There are many options in the middleweight cruiser segment today, but getting something at a reasonable price, let’s say under $8,000, can be quite frustrating because you have to make compromises. The choices you have are between small, lightweight products that are designed to be great commuters, or mid-weight cruisers that have a considerable weight penalty, meaning they’re good on the highway but not in the city. If you want something that bridges the distance between these two extremes, there is a surprising lack of options on the market at the moment. This is something that a certain Royal Enfield wants to take advantage of.
To enjoy it all you need the right machine
The appeal of a cruiser isn’t just in its ability to tackle the highway. First, it needs to look the part. A tall, low look with a streamlined stance that draws attention wherever it goes, followed by an engine that sounds and feels the part. Then, there needs to be performance to support those looks. A bonus is the good ownership experience with very high reliability and very low ownership costs. If you manage to get all of these in one machine, you’ve almost reached the Holy Grail of middleweight cruisers.
Many products use electronics as a crutch – but nothing can replace great engineering
Electronics have come to rule our lives; It’s an undeniable truth, but motorcycles are primarily mechanical devices. Electronics are supposed to lend a helping hand, but like any good thing, too much of it is not a good thing. Getting yourself an analog machine that sounds good even without the electronic nannies means you’ve got a fundamentally well-engineered product. This allows you to focus on important points, like the road, the horizon, and your experiences without any high-tech distractions.
Can you really get the benefits of a big bike without the big bike itself?
The short answer is yes. As manufacturers develop new technologies, new and amazing products are constantly coming on sale, so even in a segment like the middleweight cruiser segment, there is a possibility of achieving that Holy Grail of cruisers – a middleweight cruiser that feels like a big bike when driven on the highway, but otherwise shrinks around you in traffic and allows you to easily back it up into a parking spot. This product comes from the most unexpected direction, Royal Enfield, but it deserves all the praise it gets.
Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 offers big-bike confidence without the big-bike drama
Royal Enfield has been a legacy manufacturer that hasn’t made much progress for most of its century-long history; However, over the last 35 years, it has grown very rapidly. Its current set of products can compete with any global manufacturer, and the pinnacle of this development was its twin-cylinder platform. This is where we’ll find the cruiser that delivers big-bike confidence without the big-bike drama, because the Super Meteor 650 is everything we look for in a middleweight cruiser: engineering simplicity combined with a very attractive chassis and an engine with lots of character. It offers big road presence without the high cost, which is a win.
It is priced at the lower end of the midsize segment
At $7,899, the Super Meteor 650 is one of those rare products that you don’t need to overpay for. In fact, when you look at the size of the motorcycle and the displacement it offers, only Chinese manufacturers can do such a price better. We also have to take into account that it is not a liquid-cooled engine, but the Super Meteor does not rely on specifications to let you have a good time. Royal Enfield now has the same price for both versions of the Super Meteor, including the touring-biased version with a more comfortable seat, pillion backrest and windshield.
Royal Enfield’s first twin cylinder engine is a gem
This is the first multi-cylinder engine in recent years. So this is an important milestone for Royal Enfield. It’s an air- and oil-cooled parallel-twin engine, but it opts for a SOHC head with a 270-degree crank and four valves per cylinder. The brand has also chosen a very comfortable compression ratio of 9.5:1.
The result is 47 horsepower at 7,250 rpm and 38.6 pound-feet of torque at 5,650 rpm. This is controlled by a cable throttle. It has an assist and slipper clutch that connects to a 6-speed gearbox, and a chain drives the rear wheel. There are no electronics here other than the ignition and injection, and honestly there’s no need. This is a big part of why this is an affordable cruiser that still feels premium.
Traditional chassis is attractive
The Super Meteor chooses a traditional downtube cradle frame, which adds to its weight, but that’s good for longevity and customization. It feels like a comfortable bike for riders who refuse to rush, which is why the inverted front forks are a surprise. At the rear there are twin piggyback shocks with preload adjustment.
Brakes are the same for the class, with a single 320 mm front disc with a two-piston floating caliper, and at the rear, a slightly smaller 300 mm disc with the same caliper. 19-inch front and 16-inch alloy wheels are used with tubeless tyres, and spoke rims are not an option even at the dealer level.
It’s a long and low cruiser
It’s a mid-sized cruiser, and its proportions are such that it makes bigger bikes feel unnecessary. It is 89 inches long and 35 inches wide, with a 59-inch wheelbase. Seat height is 29.1 inches and ground clearance is 5.3 inches. It can hold 4.15 gallons of fuel in its tanks, and its wet weight is a bit high for the class at 531.3 pounds, with its fluids topped up at about approx.
Features are quite good for the price
The Super Meteor 650 looks like a retro motorcycle, and its feature set matches that vibe. Still, you get more than you expect. It features an offset circular instrument cluster with an analog speedometer with a floating needle around its circumference. In the middle is an LCD that shows information such as fuel level, selected gear, odometer, trip meter, clock and warning lamp at the bottom. Additionally, there is a small circular tripper pod, which is a TFT display. It syncs with Google Maps via an app on your phone and gives you navigation alerts.
There are different variants of the Super Meteor 650, although their prices do not vary. The regular variants feature single-tone colours, while the Celestial versions feature a two-tone paint job, a more comfortable touring seat, a pillion backrest and a bolt-on windshield. You also get a center stand as standard with all variants, which is nice. Accessories include soft luggage, engine guards and sump guards. Dual-channel ABS is the only safety feature available, and it’s not switchable.
Super Meteor has an interesting mix of options
The price of the Super Meteor 650 has remained essentially unchanged since its launch in the US market in 2023, but looking at the options for the middleweight cruiser reveals some very interesting options. The obvious one is the Kawasaki Vulcan S, one of the parallel-twin cruisers that riders keep longer than any other bike. It has the same displacement as the RE, but does the opposite, using a liquid-cooled, high-revving parallel twin with a 180° firing order. This is one of those cruisers that loves corners. You’ll have to pay a little more at $8,149 for the ABS-equipped Vulcan S.
It’s a similar story with the Honda Rebel 500 – it’s a budget cruiser that riders tend to keep for years. Like the Kawasaki, it has its roots in a modern street bike and so shares its chassis and driveline with that bike. Both of these models don’t offer TFT screens for the instrumentation, but that’s easy to swallow with the Honda’s $6,799 retail price.
If you don’t mind spending a little more money for an honest-to-goodness V-twin cruiser, the Honda Shadow Phantom is an option at $8,699. It now offers dual-channel ABS and has a single driveshaft, meaning zero maintenance between services, but retains its legendary reliability that makes high mileages feel routine. Finally, there are Chinese options, both of which cost less than $6,000. The Moto Morini Calibro 700 is incredible value, while the CFMoto 450CL-C offers a lighter weight that will be better suited for city running. Both of these models use belt final drive and run liquid-cooled parallel twin engines with a 270-degree firing order.
Source: Royal Enfield USA
