THE Royal Enfield Meteor is a motorcycle that can trace its roots in the R+E family tree as far back as the 1950s. It’s been rumoured to be making a return to the modern-day Enfield line up for some time – although these are the first confirmed pictures we’ve seen of the new model.
Built around a new platform called the J1D platform, the bike makes use of a double-cradle frame, discs brakes and 2-channel ABS, telescopic forks and twin shocks at the rear in keeping with the retro vibe.
No official specs for the engine have been confirmed by the factory, although it’s likely the engine will produce around the same amount of power as the firm's outgoing Thunderbird 350 model. That bike makes around 20bhp and 28Nm (20ft-lbs) of torque and includes air-cooling, a five-speed gearbox, and fuel injection.
While there is no official confirmation as to whether the bike will come to the UK or not, the fact that it meets BS6 emission regulations (not hugely dissimilar to our own Euro5) means it wouldn’t take too much work release.
The bike's bright colour scheme is carried over from the Thunderbird 350X and is also a nod back to the Meteor models of the 50s, which sometimes sported brightly coloured bodywork. Quite at odds with the other bikes of the day.
The bike was scheduled for an Indian launch in spring 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has sensibly been shelved. It’s likely to be either postponed until next year or switched to the now de rigueur online streaming affair.
