Four Royal Enfield Meteor prototypes spied in a parking lot

Recently, one of the Royal Enfield Meteor prototypes was caught on camera while it was out on test for NVH levels. Now, in a new development, four prototypes of the upcoming Royal Enfield bike have been spied in a parking lot.

Royal Enfield has been testing the Meteor (codename: J1C0) for a while now and several sources closed to its development have suggested that it is the Thunderbird successor. Recently, a company engineer testing the upcoming bike had gone on record to confirm that Meteor is indeed the chosen name. The four prototypes were completely undisguised and they show the Meteor’s Thunderbird-like cruiser style.

Even though the Meteor has the silhouette of the Thunderbird, there are certain design changes that Royal Enfield has incorporated. Following are some of those main differences:

• Newand relocated taillight
• Relocated rear license plate
• Set of new side turn indicators
• Slightly modified rear fender
• New fuel tank
• Wider rear tyre
• Sporty alloy wheels
• New exhaust

Unlike the Thunderbird that has a twin-pod instrument console, the Meteor has a single-pod fully-digital unit. It would show a handful of information like odometer, speedometer, trip meters, clock, fuel gauge, average speed, average fuel consumption, etc. Some of the other noticeable features of the Meteor include conventional suspension setup, disc brakes at both ends, single-piece tubular handlebar, split seats, and LHS chain drive.

The Royal Enfield Meteor is based on the brand’s modular J-platform which would also form the base for the next-gen Royal Enfield Classic models. As for the engine, exact details are not known yet but it is being anticipated that it would have a displacement of somewhere between 346 cc and 499 cc. Also, Royal Enfield would incorporate a SOHC setup for better performance, refinement, and reduced vibrations. The new engine will be BS-VI compliant and feature a fuel injection system.

Also Read: More affordable version of next-gen Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X spied again

The prototypes in these pictures look like production-ready models and perhaps were undergoing final road tests. This could mean that Royal Enfield would launch the Meteor by the middle of the year. As for the pricing, a starting price of around INR 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom) is expected.

[Source: gaadiwaadi.com]