After Royal Enfield updated the Hunter 350 recently, it seems that the company is working on an updated version of its flagship, the Super Meteor 650. A test mule of the updated Royal Enfield cruiser has been spotted overseas, and there’s a lot to dissect.
- Royal Enfield Super Meteor seen with new rear suspension
- Engine appears to be the same 648cc twin-cylinder unit
- Currently priced between Rs 3.68 lakh and Rs 3.99 lakh
Royal Enfield Super Meteor likely to receive an update soon
Has different rear suspension, and some engine changes are visible
One of the most standout features on this particular Royal Enfield Super Meteor test mule is the rear suspension. The bike pictured here has progressive rear shock absorbers, in place of the linear springs that the bike is currently sold with. One of our biggest complaints with the Super Meteor (and a large number of other new Royal Enfield bikes) has been its stiff rear suspension. This sighting proves that the company is listening to customer feedback as well as media reviews and attempting to rectify that particular issue.
This is a very similar story to what happened with the recently updated Hunter 350, wherein the progressive shock replaced the original bike’s linear units and the bike’s ride quality saw a significant improvement. It’s currently unclear if this suspension swap is going to bring about as big an improvement on the Super Meteor because it is a much heavier, longer and lower machine so available suspension travel is inherently more limited. There is also a suspension stroke measuring device for the Showa USD fork that can be seen on this test mule, indicating that the company is looking at re-evaluation of both suspension units. The cruiser currently has 120mm/101mm (F/R) of suspension travel available and that is unlikely to change given that the frame and most other mechanical components seem unchanged.
The bike’s instrument cluster seems to be a makeshift one used specifically for testing and it is unlikely that this unit will be seen on the final production model. That being said, the Super Meteor is the most expensive Royal Enfield one can buy today and ships with the exact same instrumentation as the Hunter – the most affordable Royal Enfield bike. This could perhaps mean that the company may bestow it with a new display when the bike is updated, and it could be brought in line with the new Himalayan, Bear 650 and Guerrilla models, all of which use the company’s round TFT display.
Aside from these changes, the rest of the bike is nearly unchanged from before. Components like the 648cc twin-cylinder engine (currently rated for 47hp and 52.3Nm), wheels, frame, body panels, switchgear and illumination units all seem to be the same as before.
Royal Enfield Super Meteor price and updated model launch details
The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is currently priced between Rs 3.68 lakh – Rs 3.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and when this updated model arrives on showroom floors, expect those figures to rise up. Coming to when this model arrives in showroom floors, that is a bit ambiguous, as this is the first time a Super Meteor with all these changes has been seen and the test mule appears to be in its early stages with a lot of testing equipment strapped on. That being said, the Super Meteor was the next model Royal Enfield launched after the Hunter 350, within a span of six months, so it could well be that this updated cruiser could be in showrooms in the next few months.
Image Source: Motorradonline
