2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Brings Its Vision Of Cruising To The US
Three variants, seven paint schemes, and an MSRP starting under $7,000.
By: Janaki Jitchotvisut Courtesy: RideApart.com
If you’re in the US or Canada and you’ve patiently been waiting for Royal Enfield to release the Super Meteor 650 in North America, we have good news for you. As of October 15, 2023, your wait is finally over. The 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is now available in the US and Canada in three variants: Astral, Interstellar, and Celestial.
The Engine
The news comes nearly a full year after Enfield first raised the curtain on the Super Meteor 650 at EICMA 2022. It’s the company’s first middleweight cruiser and is based around the same well-loved 648cc parallel twin engine found in the Continental GT 650 and INT650.
Tuning is slightly different, of course—but the power claims on the Super Meteor 650 are about 47 horsepower at 7,250 rpm and 52.3 newton-meters (about 38.5 pound-feet) of torque at 5,650 rpm. Bore and stroke are 78mm by 67.8mm. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox.
Suspension, Brakes, Wheels, and Tires
The 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 has a 43mm Showa Big Piston upside down front fork, which is a first for Enfield. In the back, you’ll find standard twin shocks that are in keeping with the Super Meteor 650’s cruiser aesthetic. The front fork offers 120mm of travel, while the rear shocks offer five levels of preload adjustability and 101mm of travel.
Brakes are single-disc units in both the front and the rear, and both also get two-piston ByBre brake calipers. A 320mm brake disc is fitted up front, while the rear gets a 300mm brake disc. Dual channel ABS also comes standard on the Super Meteor 650. As for wheels and tires, you’ll find a 19-inch alloy up front and a 16-inch alloy in the rear. Both come wearing a pair of Ceat Zoom Cruz tires.
Dash, Controls, and Lighting
In the cockpit, you’ll find a gauge cluster with two round gauges. The larger unit on the left has a large face with an analog speedometer on the outside. A smaller LCD screen sits in the center of that analog surround, and it displays things like the time, your current gear, and mileage.
On the right side of the gauge cluster, you’ll see a smaller round gauge that houses Royal Enfield’s Tripper Navigation unit, which is powered by Google and requires smartphone connectivity to function. Handily, there’s also a USB socket so you can plug your phone in while it’s feeding your Tripper Nav its instructions.
Both the left- and the right-hand controls are housed in new aluminum cubes that give a clean, elegant look to the handlebars. The layout is standard for most motorcycles in 2023, and continues Enfield’s current choice of a round, red killswitch that twists from side to side on the right handlebar.
All the lighting on the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 was designed with a certain aesthetic in mind, but that didn’t stop the company from opting to deploy its first-ever LED headlight on this bike. The look remains classic, but the headlight is now a bit brighter and more modern than previous halogen options.
Dimensions
Wheelbase of the 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is 59 inches. Length is 88.98 inches, width is 35 inches, and height is 45.5 inches. Ground clearance is 5.3 inches. Seat height is a very approachable 29.1 inches (or 740mm). Curb weight is 531.3 pounds, and fuel capacity is 4.15 gallons.
Super Meteor 650 Variants and Colors
The 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is available in three different variants: Astral, Interstellar, and Celestial. The Astral and Interstellar variants focus on solo riders, while the Celestial version is geared more toward two-up riding and touring concerns. Different colors and finishes are available on the three variants, as well.
Choose a Super Meteor 650 Astral variant and your color options are Green, Black, or Blue. No two-tone colorways here; just single colors on each bike. Go for an Interstellar bike, and your color options are two-tone Interstellar Grey or Interstellar Green.
Finally, opt for the premium Celestial version, and you get premium Celestial Red or Celestial Blue colorways. Each of these is a two-tone option offset by cream on the tank. The Celestial variant also comes with Enfield’s deluxe touring saddle installed, which comes with a pillion backrest. It also comes with a touring flyscreen with a vent in the middle to attenuate but not totally block airflow.
Prices and Availability
In the US, the 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 starts at an MSRP of $6,999 for the Astral variant. In Canada, the pricing starts at an MSRP of $9,599 for the Astral variant. Move up to the Interstellar variants, and the US MSRP is $7,299. Finally, opt for the Celestial variant, and the US MSRP is $7,499.
The 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 comes with a three-year unlimited mile warranty and roadside assistance with purchase in the US. According to Royal Enfield North America, the Super Meteor 650 should be available in US dealers within the next few weeks. In Canada, RENA says, it should become available shortly after it rolls out in the US.