ROAD TEST – 2023 ROYAL ENFIELD SUPER METEOR 650 - JUST BIKES

ROAD TEST – 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

Words: Phil Suriano

Photos: Matthew Hayman, Jeff Crow, Tom Fossati - courtesy of UMI

When you think of the song ‘Easy’, does your mind go to The Commodores version or the cover by Faith No More? Which of the two you choose probably says a lot about the generation you come from. Regardless, I think we can all agree it’s a pretty great tune, with an appeal that spans generations. It’s the same with the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650. No matter what flavour of bike you prefer, or where you’re at in the riding journey that is life, this laid-back, easy cruiser has a broad appeal.

ROAD TEST – 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

The Super Meteor 650 is the latest addition to the Royal Enfield model family and essentially is a cruiser version of the 650cc Interceptor and Continental GT. As a larger-engined alternative to the Meteor 350 cruiser and discontinued Rumbler, the additional capacity means the Super Meteor 650 arguably nails the whole cruiser ethos better, while remaining LAMS legal.

It’s very early days for the Super Meteor 650 in Australia (it only started reaching local dealerships in late May), but I would be very surprised if it doesn’t repeat the success of its 650cc siblings.

Trans Continental

Royal Enfield’s Australian launch for the Super Meteor 650 was held in Victoria in early May and took in the Great Ocean Road; the iconic 243km of coastal tarmac that should be on the bucket list for every rider.

The local launch followed the global unveiling in India this past January. Having attended that event, I was keen to get on the Super Meteor 650 again for the Australian launch and curious to see if any changes had been made to suit the local market (they have, but more on that later).

Spread over four days, the Aussie launch saw dealers and various Royal Enfield ambassadors join the media contingent, with each group getting two days on the bike.

For us scribes, Day 1 saw Royal Enfield lay out a 3.5-hour loop ride, starting in Lorne (the hub for the launch) and heading down the Great Ocean Road to Skenes Creek, then inland to Forrest, across to Barwon Downs and Deans Marsh, before a nice set of twisties led us back to Lorne.

Day 2 saw us head “up” the Great Ocean Road to Anglesea, which was arguably a more leisurely journey than Day 1, and while the coastal ride was nice, it didn’t have the same atmosphere as cruising through the Otways.

Both routes gave ample opportunity to test the handling, acceleration, braking, grip and overall feel of the Super Meteor 650 in local conditions.

Old Name, New Bike

As I mentioned in my report from the global launch in India, the Super Meteor 650 revives a name from Royal Enfield’s English past. What had started in 1952 as a 692cc OHV twin, dubbed the ‘Meteor’ and intended for sidecar hauling, was updated to the ‘Super Meteor’ solo four years later, with more power and offering genuine ‘ton up’ (ie., 100mph) capability.

By the time Royal Enfield’s English chapter closed in the early 1970s, the Super Meteor had already been superseded, but following the release of an all-new Meteor in 2021, the name is back.

Waiting until now to revive the name makes sense, as the new Super Meteor is a cruiser and a step up from the current Meteor 350 cruiser.

Being based on the successful Interceptor and Continental GT twins, the Super Meteor 650 takes much of what’s already proven on those two models, but introduces a new frame, along with revised ergonomics and a new aesthetic.

The engine is virtually identical to what’s in the Interceptor and Continental GT, with the same 648cc capacity, the same bore and stroke, the same compression ratio and same power/torque maximums of 34.6kW and 52.3Nm, but adjusting the engine mapping sees both maximums reached a little later in the rev range - 7250rpm for power and 5650rpm for torque, compared to 7150rpm and 5150rpm for the Interceptor and 7150/5250 for the Conti GT.

These adjustments have been made to suit the type of torque-rich riding environments that this cruiser will most likely be ridden in, ie. long miles on straight, smooth roads with a few bends mixed in.

The airbox and exhaust are unique to the model, as are some cosmetic touches on the engine itself, like matte black covers that follow the trend of “dechroming” seen on many cruisers these days. Would the Super Meteor 650 look better with more chrome? I’m sure the market will decide that, and if bling is the way to go, I’m equally sure that Royal Enfield will respond, as they’re a manufacturer that’s really in tune with customer needs.

The gearbox is a six-speed with cable clutch and chain final drive, as per the Interceptor and Continental GT. No mention is made of revision to the gearing to suit the remapped engine, so I’m assuming it’s unchanged from the existing 650 twins.

If you read my report from the global launch in India, you may recall I found the heel-and-toe gear shifter took a little getting used to. Well, Australian Super Meteor 650 customers won't need to concern themselves with this, as all locally-delivered units with come with a conventional toe shifter.

The Super Meteor 650 runs with with a frame that’s different to the Interceptor/Conti GT and was developed specifically for this model by Royal Enfield subsidiary, Harris Performance.

This new, twin duplex cradle steel frame incorporates a new cylinder head mount for improved rigidity and delivers the low seat height and forward controls required of a cruiser, while still ensuring rider control.

Based on my ride in India, I can confirm the Super Meteor 650 isn’t a feet-forward, arms-up cruiser -the ergonomics aren’t that laid back!

Also Including

In terms of brought-in components, the Super Meteor 650 is a trailblazer as the first Royal Enfield to be fitted with Showa suspension, made up 43mm forks at the front and a twin coilover shock rear. The forks are USD (another Royal Enfield first) and offer no adjustability, and while the rear shocks lack the remote reservoirs of the Interceptor/Conti GT, they do offer six-step preload adjustment. Travel is 120mm at the front and 101mm at the rear.

For the braking, a single 320mm front disc and Brembo offshoot ByBre calipers front and rear carry over from the Interceptor/Conti GT, but a larger (300mm) rear disc is fitted.

Along with the USD front suspension, another Royal Enfield first is the LED headlight, which is matched to an LED tail light.

Fuel capacity trumps both the existing 650 twins at 15.7 litres and the cruiser runs a 19-inch front, 16-inch rear wheel combo (18-inch front/rear on the other 650 twins), with different alloy wheel designs available from the accessories catalogue.

Tripper, Royal Enfield’s app-based turn-by-turn navigation system, is fitted as standard, with the only other “tech” being a USB port and dual-channel ABS.

Cruise control isn’t available, even as an option, which seems like a miss for a cruiser. I didn’t feel myself needing it on the launch ride – either here or in India – but long-term ownership is a different story and I think it’s something Royal Enfield should consider adding in the future, even if it increases the bike’s retail cost.

Instrumentation is simple, consisting of an analogue speedo around a small LCD display for the odometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, clock, temp and tripmeters. This is offset to the left, with the Tripper pod on the right.

Choice of Two – and Five

The Super Meteor 650 is offered in two variants; the Roadster and the Tourer. Both are identical mechanically, but the tourer comes with a windscreen, comfort seat, pillion backrest and LED indicators as standard. Five colours will be available locally, two of which are two-tone treatments that are exclusive to the Tourer version.

At the global launch, I preferred the Tourer finished in Celestial Red and this remained my favourite after the Aussie launch, too, although Interstellar Green did grow on me over the two days.

Extra bolt-on parts for the Tourer aside, there's really nothing that separates the two variants. Both handle well, with impressive engine response and smooth gear changing. Ergonomics are virtually identical, too, with the only differences being the plusher seat and wind protection offered by the Tourer, which made itself evident on the longer straight-road sections of the launch.

Build quality is hard to fault, to the point that’s it really pointless comparing these Indian-made motorcycles with those from Japan. The latter may have held the advantage decades ago, but standards of fit and finish are identical today.

Reacquainting myself in the saddle, I was reminded of the Super Meteor 650’s low seat height of 740mm compared to the Interceptor/Conti GT’s 804mm/820mm, along with the forward controls, pullback handlebars on risers and span-adjustable clutch/brake levers. That being said, riding position is virtually neutral, something LAMS buyers need, in my view.

Ocean and Inland

Our media ride group was joined by Royal Enfield dealers on Day 1 and Instagram celebs, social media influencers and other “non-bike” people on Day 2, so it was interesting to get opinions on the Super Meteor 650 from two very different perspectives.

The Great Ocean Road was the ideal venue to test the Super Meteor 650, particularly its handling, as most of our time in India on the global launch was spent on flat, straight roads with minimal bends.

I found myself enjoying how this bike turned and the torquey nature of the engine response; it really just “flows” along without the need to throw it into corners or aggressively pin the throttle to hit 100km/h speeds.

From the moment you thumb the electric starter to when you’re nudging the rev limit, engine note is subdued. Could there be more aural appeal? Possibly, but this is very much a case of individual preference and I’d be surprised if potential buyers turn away based purely on engine noise.

If you’ve been on the Great Ocean Road, even in relatively quiet, mid-autumn weekdays when we were on it, you’ll know that traffic makes it hard to go for an all-out, peg-scraping blast these days. That’s not what the Super Meteor 650 is about, anyway, but there was still enough room and road space there to satisfy most riders’ love of twisties.

The stop-go nature of certain sections along the way meant the Super Meteor 650’s brakes got a workout and they performed admirably thanks to the integral ABS and ByBre calipers. The transmission got a workout too, and also performed well, with smooth shifting and logically-spaced gearing.

This "easy to ride" element is key to what the Super Meteor 650 is about and inspires confidence on the road. For LAMS riders, this is important, but it’s something full-licence holders will welcome, too.

While virtually everything on the bike was fine as is, I did wind down the the suspension preload at our first coffee stop in Forrest. As supplied, all the bikes had the rear shocks at a firmer setting than what I had experienced previously. It was too stiff for me, so I dialled it down one notch, which made the rest of the first day’s loop ride much more enjoyable.

For most solo riders, depending on weight, I think a softer setting would be suitable and you’d only want to wind it up for a pillion or a big swag and gear.

There are all sorts of scientific ways of adjusting preload, but in my view, there’s no substitute for seat-of-the-pants adjustment. That means riding your usual commute and adjusting the preload each time until you find the ‘Goldilocks’ setting, but bear in mind (no pun intended) that preload changes do impact the bike’s centre of gravity.

Regardless of preload preferences, I think many riders will enjoy the plusher seat that’s standard on the Tourer and optional for the Roadster. It just adds to the whole cruiser experience and will make long miles on the road more enjoyable.

One to Try

Two more days on the Super Meteor 650 at the Australian launch reinforced everything I had opined on this LAMS-legal cruiser after the global launch. On a long, straight section of open road in sixth gear, everything on the bike just seems so easy. The steering is light, the weight – 241kg wet – is negligible and the engine performance is effortless.

The amount of torque on tap, even in higher gears, makes overtaking a breeze, while cruising all day at speeds between 100-110km/h is comfortable, without vibration or shimmying. The ergonomics and balance of the chassis meant the Super Meteor 650 never felt skittish or wallowy in corners, either.

As mentioned, the only thing I would add is cruise control, but aside from that, this cruiser needs nothing, in my opinion.

While it is simple and easy for learners to adapt to, the Super Meteor 650 is not just a learner’s bike. I think that full licence holders and those returning to motorcycling will enjoy it just as much, as it’s so easy and so much fun to ride.

This all gets back to my opening statement. We may have different tastes and come from different eras, but we can all agree on what’s a good ride – and the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is a very good ride.