In May 2019, Royal Enfield had applied for European trademark rights for the name ‘Royal Enfield Meteor’ which was a clear indication that the Chennai-based two-wheeler manufacturer is planning to revive the Meteor brand. However, things were quite blurred back then.
Reports also said that the new-age Royal Enfield Meteor could be a bobber-style motorcycle inspired by the KX Royal Enfield Bobber Concept from EICMA 2018. It was also being said that this bike would share its underpinnings, suspension and braking setup with the 650 Twins. However, as per the latest developments, things have taken a different direction.
Here are the 5 things you need to know about Royal Enfield Meteor:
1. Royal Enfield Thunderbird successor
Several sources closed to the development of the all-new Royal Enfield Meteor have suggested that it will be the Royal Enfield Thunderbird successor. After looking at the facts, it does seem plausible. For instance, the all-new Meteor appears to have various similarities to the Thunderbird, like the conventional suspension setup, the braking setup (disc brakes), the cruiser-like stance, etc. It also has Thunderbird’s silhouette. Perhaps then, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is indeed a successor to the Royal Enfield Thunderbird.
2. Based on Modular J-Platform
We’ve been hearing about Royal Enfield switching to a new and improved modular J-platform for its future products for quite some time now. In fact, various reports suggested that the next-gen Royal Enfield Classic models will be based on this architecture only. Well, it seems that the new Classics would not be the only ones to have that platform because the reborn Royal Enfield Meteor also will be based on it.
3. All-new engine
The next-gen Royal Enfield Meteor will be powered by an all-new engine. Royal Enfield is done with the 500 cc segment in India. So, it is possible that a smaller, maybe a 350-450 cc engine is planned for the all-new Meteor. Maybe the company is planning to commonly replace its 350 cc and 500 engines with this unit. With the high secrecy surrounding the development, our guess is as good as yours.
The engine of the new generation Royal Enfield Meteor would also have a SOHC setup and a fuel-injection system. It would be mated to a 6-speed transmission.
4. Fresh design
At first glance, the Royal Enfield Meteor may look too similar to the Royal Enfield Thunderbird. However, there are a lot of differences and maybe the prototypes are devoid of some of the newly designed production elements to maintain secrecy.
So far, we have seen the Meteor test mules featuring a newly designed fuel tank, wider tyres, new alloy wheels, slightly different rear fender. The taillight is positioned further up on the fender as an individual unit. The license plate has been positioned lower and looks like an extended part of the fender. The turn signals are also different. Apart from all that, there is also a new exhaust which looks quite beefier and gives the impression that it would sound pretty good, too.
5. Digital instrument console
Royal Enfield decided not to use the twin-pod semi-digital instrument console of the Thunderbird in the new Meteor. Instead, it went a notch up and slapped on a totally new single-pod fully-digital instrument console which is a first for Royal Enfield. It would display information like average speed, average fuel consumption, distance to empty, trip meters, odometer, speedometer, clock, etc.
Also Read: BS-VI Royal Enfield 650 Twins specifications revealed
The Royal Enfield Meteor is expected to be launched later this year. To get all the latest updates on the Royal Enfield Meteor, stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com.
[Image source: Gaadiwaadi.com & YouTube]
