Photo: Royal Enfield
A recent study of Internet habits among motorcycle lovers released by an Australian insurance company revealed that even if Harley-Davidson is the undisputed king in nearly half of the world’s countries, other brands still have a hold on some parts of the world. Asia, for instance, is a sucker for Royal Enfield.
The British bike maker has been a constant presence there (especially in India, from where Harley recently announced it is pulling out) since time immemorial, so that’s only natural. But there are plans to expand the influence elsewhere, and perhaps Enfield’s boldest move this year toward that goal was the announcement of the Meteor 350.
Playing in the mid-size motorcycle segment where Enfield is big, the new Meteor, already launched in India, is coming to the States in the spring of next year. Powered by a fuel-injected, 349cc air-oil cooled single-cylinder engine good for just 20.2 bhp and 19 ft-lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm, the bike should still be a serious entry in the segment.
The engine is housed inside a twin downtube spline frame, which is in turn linked to the wheels by 41 mm forks with 130 mm of travel, and twin tube emulsion shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable preload at the rear. Classically Enfield, the footpegs are forward-mounted and come with a heel and toe gearshift.
Taking its name after a Royal Enfield motorcycle from the 1950s, the Meteor 350 will be available in three trims for the U.S. market: Fireball, the Stellar and the Supernova. According to its maker, the bike “carries Royal Enfield’s signature styling but with many modern improvements, and is set to be an equally outstanding machine for our times.”
Pricing for the new model was not announced. The full details on the motorcycle, as released by the British company, can be found in the press release section below.
Playing in the mid-size motorcycle segment where Enfield is big, the new Meteor, already launched in India, is coming to the States in the spring of next year. Powered by a fuel-injected, 349cc air-oil cooled single-cylinder engine good for just 20.2 bhp and 19 ft-lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm, the bike should still be a serious entry in the segment.
The engine is housed inside a twin downtube spline frame, which is in turn linked to the wheels by 41 mm forks with 130 mm of travel, and twin tube emulsion shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable preload at the rear. Classically Enfield, the footpegs are forward-mounted and come with a heel and toe gearshift.
Taking its name after a Royal Enfield motorcycle from the 1950s, the Meteor 350 will be available in three trims for the U.S. market: Fireball, the Stellar and the Supernova. According to its maker, the bike “carries Royal Enfield’s signature styling but with many modern improvements, and is set to be an equally outstanding machine for our times.”
Pricing for the new model was not announced. The full details on the motorcycle, as released by the British company, can be found in the press release section below.
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