[Moto] Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650: successful retro custom

[Mr.Hacker]

The Indian brand offers a retro access custom (A2) with the well-known engine from the Interceptor and Continental in which almost everything else is new.

 

 

Since the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT were introduced to the world in 2018, more than 400,000 units of these two models have already been sold. The Super Meteor 650 is powered by the same engine as its siblings, a 648cc SOHC inline twin with 8 valves that is air and oil cooled. The power is 47 CV at 7250 rpm, that is, ideal not only for any fan but also for a new driver who is opening the A2 license. You will be able to enjoy the Super Meteor from the first moment, without it being necessary to limit its power. The maximum torque of 52.3 Nm is reached at 5650 rpm.

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When riding the Super Meteor 650 (blessed are the bikes that have names and not alphabet soup!) you quickly realize that the twin has excellent bass. So much so that 80 percent of the available torque is found at just 2,500 rpm. A situation that fits like a glove to this model that Royal Enfield defines as retro custom. Well, in international markets they now use the term cruiser but we think that these are semantic issues that are not very important. According to the Oxford Dictionary, "cruising is traveling in a motor vehicle smoothly at moderate speeds." We can assure you of something that the Super Meteor is capable of doing all day long, as it demonstrated in this dynamic test on the roads around Valencia.

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 2023
The work that Royal Enfield has done has not been simply to take the engine already known from the Interceptor and Continental to give it a custom aesthetic touch. Nor is it about using the base of the Meteor 350 (undoubtedly the little sister of the bike you see here) and planting the twin. No, the Super Meteor 650 is a completely new bike. Royal Enfield assures that, in addition to the computer simulations that are already unavoidable in the times in which we live, its testers have traveled more than a million km through India, the United Kingdom and Spain to fine-tune the final product.

Joaquín Cuñat, head of Royal Enfield Spain, explained to us that India and the EU had recently signed a trade agreement that eliminated or reduced tariffs on products. For this reason, the Super Meteor 650 will be on sale throughout Spain from March at 7,247 euros. That is the price of the base version which is called Astral, and it can be chosen in three colors (black, blue and a very British green). The next step is the Interstellar version (we really liked the movie of the same name and its soundtrack) at 7,447 euros (pink price) in green or gray. Finally, we can opt for the top of the range, the Celestial (7,747 euros) in red or blue that comes standard with a screen and luxurious large seat and backrest. In the test we only had access to the Astral, the base version, but the differences with the others are more cosmetic. As a good custom (which comes from the English "tailor"), Royal Enfield offers a huge catalog of accessories so that you can give it the image you want, more minimalist or ornate.

The Super Meteor 650 is the first Royal Enfield to use an upside-down fork, well, we can't say it's very new in 2023, but welcome. It is a unit signed by Showa that has 43 mm in diameter, 120 mm of travel and without regulation. On the rear axle we find two shock absorbers from the same farm with preload adjustment in five positions. We liked the fork a lot but the shock perhaps felt a little dry, especially in the bumpiest areas. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the travel is only 101 mm... The brand reminded us that this motorcycle is designed to be versatile, and its range of use even includes riding with a partner and with luggage (not my case). because my wife prefers making clothes to riding a motorcycle).

We come to the section of the brakes, some Bybre (By Brembo, which is a second brand of the famous manufacturer) that if we are not mistaken are made precisely in India. The front disc is 320 mm (the same as its sisters) with a two-piston caliper. The changes are in the back, because there the disc is 300 mm (240 mm on the Interceptor and Continental). The Super Metero, like any good custom, is long (1500 mm of wheelbase) and low, the bike feels well planted and, although agility is not its strong point, on the highway or in the city it moves with ease. When braking, you also have to lean a lot on the rear brake. To which we must add that this is a relatively heavy motorcycle (241 kg with all the fills made).