Motorcyclist
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The all-new 2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a small-displacement cruiser that packs a moderately modern punch while dressed in charming, classic styling. At a relatively low $4,599 MSRP this Enfield is easy on the wallet and its pleasant ride is a reminder to the escape of motorcycling.

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Royal Enfield centers the Meteor around a 349cc air/oil-cooled single cylinder engine for its traditional feel. As part of our testing structure, we ran the 350 on our in-house Dynojet 250i dyno, recording horsepower and torque measurements. This electronically fuel-injected, lightweight cruiser produced a very modest 17.9 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 18.2 pound-feet at 2,800 rpm at the rear wheel. Real-world power delivery is gentle and steady as it chugs along toward its maximum 70-75 mph top speed. An added boost of power would be gladly welcomed here, especially considering the safety factor of having extra roll-on power to squeeze through traffic. Advice: Stick to the slow lane and cruise! Regardless, the equipped balance shaft does an excellent job minimizing engine vibration at any speed.

Light clutch pull and a well-spaced, five-speed transmission complements the single’s pleasant power delivery, proving particularly rider friendly in the tight confines of urban riding. The Meteor 350 is fitted with a heel/toe shift lever as standard equipment, which takes some adaptation for riders accustomed to a traditional setup. A measured 29.7-inch seat height means easy flat-foot contact for this 5-foot-7-inch tester, while relaxed ergonomics boost comfort and ease of use—a nice touch for less experienced riders.

Tight dimensions, a measured 421-pound wet weight, 55.1 inch wheelbase, and a low center of gravity make for a neutral ride with great straight line stability. The 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel combination helps here, while adding to the traditional classic cruiser aesthetics. To add to that, a nonadjustable 41mm telescopic fork and preload-adjustable twin-tube emulsion shocks offer an awesome balance of small-bump compliance and big-hit support for the imperfections found on southern California tarmac...

Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2021-royal-enfield-meteor-350-mc-commute-review/

Videography/edit: Bert Beltran

Photography: Jeff Allen

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Transcript
00:00 Good morning MC Commute viewers and welcome to another episode where we learn about motorcycles
00:05 as we ride them to the motorcyclist offices here in Irvine, California.
00:11 And today that motorcycle is going to be the 2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 that you see
00:17 here behind me.
00:18 Now this is an all new model for Enfield, a small displacement cruiser, if you will,
00:26 that packs a lot of charm in a very small package.
00:30 So we got a lot to talk about, why don't we hit the road?
00:34 Alrighty, the Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
00:39 What a good looking machine this is.
00:41 If I may say so myself, I think that Royal Enfield knocks styling out of the park with
00:48 just about every model it makes.
00:51 The INT 650 that we reviewed a few months ago, the Himalayan that we also reviewed,
00:56 both of those motorcycles are just stunning machines and I think that the Meteor 350 is
01:01 no less.
01:04 This is the Supernova up spec trim, if you will.
01:09 Now that means that this motorcycle is going to have a windscreen up front, a passenger
01:15 backrest at the back, and it also has this stainless exhaust where the more base model
01:26 machines are actually blacked out.
01:27 So that's a nice little touch with this up spec machine.
01:31 Now it also has the all new 349cc air oil cooled power plant that we will talk about
01:38 once we get on the road.
01:40 A big 19 inch front wheel, 17 inch rear, and one thing that I'd really like to point out
01:46 about this motorcycle is here on the dashboard.
01:50 Now let's just turn on the ignition.
01:52 You have your analog dash over here on the left, but as you just saw, we have a colorful
01:59 LCD display over here on the right.
02:02 Now this connects with Royal Enfield's tripper function, which is actually a turn by turn
02:09 direction source that's actually powered by Google.
02:14 Now this is a first time for a Royal Enfield, and it actually is kind of ironic considering
02:21 that the Himalayan that we reviewed a few months ago actually used the traditional compass.
02:26 So I'll tell you guys about that tripper function as we get out on the road.
02:31 349cc of fury.
02:37 Not a bad exhaust note actually if you ask me.
02:40 I think that it has a little bit of grunt to it.
02:43 I like it.
02:44 All righty guys, before firing off on our MC commute, I am going to turn on this tripper
02:50 function.
02:51 As you can see that we are now paired here, and we are going to put in the directions
02:57 to the motorcyclist offices here in Irvine, California, and we're good to go.
03:05 Now we have turn by turn directions here on this display here on the right.
03:12 The only thing I have to say about this is I haven't been able to turn it to miles.
03:18 It's all metric kilometers and kilometers per hour, or sorry, kilometers and meters.
03:24 My mistake.
03:26 Other than that little nuisance, this tripper function on this Meteor 350 has actually been
03:32 quite pleasant to use.
03:34 Very easy to pair with the motorcycle.
03:38 The app is very functional in picking up destinations that you might want to ride to, and then using
03:46 Google Maps to get you there.
03:56 And that's kind of a cool touch, especially being a budget conscious machine as this Royal
04:02 Enfield is.
04:03 Now we already mentioned that this is the Supernova, the up spec of the Meteor 350s,
04:10 and that is going to be priced at $4,599, whereas the base model without the windscreen,
04:17 without the backrest is $4,399.
04:21 So considering that it is a budget conscious machine, I think that tripper function is
04:28 quite nice.
04:29 I think that it's a nice touch.
04:31 349 cc's of fury.
04:37 Nice.
04:40 You know, this is a very modest power plant as you can expect from the spec sheet.
04:48 Up on the motorcyclist dyno, this motorcycle produced about 17.9 horsepower and something
04:54 like 18.2 pound feet of torque.
04:59 Nice figures.
05:01 But obviously this is not a performance minded machine.
05:05 This is a classic timeless cruiser that's really approachable for all riders, but especially
05:13 the beginner or the less experienced that this will help get you into riding without
05:18 giving you some big crazy unmanageable horsepower.
05:22 That being said, it is a very smooth running machine with help of that balance shaft with
05:28 very, very minimal vibrations as you accelerate through this five speed gearbox.
05:35 Now I have to give kudos to Royal Enfield on that gearbox that we have spoken about.
05:42 The transmission ratios are very well spaced in my opinion.
05:47 I find that it's very, I never find myself in between gears almost ever.
05:54 Like it's very easy to use.
05:57 Just accelerate through.
05:58 If there's one thing that I had to comment on would be the clutch feel of this machine.
06:05 It's difficult to understand when the clutch is slipping and when it's not.
06:10 And we can show you that as we accelerate away from these lights, but in first gear,
06:15 it's pretty easy to jump off of them.
06:19 17.9 horsepower.
06:22 We're on the gas.
06:25 17.9 horsepower is obviously not the most powerful of the bunch or even in this space.
06:35 I recently also had a Honda Rebel 300, which many of you will want to compare this motorcycle
06:41 to and also up on the Motorcyclist Dino where it recorded 25 horsepower on the dot.
06:51 So you're looking at about seven to eight more horsepower from the Rebel 300 and it's
06:57 also 49 pounds less fully fueled.
06:59 This motorcycle is 421 pounds fully fueled while the Rebel is something like what's 49?
07:08 I don't know.
07:09 372.
07:10 Man, my math is pretty good guys.
07:13 I'm doing it.
07:15 Um, that being said, the Enfield leaves a little bit to be desired in terms of power,
07:22 especially when you're commuting in a place like Southern California where if you're not
07:28 going 85 miles an hour, it just feels like you're going to get run over at every chance
07:32 these motorists get.
07:34 Now that said, Enfield has done a good job at packing that charm into the engine as we
07:41 described.
07:42 Um, the engine has been designed to leave a nice little rumble as you can see here at
07:50 this, at this stop sign, um, to give you that sensation that you're still on a cruiser.
07:58 It has a nice thump near idle, um, while still remaining really incredibly smooth at speed
08:06 as we'll get to, uh, when we get out on the freeway here.
08:10 Ergonomics wise, this Royal Enfield is very comfortable as many of the motorcycles from
08:15 Enfield have been a nice relaxed reach to the handlebar up here.
08:21 The windscreen is a nice touch.
08:22 Although when we get out on the freeway, this, this motorcycle doesn't really go quite fast
08:26 enough to, uh, to need a whole lot of protection against wind blast, but it's nice to have,
08:32 um, the 29.7 inch measured seat height, uh, of this machine is relatively low and for
08:42 a five foot seven inch tester like myself, I can easily flat foot as I come up to stop
08:50 lights or navigate through dense, heavy traffic and I feel very in control.
08:55 The foot peg position is relative, it's in a neutral position.
09:01 It's not too far forward, but it's not too far, uh, back and up that might cramp yourself.
09:07 Um, so I have to give kudos to Enfield as they've always done a really good job at creating
09:13 very comfortable ergonomics packages.
09:15 Now, one thing that popped into my mind while I was talking about that, that we absolutely
09:21 have to talk about is Royal Enfield's use of a heel toe shifter on this Meteor 350.
09:29 And I'm going to show it to you guys when I pull up to this light right here.
09:39 Alrighty guys, the Enfield Meteor 350 uses that heel toe shifter as you can see there
09:45 on the left side of this motorcycle.
09:47 Now it's an interesting use, um, because when I first hopped on this machine, I honestly,
09:56 I just got on a bike and I just expected to just only use a toe shifter.
10:01 And so that caught me out a little bit at first.
10:03 Now I wear a nine and a half, maybe 10 riding boot and being able to utilize the toe shifter
10:12 up front, especially for up shifts can sometimes be challenging.
10:18 So to be able to get your foot underneath it and click those up shifts, especially if
10:24 you're trying to accelerate very quickly or get in, get in or out of a situation very
10:31 quickly, it can sometimes be a little frustrating.
10:34 Now I've also started to adopt using the heel shifter as you see there, but it's not necessarily
10:42 a normal thing for me to do as I'm doing it right now.
10:46 So it can be a little awkward at points.
10:50 And as far as I know, all the Enfield Meteor 350s come with that heel toe shifter.
10:55 So maybe look at it some sort of aftermarket, um, piece.
11:00 If you're totally opposed that heel shifter or have a large boot could be an option to
11:06 facilitate that.
11:08 Now the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a very neutral, well balanced ride out on the open
11:16 road.
11:17 It has a 41 millimeter non adjustable fork up front, um, and twin shocks out back with
11:26 preload adjustability.
11:28 And as I found on a few of the other Enfields that I've been testing, it's a very, I don't
11:35 know, it's a well balanced ride.
11:37 I already used that word, but I like that word.
11:38 It's a very well balanced ride, um, that especially in the suspension department is supple enough
11:46 to soak up all the little imperfections in the asphalt, the small chatter bumps, and
11:52 really offer a very comfortable ride while also not necessarily lacking in support, especially
12:02 when we get on the brakes as we just did.
12:04 There's not a whole lot of dive in my opinion.
12:07 Um, and the suspension, especially in the rear is not jarring.
12:11 It doesn't feel like it bottoms out, but it's also not too stiff.
12:14 So I think that could, uh, that Enfield has done a great job at finding that balance as
12:22 they seem to always do in the chassis department.
12:25 As we discussed on the Royal Enfield Himalayan, we also have to discuss on this Meteor 350
12:32 and that being the braking performance and braking power or lack thereof of this motorcycle.
12:41 This Enfield uses a single by Brie caliper up front, two pistons clamping to a 300 millimeter
12:49 disc, um, while out back they clamp to a 270 millimeter disc.
12:57 And honestly it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of braking performance as we can
13:02 see coming up here.
13:05 Recently at our performance testing facility, this motorcycle recorded a 60 to zero stopping
13:12 performance in something like 158 feet.
13:15 Now that's honestly quite lackluster.
13:18 Um, and in comparison for, for relative information, a similar size motorcycle, um, will often
13:29 record something in the mid one thirties, even low one forties, which isn't still the
13:34 greatest, but it's obviously much better than 158 feet.
13:40 Now besides the actual stopping distance of this Enfield comes the, uh, lack of feel through
13:48 the brake lever, um, that kind of just hinders your ability to understand how much power
13:55 is actually being applied at the disc and how much you have left to work with.
14:00 Um, now this Enfield also comes with ABS standard and I have to give kudos to Enfield as I have
14:07 in the past with the seamlessness of the ABS intervention, um, not necessarily pulsing
14:15 in your fingers and taking away from your ability to stop the motorcycle.
14:20 Um, so it's very seamless intervention and I appreciate that.
14:25 We're doing roughly 50 miles an hour.
14:27 Now I'm also in top gear, I'm in fifth gear on this Enfield Meteor 350 and honestly, this
14:34 is what this motorcycle is designed for.
14:37 Um, just cruising along, not really in a rush to be anywhere.
14:41 This is what it's designed for.
14:42 I think that if you're looking for something very pleasant, very approachable, um, and
14:48 relatively, I don't want to say unnoticeable, but you don't want to draw too much attention
14:56 to yourself, this is where the Meteor 350 excels.
15:03 And you can will on it without drawing that attention to yourself.
15:09 Try going full pin on a, on a heavyweight machine or super bike or something, you're
15:16 going to be drawing all sorts of attention to yourself and uh, probably likely run into
15:22 uh, to trouble with the law.
15:24 I think the saying is it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow and
15:29 that's totally the case with this Meteor 350.
15:33 Pitch this Meteor 350 on its side and let it loose.
15:37 Alright, we're on our way.
15:42 421 pounds, but this motorcycle, here comes the bump, not so bad.
15:48 421 pounds, but this motorcycle actually has a pretty lightweight feeling, especially considering
15:53 the, uh, the stance that it has, the, the application that Enfield, ooh, excuse me,
16:04 that Enfield went after, um, it lends itself to quick handling, which I appreciate that.
16:11 Our first true traffic jam together on this MC commute.
16:18 It looks like there's an accident up here, I think on the other side of the freeway,
16:22 so I hope those individuals are doing okay.
16:26 Please look out for motorcyclists and just look twice when it comes to it.
16:32 I really hope that this is not a motorcyclist.
16:35 Good news ladies and gents, it does not appear to be a motorcyclist and we're set loose on
16:40 the way to the motorcyclist's offices.
16:45 I think I just outran a traffic brake.
16:49 Nice.
16:50 All right, top gear, we're doing about 65 miles an hour and this is where this motorcycle
16:55 is happy in testing.
16:57 I've recorded a rough estimate of top speed being between somewhere of 70 and 75 miles
17:05 an hour.
17:06 Uh, maybe a little bit faster if you get a tailwind down a hill or something like that.
17:11 Um, but realistically it's not going to go any faster than that.
17:14 Now, even if you are going that fast, uh, it doesn't, it doesn't leave any power to
17:21 work with if you need to get by traffic, uh, or get yourself out of a situation, which
17:26 that can be troublesome and sometimes nerve wracking, which is why I'm not a particular
17:32 fan of this small displacement, displacement machine for California highway cruising.
17:39 Now as I mentioned, I think that it does a pretty decent job, uh, on the local Boulevard
17:47 or cruising to get groceries, but it still leaves some to be desired considering that
17:53 Royal Enfield used the 411 CC, uh, power plant in the Himalayan, which made 21 horsepower
18:01 on the motorcyclist's dyno.
18:03 I sometimes question why they didn't do that with this, uh, with the Meteor 350 and just
18:09 call it the Meteor 400.
18:12 Um, I know that they're going for the charm of, of keeping that thump at low RPM idle,
18:19 but in terms of practicality and safety in that sense, it sometimes puzzles me a little
18:29 bit.
18:30 If you are going to ride this motorcycle on the fast paced highways, I would recommend
18:36 sticking to the slow lane and really giving yourself a few extra minutes in the morning
18:41 to make your, make your commute.
18:44 And that way you don't have to feel rushed and you don't have to, to get yourself into
18:50 a situation you might not want to be in.
18:53 But overall the cruise to the motorcyclist's office is relatively comfortable.
18:59 We do not have a tachometer on this machine, so I cannot tell you the RPM at which we are
19:04 cruising, but it is relatively vibration free.
19:08 The only sort of vibrations I do feel are in the foot pegs and the floorboards, I guess
19:13 foot pegs I could rather call them, but it's not overwhelming in any sense.
19:18 That windscreen up front offers a little bit of wind protection, as we've mentioned, even
19:22 at 65 miles an hour, it does do a good job at that.
19:27 Over here, you can see this dashboard with the analog speedometer.
19:33 There is no tachometer, which I always love tachometers.
19:36 That's a little bit of a downside for me, but it displays all the other important information.
19:43 Over here on this tripper display, you can see that it is having me get off the freeway
19:49 here in 2.7 Ks.
19:52 It was all tripping out.
19:53 Ha ha, get it?
19:55 It was tripping out when I took our normal MC commute route to the offices as it was
20:02 trying to put me on the freeway.
20:05 I can't quite figure out how to make a route on the app yet, but I'll figure it out, and
20:11 otherwise it has been quite easy to use.
20:16 We are hitting all the lights today, but that is okay.
20:19 No real rush as we're cruising to the offices this morning.
20:25 Little bit of brake squeal.
20:26 Man, it really does ... The braking performance of this machine, as it is with the Himalayan,
20:31 is really quite underwhelming.
20:36 I don't know.
20:37 It's worrisome to me.
20:39 Not only is it worrisome in the fact that I can't feel how much is going on, and that
20:45 robs me of a little bit of confidence.
20:47 Maybe a new brake pad will help with that, and it will also help with stopping performance.
20:52 I just think about situations where maybe I'm on the freeway and traffic comes to a
20:56 sudden halt.
20:58 I really just ... I don't feel like watching whatever cartoons the kids are watching in
21:07 the back of the minivan that's in front of me.
21:08 I don't feel like that would be very good for me.
21:13 I feel like I want a little bit of braking performance just to keep myself safe.
21:17 Along those same lines, a little bit of power in that sense will help.
21:22 Man, this brake squeal is new.
21:25 A little bit of power would help in just keeping us out of situations.
21:31 All right, guys.
21:34 No motorcyclist MC commute wheelie zone today.
21:37 I don't think the 17.9 horsepower and 421 pounds is quite going to do it, so we're just
21:44 cruising.
21:47 The Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
21:49 Now this is the all new small displacement cruiser, as we have mentioned.
21:56 We made a comparison to the Honda Rebel 300 earlier in the show, and I want to circle
22:03 back to that.
22:05 The Rebel 300 is obviously going to be the benchmark that everyone wants to compare this
22:09 motorcycle to, as it rightfully should.
22:13 It's an awesome budget-conscious machine that a lot of newer riders or less experienced
22:20 riders and even just cruisers enjoy.
22:26 Now it has more performance, as we mentioned.
22:28 It's lighter, it's more powerful, and that lends itself to a more fun, more entertaining
22:35 ride.
22:36 Now that's not saying that this one isn't, but I do think that it would grow a little
22:40 bit tiresome after some time.
22:44 And one thing that we really do have to remember about the Enfield versus the Rebel is the
22:50 styling.
22:51 I think that Enfield has obviously gone after a very classic, timeless style with this Meteor
22:58 350, and I think that they've struck it on the head.
23:01 I think that this machine is very, very beautiful.
23:06 Now that being said, the Enfield Meteor 350 in this Supernova trim is $4,599, as we have
23:14 mentioned earlier in the episode.
23:16 You can actually get a base model without the windscreen, without the backrest, for
23:20 $4,399.
23:23 But considering that the Rebel 300 is also $4,599, it's really hard to pass up going
23:32 the Japanese route that's a little bit more refined, a little bit more power, offers a
23:36 little bit more performance, unless you're truly going after that styling.
23:41 If you're after that styling and you live in a place where you're not in a rush, where
23:47 you don't feel like you're going to get run over, I think that this motorcycle is fantastic.
23:52 It's very smooth, very pleasant to ride.
23:54 I feel very relaxed getting off this motorcycle, and I'm ready to go have a cup of coffee,
23:59 settle in on my desk, and jam out on the story for you guys.
24:04 But $4,599 Rebel to Enfield, I don't know.
24:12 I've always found the Enfields, the INT650, the Himalayan, to be very well priced in their
24:19 respective markets.
24:20 But this Meteor 350, it just doesn't do that for me at its current price point, especially
24:27 with the performance of the motorcycle.
24:30 Now that being said, if we go back to a quick roundup of this machine, the 349cc air-cooled
24:38 single cylinder with 17.9 horsepower, it's a very pleasant ride.
24:42 It packs charm, especially at that low idle, as we talked about, but it leaves a little
24:46 bit to be desired up top.
24:50 The braking performance, we had to comment on that as well, as we did with the Himalayan
24:54 as well.
24:55 That leaves a little bit to be desired, more so for, I think, a safety concern more than
25:01 anything.
25:02 Anyways, the Meteor 350 is a very budget-conscious, small displacement cruiser for someone looking
25:09 to just have a pleasant ride on the back roads.
25:12 Now, I did enjoy my time aboard the Meteor 350, and I do look forward to the next one,
25:17 as I always enjoy riding these Royal Enfields.
25:20 I think that they just look awesome and magnificent, every single one of them.
25:26 If you guys like this video, be sure to give us a like, comment.
25:29 We want to hear from you.
25:30 Go over to MotorcyclistsOnline.com to read the full story, and we'll see you guys next
25:35 time.
25:35 Bye-bye.
25:35 [silence]