combined with aggressive marketing, this should fly off the shelves.

Good times ahead for bikers, I'd say!

[Beast_of_Burden]

As the previous owner of a black standard 350 way back when, this meteor news if true is a spanner to the proverbial works. I have put off my Int 650 delivery till the end of the Hyderabad summer. For a lot of us the original black Enfield was and is the original - gold stripes and 19 inch wheels sine qua non(Okay the Athena Grey ran it close). It would be glorious to have that sweet twin in that bloody handsome black standard.

[narayan]

Is a straight up seating position possible with the 650cc's wide gear box ? I'm trying to visualise how wide the legs will have to go to place your feet on a foot peg that would be outside of that wide gear box.

Also what exactly will be the market positioning ? The twins are already catering to the retro classic modern bike crowd. What would a standard bullet shaped 650cc be positioned as ?

[ashwinprakas]

The original Meteor had an OHV motor, in fact it was two 350's with the exact same 90mm stroke as the B350.

But now since everyone's into streamlining I doubt we'd get a different motor that what us already available on the 650's.

My hope is that they go bare-bone, scrap the fancy electricals, slap a twin carburetor on it, scrap the self starter and incorporate a kick-starter etc. Something similar to the likes of the early Harley Davidson pan-head's that had to be kick-started to life.

If so this would fill the void in motorcycle evolution we in India have been subjected to.

[rajushank84]

I am hoping this is not a Bullet with an Interceptor engine.
It would be amazing to see RE come up with a ground-up re-engineering of the Bullet "look", but with no shared parts with the old/current platform. Like a true, modern retro.
I think the Interceptor looks retro enough, but it looks more UJM than Royal Enfield. A bigger and more rounded tank, more curves overall, much like Jawa has done. That would be amazing.

(Off-topic) Regardless of all that, the only thing that will stop me from buying an Interceptor is a Duke 390 (apples and cabbages, I know). Maybe the Meteor will win me over with looks.

But realistically, I wouldn't be surprised if this Meteor turns out to just be a smaller-displacement bike with a new engine. That wouldn't be bad at all. Like a third step (after Interceptor and Continental) towards slowly phasing out the relics in favor of newer well-built retro bikes.

While I am dreaming, I will also say this: I hope RE makes a true cruiser bike for the Indian market too.