RIDER GEAR
HELMET – Arai Vector 2
JACKET – Merlin Perton
JEANS – Rev’It! Piston 2
BOOTS – TCX Blend 2
GLOVES – Held Air n Dry
Five years ago, Royal Enfield launched their 650cc twins - the Interceptor and Continental GT – and it’s fair to say they were a game changer, not just for the brand, but also for the motorcycle market generally. The 650 twins marked Royal Enfield as a serious player in the midsize category and they’ve now enhanced that status with the addition of a cruiser variant – the Super Meteor 650.
Royal Enfield have a history in the cruiser segment that goes back far beyond the Meteor 350 and its predecessor, the Rumbler. Prior to the brand making its first serious inroads into the Australian market almost a decade ago, Royal Enfield produced the ‘Citybike,’ ‘Lightning 535’ and ‘Thunderbird 350’ cruisers, so they have some heritage in this space.
Given the proliferation of new and updated models to come from Royal Enfield in the past few years, the only surprise is that a cruiser hasn’t been added to the 650 platform sooner, but I guess COVID had something to do with that. Either way, the Super Meteor 650 has now been revealed, making its official debut at EICMA last November, followed by a presentation at Royal Enfield’s own ‘Rider Mania’ event in India.
At time of writing, the Super Meteor 650 had been released in India and Europe, but wasn’t expected to reach Australia and New Zealand until April. I’ve had a taste of what’s to come, though, as I was part of the international media launch for the new model, which took place in India this past January.
NEW BIKE, OLD NAME
First thing to understand about the Super Meteor 650 is that it revives a name from Royal Enfield’s English past, just as the Interceptor, Continental GT and other models have done.
Back in 1952, Royal Enfield released a 692cc OHV twin,
