First Impression: 2024 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

Despite its position as one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers on the planet, when it comes to Canada and the US, Royal Enfield describes itself as a 121-year-old start-up company. Thanks to a recent series of successful product launches, Royal Enfield has made substantial headway in these target markets, and now the company has turned its attention to the lucrative cruiser market with the North American introduction of the all-new Super Meteor 650.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Royal Enfield’s all-new middleweight cruiser as my previous experiences with this brand were limited to its single-cylinder offerings. Fortunately, an invitation to travel down to Texas in October provided the opportunity to experience the Super Meteor on the wide-open American highways that cruisers are built for.

So, how was it? Turns out that the Super Meteor 650 is an absolute blast to ride. Built around the same fuel-injected parallel-twin found in the company’s popular INT 650 and Continental GT650 motorcycles, the Super Meteor is new from the ground up with a purpose-built frame and minimal bodywork that envokes timeless cruisers.

On paper the 648-cc parallel-twin’s output of 47 horsepower and 39 ft-lb of torque isn’t overly impressive but out on the open road this motorcycle definitely has what it takes to capture your attention. Thanks to a power band that sees the majority of the torque available in the low rpm range, this grown-up Meteor is equally comfortable pulling away from a traffic light with smile inducing acceleration as it is comfortably cruising along in 6th gear.

Thanks to quality components including suspension from Showa and ByBre brakes from Brembo, along with a low slung, well-balanced classic cruiser layout, the Super Meteor 650 handles as good as it looks. And it looks good.

Definitely a pleasant riding experience that will appeal to new riders as well as experienced riders in search of a motorcycle for evening cruises around town and weekend rides out of the city. Watch for our in-depth review of the 2024 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 in an upcoming issue of Inside Motorcycles.