Long-Term Review: Royal Enfield Super Meteor, A 650 cc Cruiser For Daily Commute, Howzat?

Commutes to your workplace can become a yawner if you're stuck in the same transportation rut. My go-to rides usually involve zipping around on my Suzuki Burgman Street 125 scooter and occasionally in my Honda City. To my luck, in March, I was handed the keys to the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, which has been in the carandbike’s long-term fleet for a couple of months. During this time, I have spent a lot of time with the Super Meteor 650, from commuting to work to riding it otherwise over a variety of road conditions and scenarios. That said, here's my city report on the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650.

Design & Features 

The top-spec Celestial variant gets a cream and red dual-tone colour livery, making it look stunning. 

The Super Meteor 650 indubitably nails it with styling. Especially the one you see here, as it is the top-spec Celestial variant, which is decked out with a tall windscreen, touring seats, a pillion backrest, and a lovely cream and red dual-tone colour livery. Riding through traffic, it's hard not to notice heads turning as the Super Meteor manages to command attention on the road.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Long Term Test: Introduction

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

Coming to the features, the motorcycle is equipped with an oddly located charging port inside the side panel (which is inconvenient to use) and the tripper navigation pod positioned next to the instrument cluster, which I didn't end up using as I’m well-versed in the route. However, one can benefit from the latter during long rides, as it provides turn-by-turn visual navigation updates to the rider on the go. The LED headlight offers a decent throw, while the hazard lights were useful when having to halt by the side of the road whenever required.

The Super Meteor gets the tripper navigation pod as standard. 

Engine & Performance 

Over here, the Super Meteor packs the same 650 cc engine as the Interceptor 650 Twin, Continental GT 650, and the Shotgun 650 with the same power and torque figures. However, the distinction lies in the tweaks made to the engine mapping and exhaust note, which I liked over the other 650s. The transmission remains unchanged, so you get the same 6-speed smooth gearbox, which offers precise shifts. The SM650 really shines with a meaty torque band in the low and mid-range, making it a tractable and enjoyable motorcycle to ride in the city. It responds eagerly every time you open the throttle, which happens every time the opportunity appears; meanwhile, the brakes pack a good bite and feel adequate for shedding speeds.

Shares its powertrain with three other 650 cc models in the portfolio.

Something that irked me while riding in traffic was the heat radiating from the motor since it is near the legs, mostly when waiting at the signal to turn green or in crawling traffic. However, once on the move, the heat radiates effectively into the moving air. Taking U-turns is an uphill task. It's best to keep the motorcycle upright while taking tight corners and U-turns. Around flowing corners and turns, the bike remains stable and is easy to manoeuvre. 

Also Read: Royal Enfield Classic 650 Twin Name Trademarked In India

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

My daily route to the office is about 45-odd kilometres both ways, throwing in 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, due to the stiff rear suspension, every undulation or patchwork on the road can be felt right where it shouldn’t. When tackling some of the nasty bumps on the route, I ended up bouncing off the saddle for a fraction of a second – Yup, it’s that abysmal!

The tall windscreen provided in the celestial trim navigates the airflow straight to the helmet which causes wind buffeting. 

Apart from that, I had to be cautious while riding over lofty speed breakers as the ground clearance is significantly low at 135 mm, making it prone to scraping its belly easily. The tall windscreen offered in this variant is a bit finicky at higher speeds; for the most part, cruising beyond 100 kmph causes excessive wind buffeting, which becomes annoying.

Ergonomics

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

The Super Meteor 650 is a typical yet large-sized cruiser motorcycle with forward-set foot-pegs and a relaxed, laid-back riding posture that's further complemented by the touring seats (optional on lower variants), which are quite comfortable to saddle on. I didn’t get a chance to experience the ride as a pillion on it, but my father did, and he found the backrest comfy, but with that abutted is what's right beneath the pillion rider. Yes, the rear shocks were a complete mood killer for him as well. 

Also Read: Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Logo Trademarked In India

The touring seats are offered as standard in the top-spec celestial variant. 

Weight & Fuel Efficiency 

The SM650 is currently the heaviest motorcycle from RE, tipping the scale at 241 kg (with 90 per cent fuel). It also has a long wheelbase of 1,500 mm, which makes manoeuvring a bit tricky, especially in tight parking spots. Owing to the heft, the motorcycle feels quite planted while riding, which is confidence-inspiring. 

The SM650 is currently the heaviest motorcycle from RE, weighing 241 kg.

When you opt for a 650 cc parallel twin cruiser, fuel efficiency cannot be your top priority. But in case it is, I had tanked up the 15.7-litre tank up to the brim and did a 50-kilometre fuel run within the city, where it returned a mileage of 21.5 kmpl, which is quite decent. Well, I didn't get a chance to stretch the SM650's legs on the highway, but my colleagues have, and apparently, it returned a fuel efficiency of 26 kmpl. On the same beat, the fuel gauge on the cluster displays inaccurate readings frequently once the fuel level reduces by a quarter, leading to confusion about the quantity of fuel present in the tank.

Summing Up Things

With a friendly and easy-to-ride demeanour, I found myself clocking over 800 kilometres on it in slightly over a month. In my books, the Super Meteor 650 is ideal for daily commutes or even as the only bike in the garage. However, it's a bit expensive and is the most expensive bike from RE in India. The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 in the Celestial trim costs Rs 3.94 lakh ex-showroom.

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

This report essentially computes living with the Super Meteor 650 for me, and so far it has been a good time with it. Now I bid adieu to the cruiser, and I just wish RE had forgotten about this unit, as I would be over the moon to plan a long ride on it!