Royal Enfield Super Meteor, a 650cc cruiser for the daily commute, Howzat?

Commuting to work can become a yawn if you’re stuck in the same mode of transportation. My favorite rides usually involve riding my Suzuki Burgman Street 125 scooter and occasionally in my Honda City. Lucky for me, in March, I was handed the keys to my Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, which has been in the long-term fleet for a few months now. During that time, I spent a lot of time with the Super Meteor 650, from commuting to work to otherwise riding in a variety of road conditions and scenarios. Having said that, here is my report on the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 City.

Design and features

The premium Celestial variant gets a two-tone cream and red color, making it look stunning.

The Super Meteor 650 certainly convinces him with style. Especially the one you see here, as it’s the top-of-the-line Celestial variant, which is decked out in a tall windshield, touring seats, a passenger backrest, and a gorgeous cream and red two-tone paint job. Driving through traffic, it’s hard not to notice heads turning as the Super Meteor manages to turn heads on the road.

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The charging port is located inside the left panel, which makes it inconvenient to use.

Coming back to the features, the bike is equipped with a charging port located awkwardly inside the side panel (which is inconvenient to use) and a tripper navigation pod positioned next to the instrument panel, which I did not use as I am well versed in route. However, one can benefit from the latter during long rides as it provides visual turn-by-turn navigation updates for the rider on the go. The LED headlight offers a decent design, while the hazard lights were useful when you had to pull over to the side of the road whenever necessary.

The Super Meteor gets the tripper navigation device as standard.

Engine and performance

Here, the Super Meteor has the same 650cc engine as the Interceptor 650 Twin, Continental GT 650 and Shotgun 650 with the same power and torque figures. However, the distinction lies in the tweaks to the engine mapping and exhaust note, which I liked over the other 650. The transmission remains unchanged, so you get the same smooth 6-speed gearbox, which offers precise shifts. The SM650 really shines with a strong torque band in the low and mid-range, making it a manoeuvrable and enjoyable bike to ride around town. It responds eagerly every time you open the throttle, which happens every time the opportunity arises; Meanwhile, the brakes offer good bite and feel adequate for downshifts.

It shares the powertrain with three other 650cc models in the portfolio.

Something that annoyed me while riding in traffic was the heat radiating from the engine since it is close to my feet, especially when I’m waiting for the signal to turn green or in drag. However, once in motion, the heat effectively radiates into the moving air. The U-turn is an uphill task. It’s best to keep the bike upright while doing tight turns and U-turns. Around corners and flowing turns, the bike remains stable and easy to handle.

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The rear suspension setup of this cruiser is on the stiffer side.

My daily route to the office is about 45 kilometers each way, adding a mix of paved roads and a few rough patches. While riding on smooth tarmac, the cruiser feels like Alaadin’s magic carpet and is well planted. However, once the road gets bumpy, thanks to the stiff rear suspension, every undulation or patchwork in the road can be felt exactly where it shouldn’t. When I tackled some of the nasty bumps on the trail, I ended up jumping out of the saddle for a split second – Yes, it’s that abysmal!

The tall windshield provided in the sky trim navigates the airflow directly to the helmet, which causes wind noise.

Other than that, I had to be cautious while riding over high speed switchbacks as the ground clearance is significantly low at 135mm, making it prone to scraping its belly easily. The high windshield offered in this version is a little captivating at higher speeds; Mostly cruising above 100km/h causes excessive wind noise which becomes annoying.

ergonomics

The ergonomics of the cruiser are quite relaxing when it comes to the riding position.

The Super Meteor 650 is a cruiser-style bike, but full-sized, with front footpegs and a laid-back, relaxed riding position that’s complemented by touring seats (optional on lower trims) that are quite comfortable for to saddle . I didn’t get a chance to experience the ride as a kid, but my dad did and found the seatback comfortable, but with this one glued on it’s what’s right under the rider. Yep, rear shocks were a complete mood killer for him too.

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The tourist seats are offered as standard in the top celestial variant.

Weight and fuel efficiency

The SM650 is currently RE’s heaviest motorcycle, tipping the scales at 241kg (with 90% fuel). It also has a long wheelbase of 1,500mm, which makes handling a little tricky, especially in tight parking spaces. Due to the weight, the bike feels quite planted while riding, which inspires confidence.

The SM650 is currently the heaviest motorcycle from RE, with a weight of 241 kg.

When you go for a 650cc parallel twin cruiser, fuel efficiency may not be your priority. But just in case it is, I pumped the 15.7 liter tank to the brim and did a 50km run with fuel in the city where it returned a mileage of 21.5 kmpl which is quite decent. Well, I didn’t get to stretch the SM650’s legs on the highway, but my mates did and apparently it returned a fuel efficiency of 26 kmpl. On the same beat, the fuel gauge on the cluster frequently shows inaccurate readings once the fuel level drops by a quarter, leading to confusion as to how much fuel is in the tank.

Summing things up

With a friendly and easy-to-drive demeanor, I found myself putting over 800 kilometers on it in just over a month. In my books, the Super Meteor 650 is ideal for the daily commute or even as the only bike in the garage. However, it is a bit pricey and is RE’s most expensive bike in India. The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 in Celestial trim costs Rs 3.94 lakh ex-showroom.

The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 in Celestial trim costs Rs 3.94 lakh ex-showroom.

This report basically calculates life with the Super Meteor 650 for me and so far it’s been a good time with it. I have now said goodbye to the cruiser and I only wish RE had forgotten about this unit as I would be looking forward to planning a long trip on it!