[adwaith]

Originally Posted by adwaith

The bike looks really impressive..............and seat.

My two paisas about a little more than the bare looks as an Interceptor owner. The spec sheet (which seems to have pulled from RE's website) suggests that the bike may be in a slightly different state of tune producing the same peak torque and power at slightly higher RPMs.

The weight stated is in line with the EU guidelines, i.e., with all fluids and 90% fuel, which makes it 28kgs and 30 kgs heavier than the Interceptor and Continental GT, respectively, measured by the same standards. I get between 17 and 22 kmpl on my Interceptor, Lakshmi. Of course, most of my riding is in the hills and mostly short commutes barring the occasional long ride. If you only cruise as it is purpose built for, the FE should be well above 20 kmpl and I don't think it will be an issue. However, as a daily driver (or rider in this case), the bike will pinch your pockets. If you frequently commute in areas with considerable traffic, then the weight will only add to your misery. I know the Interceptor's adds to mine.

It's longer and wider than the twins and sits lower as well and considering that I've had trouble with some speed breakers with Lakshmi, the 135mm ground clearance could be an issue. I'm about 5 feet and 9 inches tall and the 800mm seat height is not really been an issue, but I feel more comfortable with my boots on which have a bit of heel on them. The 740mm seat height is going to appeal to a lot of people and for a bike of this weight and size and it will also make things quite comfortable for the rider.

The rear brakes are larger at 300mm in comparison to the Interceptor which has 280mm rear disc. The front disc sizes are the same. The suspension set up, however, seems to be completely different, and I hope the issues that plagued the Interceptor have been remedied.

The tyre sizes are also completely different, not to mention that they now come with tubeless rims. I know many were waiting for a tubeless option for their twins and I have considered it too in the past but, I'm going to give them a pass, simply because of the sizes.

The parts and finish on the Super Meteor are really premium in comparison to the Interceptor. All the plastic bits on the handlebars, seem to have been replaced with aluminium or some other premium looking metal and the switch gear and everything seems to be far more superior. The new LED headlamp and USB charging port are a real boon, and I will try to get them for my Interceptor as well, however, I don't think the seat will be compatible, so I'll just get one custom made.

I will try and ride one soon, but the Super Meteor seems to tick a lot of the boxes as a tourer on paper and even otherwise a lot of the bike is quite familiar, since it is a sibling of the Interceptor. However, it seems be geared more towards the Western market and that's where it will sell considering that all of this will come at quite a hefty bump in prices, relative to the Interceptor and Continental GT, with an on-road price closer to ₹4 lakh and maybe even more with all the accessories.

The spec sheet for anyone interested.
[ATTACH=super-meteor-650-specifications.pdf]2377284[/ATTACH]

[nitro.1000bhp]

My only concern with the 40 kg extra heft is not the presumed lack of acceleration or top speed but the braking distance. I honestly feel RE should have gone with twin discs up front. More mass means it will take even longer to slow down and I have a hunch the braking distances will be significantly higher on the meteor than the interceptor.

[RT13]

Comparing this to the Vulcan only reinforces the point that it’s severely compromised. The Vulcan has 60 horses at 225 while this thing sits at 241 with only 47 under the tank. The argument that ‘it’s a cruiser so what do you expect’ is an odd one. A cruiser is merely a form factor for the most part. Sure there may be a slight weight penalty for the frame but not much. A single engine used across bikes for different purposes is pretty common - from the Honda 500s to the Kawa 650s. And though there’s indeed some variation, a 15-20% difference (depending on who is reporting the weight as of now) is just unnecessary imo. And unlike in the US or Europe, there is simply no way to avoid threading through traffic in India to even get to the highway or back. This seems like it’s going to be very unwieldy in slow traffic indeed! And you’re just about in big GS territory now so God forbid you drop this! As for cruising at 120, while it may be able to hold that speed, I think it’s going to huff and puff quite a bit to get there. 100 might be more realistic. For those saying it’ll sell well abroad, again I’m not sure. Europeans in particular are pretty discerning and I’m not sure they’ll welcome this with open arms and pick it over the regular Interceptor given the weight penalty and increased cost. Americans - again guys who are cruiser fans tend to be die hard Harley guys and this really isn’t for them. For the rest again the Interceptor and GT seem to make a better case for themselves. As the upcoming Scrambler probably will too. Either way, nicely designed but if only… Time will tell.

[Vikram9193]

I hope they’ve managed to improve the exhaust note over the Interceptor. When an Interceptor is riding alongside my car all I hear is cam whine! Unless it’s modded, of course, but I hear the challans are crazy these days. So it’s crucial to get the stock sound right. Must be difficult with bs6 and everything.

Since this bike is in the cruiser format the expectations on the sound front will be in the stratosphere. They did do a better job than expected with the new Hunter 350’s sound, so I’m hoping there will be some improvement over the Interceptor here.

[Latheesh]

This is how HD Street 750 should have looked. Now RE will capture the market what HD expected to capture with their Street 750.

[LiamJose]

I'll be honest here

I am not worried about anything else other than performance. I want 0-100 in less than 7 seconds. Interceptor and GT can do that amazingly well. In fact, both those bikes can keep up with the KTM 390s if they ever wanted to. Some people are saying, its a cruiser so acceleration doesn't matter. I don't really think that's the case. Most cruisers can actually beat the 390s. That's the fact. We call cruisers slow because we often compare them to 1000cc sport bikes.

I'll be frank. I wanted this to be more powerful. Does this come with the same state of tune? I can't find anything about the tune. I pray to God if this could keep up with the Interceptor and GT.

Anyway, one thing I really liked about this bike is its fully metal! WOW! And that means it'll age like a fine wine. Another thing is quite honestly, this bike is beautiful, especially the cruiser one. Damn! I think this would increase my testosterone just by sitting on it.

I haven't heard its exhaust note but please, I want it to sound amazingly good. Harleys make Bullets quiet and I wish if it had that kind of a sound.

I wanted the rear seat to be a bit more comfortable. I have to test drive to feel it. If I feel like its not under powered, I'll buy this bike.

[BipB]

Originally Posted by LiamJose

I'll be honest here

I am not worried about anything else other than performance. I want 0-100 in less than 7 seconds. Interceptor and GT can do that amazingly well. In fact, both those bikes can keep up with the KTM 390s if they ever wanted to. Some people are saying, its a cruiser so acceleration doesn't matter. I don't really think that's the case. Most cruisers can actually beat the 390s. That's the fact. We call cruisers slow because we often compare them to 1000cc sport bikes.

.

Wow! An RE cruiser being compared to KTM390s! Better go for some Japanese stuff, may be a Vulcan! 0-100 numbers on a cruiser, don't know how many of those long distance riders will ever relate to that! Being a meteor 350 owner, having done enough kms to know the bike's pros and cons, I won't for sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E73Epgdxn0

4.05 onwards , Mark Wells says in beautiful words what this bike is all about. And it is definitely not about 0-100 numbers!

[Old_Salt]

It does look like a poor man’s Speedmaster.

[pachchu77]

It is such a good looking machine, especially the tourer version. But I'm not a big fan of cruiser body style. Not sure, if I'll be made to eat my words after seeing this beast in flesh.

After riding Classic (reborn), Meteor, Highness for more than a few hundred kms each and Int650 for more than a thousand kms (across multiple trips that is, with 370kms being the longest single trip among them on Int650) via rental route, my wife and I concluded that our best option would be Int650 power in a Classic like body. Hence, we have been waiting for Shotgun 650 launch more than Super Meteor 650, (or at the very least, Int 650 with alloys) which seems to be still a little bit further away.

Btw, while browsing through youtube videos last week, after the announcement of Super Meteor unveil at EICMA, somewhere I came across one gentleman's comment claiming to be involved in organizing riders mania, saying that, they have been asked to make preparations for the unveil of 3 vehicles. Take it for what it's worth.... but I'm speculating that, it could be Int/GT with alloys (spy shots were captured of the same a couple of months ago) along with Super Meteor.

So, our wait continues....

[nasirkaka]

Just 15 years back, in the days when the biggest affordable bike available in India was LB500, we use to dream of someone (RE?) coming up with a mid size twin generating around 35bhp. Harleys were just setting up shop and owning one was a distant dream for the 99.9% of us. Since then, the biking scene in India is drastically evolved with plenty of foreign players setting shops and factories here and Indian companies trying to compete as well by upping their game. Royal Enfield, almost on the verge of closing down in the late 90s, is one such company. Let us applaud RE for taking the challenge, be it with the UCE based classic 350 & 500, Himalayan 410, 650 twins, J series etc.

Coming to the Super meteor, Its has a very typical cruiser silhoutte so will appeal to most as the visual cues are in tune with our mental image of a cruiser. Fit and finish looks good from pictures. i like how the bike is been put together and presented. Weight and ground clearance are two of the factors being discussed most and rightly so.

Weight of the bike seems to be on the higher side but RE is not a company known to make light weight motorcycles. I had a Bonnivelle 865 SE which weighed much more then my interceptor 650, but in day to handling the interceptor feels heavier. there is much more to how a bikes shows or masks its weight then just the kerb or gross weight on paper. with any new bike, there is always a bit of learning around like reverse parking it when there is a slope so its simply ride out. So lets see how heavy or light this one feels in real life.

GC is another area of concern. 135mm seems a bit low for unscientific Indian speed breakers, ramps, slopes etc. New bonnies have 140mm of GC which does fairly ok in most conditions. On super Meteor launch pics, we do not see a bash plate. Not sure if adding that would further lower GC. How hard or soft and how much the suspension travels would also affect the GC. Hope we will get to know these from the rider mania next week where the bike is likely to be launched in India with price announcement and test rides. Who knows, they might launched a slightly tweaked version for India with better GC. Wishful thinking.

There is small but certain market for cruisers in India and bikes like entiser, avenger, Thunderbird, Harleys, etc have done fairly well overtime. RE knows how to sweetly price their bikes as well. Cruisers are not really known for speed, so some drop in performance vis-a-vis weight is acceptable. There is GT in the same stable for those looking for speed. 650 twins have plenty of torque to keep up with or surpass highway traffic in India.

RE has also learnt how to market a product and create a lifestyle around it with their events, rides, accessories, apparels, etc. I am personally not into cruisers, but wishing them all the luck with this new launch.

PS. I was secretly hoping for them to show the H450 during this EICMA and was disappointed on that front.

[iron.head]

Here in Canada a lot of first time female riders start at 40hp. There are 40hp bikes that weigh 160 kilos wet. Not cruisers and not an equal comparison but this power to weight ratio is just too bad.

This could have been a Meteor 750 or a Meteor 900 producing around 70hp and that would have been much nicer. RE does not have that engine ready and cutting corners is the RE DNA.

Reiterating what's been said in another comment - a cruiser doesn't mean that it has to be slow and just do a 100 or a 120 irrespective of the time it takes to reach there. A lot of people use cruisers as their daily drivers. IMHO too in the international markets the Interceptor 650 is a cleaner looking, lighter, and a more practical option.

[PAS]

Folks, lets respect this one for what it is and also criticize for what it is. This is a a proper cruiser so appreciation as well as critique should be w.r.t cruisers.

I don't expect this to have Ground clearance on par with an commuter let alone ADV bikes. would be good to have few more mm's added but would it not impact the overall cruiser feel and stance? would it still remain accessible to short riders?

Breaking, lets wait for test rides and media rides to start pouring in. I am sure this is high on media reviews. We would have much more reliable inputs coming on here on TeamBHP as well from you and Me. Eventually Breaking is not defined by alone no of Disc's or size of those Disc's.

Weight, Frankly knowing RE, I would have not been surprised even if it weighted a bit more. Its a Cruiser, built with all metal including few typical Plastic components in Brushed Aluminum finish. Obviously, this will add up to the weight. Also, looking at the specs it seems the weight includes 90% fuel and Oil.


PS: Every bike, car or for that matter anything that's not custom built will come with its own Pro and Con, what matters is the priorities of buyer in-fact the majority of the buyers if it has to be mass produced.

[PetroHeado]

An Amazing looking bike. I am definitely looking to add one to my garage. This seems a perfect upgrade from my Thunderbird 350X.

And for my fellow BHPians commenting about weight, buff horses, etc. Come on, guys! It's a cruiser (read that again). It's meant for relaxed cruising and munching miles at decent speeds, hence the category. You are expected to connect with a motorcycle and engage with your surroundings and have fun all through your journey and not speed racing down the highways! And as proven by GT/Int it will have enough grunt to maintain with the traffic on Indian or international motorways. For people who argue that bikes need speed for having fun, watch any review from a UK-based youtube bike review and those people are so happy that the bikes like a classic, meteor, and Int/GT are the way they are.

Especially, my favorite one Freddie Dobbs (

https://youtu.be/P3o6_b_mgOE

)
in his intro to the RE bikes explains the joy of motorcycling and the heritage associated with these British classics and how the machines from RE are doing really well in that regard.

It's worth a watch people, maybe it may redefine your thoughts on motorcycling and also instill a love for classic-retro-styled bikes. If priced right I see another win for RE in the international market. Here in India, this will definitely fill the gap between a mid-range cruiser and an expensive Harley-range one, or who knows RE may surprise us with a good affordable price tag. I also did notice people criticizing the seat size... I mean come on! We only have some photos and videos of it. We should wait for the reviews and its launch in flesh on Indian shores. And going by RE heritage I am sure they will offer their best in rider comforts to their newest flagship on offer. Pretty Hopeful!

I definitely see it as a daily driver when I get my hands on it. RE is known to mask the bike's weight well. And from personally owning an RE myself, Yes! the parking bits and reversing and U-turns are gonna be a bit effortful, but I learned to live with it. And so would you guys! So let's patiently wait and see what this beauty has to offer to the biker's community.

Happy Motoring!

[RT13]

I see a lot of RE fans getting a bit defensive and I don’t know why. There are two separate things here.

That it is beautiful and that you may love it and choose to live with its shortcomings is great. It is also largely subjective. That it’s power to weight ratio is low and that it’s weight is high for the category is objective. Both can be simultaneously be true.

People have lived with the 350s and their (many) foibles and loved them dearly for decades. This will clearly be miles better.

One just wishes that a little more effort were put into one specific aspect of the bike. In this day and age of material science, where marketing teams boast of shaving as little as 5-10 kilos off a motorcycle, and taking 25 off the old Tiger seems a feat of wizardry, adding 30-40 kilos to an existing platform seems mind-bogglingly, bafflingly avoidable. But I’m not entirely surprised. What Royal Enfield have been masters at is building the brand and the mystique and aspiration around it (as a branding professional I have tremendous respect for that). What they’ve been less committed to is quality, as many successive models over the years have been rolled out half baked, using consumers as their test dummies. Given that track record, and what is generally achievable in engineering in this day and age, I’m fully prepared to believe that enough effort just wasn’t made. I’m sure that enough custom builders can, and will, take this and shave 10 kilos off it without effort. But if the weight is in the frame, then there isn’t a whole lot one can do about it.

On a separate note, the romantic notions that surround cruisers are mostly built around the great highways of the US. Our conditions tend to slap that out of one’s head fairly quickly imo. But hey, if it floats your boat, go for it. Its your life to live and you have only one

[Geta]

Originally Posted by iron.head

Here in Canada a lot of first time female riders start at 40hp. There are 40hp bikes that weigh 160 kilos wet. Not cruisers and not an equal comparison but this power to weight ratio is just too bad.

This could have been a Meteor 750 or a Meteor 900 producing around 70hp and that would have been much nicer. RE does not have that engine ready and cutting corners is the RE DNA.

Reiterating what's been said in another comment - a cruiser doesn't mean that it has to be slow and just do a 100 or a 120 irrespective of the time it takes to reach there. A lot of people use cruisers as their daily drivers. IMHO too in the international markets the Interceptor 650 is a cleaner looking, lighter, and a more practical option.

I guess u r completely missing / overlooking the point.

1) RE is not considering Canadians as their primary target. What is normal in North America (large territory, sparse population, very good highways) are not normal elsewhere on the planet.
2) RE is the global leader in the mid size (250 - 750 cc engine) two wheeler market and it sells about 600,000 bikes per annum. 85% of its sales come in India, and the remaining 15% from UK, Europe, Latin America and South east Asia. Whatever sales it can achieve in the North America is just a bonus.
3) Against 81,000 bikes exported in the last FY, RE has exported 28,xxx bikes in the first quarter of the current fiscal. This is well in line with their objective of achieving a 20-25% sales this FY from non -Indian markets
4) The RE 650 twins are the highest selling mid size bikes in the UK
5) Unveiling this cruiser in Europe drives down a couple of points. The Indian buyers get a feel that this is an international product which is getting launched in India in a couple of weeks. The potential European buyers don't end up feeling that they are getting a "third world" product
by virtue of it getting unveiled first in India (hypothetically)
6) There are buyers for good products across the world if the pricing is good. The products need not outperform the market leaders in all departments to become a bestseller.

https://www.webbikeworld.com/royal-e...-skyrocketing/

https://m.economictimes.com/industry...w/90783272.cms

https://www.motorcyclesdata.com/2022...royal-enfield/

https://www.rideapart.com/news/59633...s-q2-2022/amp/

https://www.livemint.com/auto-news/r...831466976.html

https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto...988747119.html