[Prayaglele]

Hey everyone, as mentioned in the unveiling thread putting this together as my initial ownership thread of the latest entry to Royal Enfield stable the 650 Super Meteor. To begin with some context I've been looking forward to this bike for over a year now.

Context
Over the years I've graduated towards the cruiser format as for me it feels the most comfortable with the forward set footpegs and low seat. However an absence of options in the market led me to getting the Thunderbird 350x back in 2017. With the meteor being launched shortly after I was immediately swooned by it and remember thinking why not stick the Continental engine in this and take over the segment between the avenger and vulcans/entry harley market. Seems like Royal Enfield had similar thoughts! As soon as the rumours, followed by sightings started cropping up, I knew I wanted to try this out as soon as possible.

Royal Enfield over the last ten years or so has incrementally been uping their game, which was evident in the tb x series to the gt twins to the meteor. Its almost as if they're using scrum . Now while the Thunderbird X had its own set of problems these increments were giving me confidence. So when I was unable to make it to rider mania due to health reasons and inspite of trying what not to get a preorder, I settled for booking on the day of the launch.


Launch and wait
On the day of the launch, I had cleared my calendar and made sure no more meetings were scheduled and hurried over to the showroom. Seeing it in the flesh, it was exactly what I was hoping for and confidence levels continued to rise. The first thing that struck me was the fit and finish quality. The bike looked so well done. I had asked a colleague and friend and a fellow automotive enthusiast to keep my excitement in check. After spending around 30 minutes or so going over the bike including sitting and gunning the engine a bit, he gave a nod of approval and I booked the interstellar grey variant for Rs.10000. For accessories I went with only the sump guard and oil filler cap as my idea and understanding from the pricing was that accessories can be added on top after understanding compatability and need, saving a bit on the road tax. So the variant model decision was based purely on the color choice I wanted. The dealership staff was extremely courteous and was equally excited, were they communicated that the test drives should be available late next week and deliveries will mostly start from the 1st week of March for the preorders.


Predelivery/online review concerns - Test Drive
As the media gag was lifted, a flurry of online reviews came in and I poured myself over them as I had not had the chance to ride the bike as such yet. While the reviews were overall quite positive (as they generally tend to be) there were alot of people raising concerns over the low ground clearance, stiff suspension, Heavy weight of the bike leading to maneuverability issues in the city, heavy clutch, uncomfortable stock seat and heat output of the engine. Overall essentially whether the bike works in the Indian enviornment. All in all I began having a few second thoughts and followed up almost every other day with the showroom whether test rides had begun or not.


Test Drive
Finally one day, I got a call from the Sales rep who was coordinating with me, that a test ride was available and that I could come down to showroom some time today. I quickly made arrangements to go down and found myself at the godown for the test ride. Here I wont go into too much detail as I've covered a good majority in the unveiling thread, however in short, all of my doubts quickly started vanishing after a good hour long test drive.

Delivery and Dealership experience

A couple of days passed and I received a call from the sales rep saying that my bike had arrived! I was pleasantly surprised but wasnt about to complain about an early delivery. She asked me to come down to the showroom to complete some of the formalities and complete the payment amounts which came to 4.47 On Road including extended warranty for 5 years as I didnt go for the RSA, so I hurried over to the showroom later that evening. There were a few RTO papers to sign along with RE documents. For the payment they offered some decent financing options though I didnt end up going with them. They also asked me to visit the godown to do a PDI. I made my way down there, but to be honest other than a slow video for evidence and a quick look at the all the connectors and bodywork didnt really do anything else. This is also where I got a bit curious about the "choice number" bit and decided to experiment this time around. Accordingly they connected me with their agent. The process went smoother than what I was expecting. I simply gave him a list of a few numbers I thought were aethestically pleasing, I paid him the amount as per the RTO website along with a commission of 1000 bucks and then within 24 hours he sent the tax receipt from the RTO and I also received an automated message from the RTO saying that the number had been blocked for me. Within the next 48 hours it was registered to the Chassis/engine no. of my bike. On Saturday, 11th of February they called me in the morning to take the delivery, so I went down with my Uncle who is also fittingly the same person who got me into automotives. Here looking back I think they could've done the delivery part with a bit more pomp but all in all nothing to really complain about. They were prompt and to the point explaining the basic features and parts of the bike. After which they handed me the keys and makeshift free helmet and off I was!



1 week and 500 kms ownership experience

Its now been over a week of owning this beauty and I've managed to cover 500kms including daily commutes, city pleasure rides and a teambhp meetup.

Pros :

• Riding stance comfort
• Maneuverability in the city for its size/weight class
• Aesthetics
• Power delivery
• Fit and Finish

Cons :
Now while these are really niggles rather than cons

• Exhaust covering near the stand missing facilitating dust sticking to the pipe
• Better electronics cluster - Fuel economy would be nice to have as well as more accurate fuel readings
• Horn could be a bit better, it feels a bit too squeaky and a bit out of place. I feel the pitch could have been deeper.

Design and Finish


The design is absolutely beautiful if you ask me. It has a massive road presense and the contours are perfectly done. The tail end and the tank are the crowns though and look stunning. The badging on the tank is masterfully done and interestingly even the the saree guard is well made and has a sandpaper type finish which feels as if it was part of the design and not an afterthought to just meet compliances. The touches of aluminium finish over the bike and the switches themselves feel premium. The stock mirrors again feel great and the ball joints in them finally hold there position properly without being hard to change when needed. Finally I dont have to fiddle with the mirrors multiple times through a ride. They provide a nice clear view of everything behind you allowing for further comfort both during city and highway rides.

As typical with most bikes, it doesnt have any real storage space, so I went ahead and installed the Via Terra Seaty, which looks nice and discreet but has the capability to expand for decent storage space when needed. (Photos and link coming soon)


Ride Quality Experience


So with a week of daily commuting done along with a decent patch of highway driving, I feel I have fair understanding of how the bike performs in various situations. At the outset any worries about weight absolutely disappear the minute you get on the saddle. The low center of gravity masks the weights well and while moving through traffic, steering is easy and relaxed. The stance feels very natural to me and I've had no problems adjusting to the forward set foot pegs.

The engine itself feels super refined, similar to the GT Twins, yet unique with the map. The low end feels nice and torquey as it should for a cruiser. Overall power output suits the look of the bike and at no point have I felt that there is lack of power. Even at higher speeds there are virtually no vibrations and "butter" is the word I'd use to describe it. Within the city I hardly found myself crossing the third gear and the lower gears offer more than enough power for the city. Those small bursts to quickly overtake are again confidence inspiring and easy to come by. On the highway the extra gear has been great in ensuring that if needed there is always more power on tap. There is obviously some heat involved seeing that you have a 650 parallel twin between your feet, but while riding, once your feet are on the footpegs, it all vanishes behind you and only really becomes somewhat of an issue in extended bumper to bumper traffic.

The gearbox is a bit wierd in the sense that it is significantly better than previous REs, it is still not fully there, with occasional slips (these are rare and all in all not really a major problem at all). The clutch itself while people have said it feels hard, I felt that it is fairly light and hasnt been a problem for me. I'm also happy to say finding neutral is no longer a problem on this one!

The CEAT stock tyres are decent and provide enough grip. The rear tyre is satisfyingly "fat" and fares well even through damp patches and ever present water spills and dusty roads. Overall they provide a confidence inspiring ride and the weight of the vehicle adds to this providing great stability even on high speed highways.

When it comes to dealing with wind, I am definitely adding the windscreen as on highways at high speeds with crosswinds I felt swayed a bit even though the bike itself was well planted. Over longer rides I feel it will be a definite must have.

The stock seat has felt adequate in the city for rides upto an hour or so, but past that I feel the comfort of the touring seat will be a welcome relief and this is something I'm planning on getting as well. Though I would prefer to have a single seat, I will definitely be adding some more padding to the stock one.
That said, the stitching on the seat feel nice and premium and aesthetically looks pleasing.

The suspension is what has been the biggest worry from what I can tell online. Here I believe the right expectations are required. If you plan to take it offroading, this is not the bike for it. But for normal city and highway rides its absolutely fine. It is on the stiffer side to balance out the ground clearance which is similar to other REs, and it accordingly handles the backbreakers well. I havent scraped it once over even the most monstrous speedbreakers so all in all it is well thought out. At high speeds the suspension deals well with the occasisonal patches of our roads, with the weight and stability of the bike coming in nicely.

The handling is the only other lets say "planned compromise". Given the size the turning radius is obviously larger than average, but wholly manageable. The braking feels adequate especially the rear brake and stopping power hasnt been an issue at all, though I'll add the caveat that I haven't had the need to brake very aggressively as I generally drive with fairly decent margins.

Fuel efficiency has been decent with my first tank for city use giving around 220 kms and the second one for mainly rides of ~ 80kms or so giving about 280kms. For reference the tank size is 15.7 L

To sum it all up, it is pretty much exactly what I was looking for and I'm supremely happy with the purchase. Looking forward to long rides and many many adventures on it.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sebring]

Big congratulations on your purchase. This bike is the most awaited launch I feel, and I cant wait to take a test ride. Hear plenty of after-market options will be made available for the rear suspension and exhaust, and that news is music to my ears. Please keep updating this thread.

[Prayaglele]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Big congratulations on your purchase. This bike is the most awaited launch I feel, and I cant wait to take a test ride. Hear plenty of after-market options will be made available for the rear suspension and exhaust, and that news is music to my ears. Please keep updating this thread.

Thanks! Yes, quite a few aftermarket solutions are already ready as far as I've heard and of course yes, updates will keep flowing!

[CLASSICREBORN]

Congratulations on your purchase. It looks fantastic. I hope you have a great experience ahead. Regarding the seats , I would suggest you give the stock seats sufficient to time to break in. This I say from my experience with my Classic Reborn which I frequently use for long rides ,i.e., 550 km to and fro. Previously the stock seats used to feel hard and uncomfortable after 100-150 kma of riding. But after using it for 3000-4000 kms it completely changed its character, so much so that I completely dropped the plan of upgrading to touring seats.
Keep updating this thread.
Safe riding and cheers!

[rajeevsulu]

Congratulations on a lovely bike! As @classicreborn above has mentioned, I request you to wait for some more time. The seat takes some time to bed in. I bought an Interceptor with the touring seats company installed. When I rode the bike for the first time, I was not too impressed with the seat. Three weeks later, it is a different story altogether!! Do keep this thread updated!
Rajeevsulu

[surjaonwheelz]

Congratulations again! Very unique colour choice and the paint design blends with the black/silver parts of the bike (engine/silencer/alloys)

As we sampled your Super Meteor in the team-bhp meet, it's very easy to ride.

It felt much calmer than my Interceptor! Didn't feel heavy or stiff to me in the parking lot where I could only use the first 2 gears. Overall felt a much relaxed package.



2 things SM650 should have had,
- A special twin pod instrument console with tachometer
- Dual horn (minor upgrade, just put the soundbomb mini from Denali)

AEW has already launched slip-on exhausts for the SM650.

Looking forward to another ride with you in the nearby ghat sections to see how it holds its corner lines. As my feet were searching for the foot controls near the engine as I'm used to that riding position! Get the first service done.

In addition, the ground clearance of your Thunderbird-X and SM650 should be similar, nothing to worry here.

Happy cruising,
surjaonwheelz

[navin_v8]

Prayag mate congratulations on the Super Meteor 650. I believe this is the first SM650 on Team-BHP. Saw your motorcycle in person during the TeamBHP meet on Sunday but didn't get a chance to interact with you.

The quality for sure has improved from the days of Thunderbird (original cruiser from RE post Lightning 535). I know it's too early to ask, but what's the comfortable cruising speed (sweet spot) on the SM650?

[Prayaglele]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Congratulations again! Very unique colour choice and the paint design blends with the black/silver parts of the bike (engine/silencer/alloys)

As we sampled your Super Meteor in the team-bhp meet, it's very easy to ride.

It felt much calmer than my Interceptor! Didn't feel heavy or stiff to me in the parking lot where I could only use the first 2 gears. Overall felt a much relaxed package.

Attachment 2420983

2 things SM650 should have had,
- A special twin pod instrument console with tachometer
- Dual horn (minor upgrade, just put the soundbomb mini from Denali)

AEW has already launched slip-on exhausts for the SM650.

Looking forward to another ride with you in the nearby ghat sections to see how it holds its corner lines. As my feet were searching for the foot controls near the engine as I'm used to that riding position! Get the first service done.

In addition, the ground clearance of your Thunderbird-X and SM650 should be similar, nothing to worry here.

Happy cruising,
surjaonwheelz

Agreed, yes I missed out on the instrument cluster, definitely would like to see rpm numbers while riding and yes horn upgrade is coming up for sure within the week.

Planning Mahabaleshwar this Saturday if you're up for it

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Prayag mate congratulations on the Super Meteor 650. I believe this is the first SM650 on Team-BHP. Saw your motorcycle in person during the TeamBHP meet on Sunday but didn't get a chance to interact with you.

The quality for sure has improved from the days of Thunderbird (original cruiser from RE post Lightning 535). I know it's too early to ask, but what's the comfortable cruising speed (sweet spot) on the SM650?

Thanks! Yes there were quite a few people I missed out on interacting with as well, feel free to join on Saturday as well!

The sweet cruising spot is a bit subjective I feel. Personally I like the 70-90 range (Here I know I will be able to comfortably stop the bike given our roads), but the bike is capable of easily holding 120 or even 140 without any vibrations or stress, if the roads would allow for it.

[the_skyliner]

Congratulations, Prayaglele!

Was fortunate enough to see your bike in flesh on Sunday during our TBHP meet.

What an amazing package from RE! Loved the design and the engine anyways is a well received one in the market. You also chose the perfect colour, IMO. The bike looks hot in Grey.

I at least know 3 people in my close circle who would be buying the SM650 - this is going to be an another hit from RE.

Hope to see you in one of the Sunday rides.

Cheers!

[tp_dominator]

Congratulations on the lovely bike and wish you many more happy miles on it. I was pleasantly surprised by how RE has managed to include quality materials on the Super Meteor 650 which makes it totally worth the price.

What a coincidence! I took the delivery of my Scram 411 from the exact same person and looks like we stay in the same society as well! Would love to check your bike sometime out in person. Congrats again!

[ScorpWarp]

Hearty congratulations Prayaglele !! Very well articulated thoughts. I am seriously tempted by this bike as a retrun to biking bike after riding my YAMAHA RXG 135 20 years ago. One question if you don't mind. Do you think such a heavy bike would be manageable for a not so heavyweight person, 165 cm 75 kg to be precise ?
Also, do you flat foot on both sides ?
Thanks in advance.
Wishing you happy mile munching on your awesome ride.

[Dhruv Shetty]

Congratulations Prayaglele on the SE650 and wish you many happy kilometres. It's very beautiful looking bike with quality parts in it. Plus It was nice interacting with you at the meet. Like the interceptor 650 the weight disappears once off the stand.

[Prayaglele]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Congratulations, Prayaglele!

Hope to see you in one of the Sunday rides.

Cheers!

For sure. Apparently we also have another common Bhpian friend.

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Congratulations on the lovely bike and wish you many more happy miles on it. I was pleasantly surprised by how RE has managed to include quality materials on the Super Meteor 650 which makes it totally worth the price.

What a coincidence! I took the delivery of my Scram 411 from the exact same person and looks like we stay in the same society as well! Would love to check your bike sometime out in person. Congrats again!

Thanks! If you're guessing based on the last picture, then I dont think there's another similar one . You can find me on the main group and we'll catch up sometime.

Originally Posted by ScorpWarp

Hearty congratulations Prayaglele !! Very well articulated thoughts. I am seriously tempted by this bike as a retrun to biking bike after riding my YAMAHA RXG 135 20 years ago. One question if you don't mind. Do you think such a heavy bike would be manageable for a not so heavyweight person, 165 cm 75 kg to be precise ?
Also, do you flat foot on both sides ?
Thanks in advance.
Wishing you happy mile munching on your awesome ride.

Absolutely should be manageable, not too far from my dimensions. Yes I can flat foot both sides with no issues.

[MadTitan]

Congratulations, and welcome to the RE tribe!

I checked this out few days back, and though it looks beautiful in pictures, this thing has incredible street presence. The engine is an absolute gem and I am sure you'll have a lot of memorable rides in the days ahead.

I was going to join the meetup on Sunday, but had to drop off at the last minute. Are you guys planning a ride again this Saturday? Can I join?