Return of the thumper

Calling Royal Enfield Meteor 350, the most anticipated motorcycle of the year wouldn’t be an understatement. Sure, Royal Enfield (RE) has its own set of cult followers, but with the introduction of the 650 twins two years ago, the iconic motorcycle manufacturer proved that not only can they produce state-of-the-art bikes for the global market with an affordable price tag, but that they can also attract and convert non-RE fans into true believers. Based on a brand-new platform and equipped with a new engine, in many ways, the expectation from the Meteor 350 is very high as it will be the DNA for Royal Enfield’s future 350cc range. Being a BS6 compliant bike, it's a given that the refinement levels will be better than the old Thunderbird and Thunderbird X, but the pertinent question here is, has the Meteor sacrificed the legendary Royal Enfield’s signature thump exhaust note? Also, with numerous retro motorcycles available in the market at roughly the same price, will the world's oldest bike maker have an edge over its competition? We find out. Reviewing of the new cruiser, started with firing up the engine and we are happy to report that it retains the traditional deep