For better or worse

[pdedse]

The Super Meteor is a good looking bike but Royal Enfield really need to get their weight under control. The new Super Meteor 650 is 241kg. That is 1Kg heavier than a shaft driven Triumph Tiger 1200GT.

That's how they keep their price under control..cheap heavy parts. If the frame, fenders, headlight shell, side covers, rims are all steel, it adds weight,

Fender and side cover are plastic on my INT650. That doesn't bother me. A number of CB1100 owners expressed dismay at how there was rust on the underside of the CB fenders...no worries on this! Ok, it could be seen to be cheaper, but I don't mind. Plastic fenders do not make this bike less fun to ride.

So a few more obsercvations after about 250 miles on the bike:

Interesting the comments about weight. Is that really a bad thing? The INT650 weighs 445lbs. Again with CB1100 owners...many of us or potential buyers express concern over the 560 some lbs, yet we defend it because the weight "disappears" once you start riding it...where does that weight go? : ) I think the same thing happens with the INT650. It doesn't feel heavy to me as I ride...in fact, it feels nimble enough. Others with more fine-tuned ideas of "performance" would likely disagree with me.

Just now, I finished a 55 mile ride and about 15 miles of that was spent on I-84 heading east out of the Gresham area--it's the main hiway that hugs the Columbia River on the OR side and is often quite blustery with east winds howling...about 20mph winds today. I was thinking while riding...I'm sure glad this bike has a little heft to it, because too much lighter and I would be getting tossed about. The weight of the CB is something I like about it...it feels planted for hiway riding. So for the classic style bikes, weight doesn't bother me. The INT650 doesn't pull as strong as the CB, or the W800 I had. But I don't expect it to. However, it pulls strong enough. 3rd and 4th feel peppy, 5th less so. I think 6th is truly an overdrive and I wouldn't attempt to pass in 6th, you'd have to drop to 5 or maybe even 4. To me that's fun. I was crusing at 80 no problem and it still had some umph left.

I think where I want less weight (and got it with my recent DR650 vs the KLR that I had) is with a dual sport bike, because they take naps on me when I get a little too aggressive off road--which I don't do a great deal of, but some. Then that 60lbs less is nice not to have to deal with.

Now if someone is looking for a bike that blips from 40 to 80mph in the blink of an eye, the INT650 will not do that...but if you can accept 30mph to 60 in two blinks, and then a coupld more to get to 80-90, then I don't think one would be disappointed with this bike.

Is it "too small"? I think the footpegs are just a little high for me...I could see looking at lowering them at some point. But my upper body ergos feel pretty good. The CB I can ride all day with the seat pads I use. I don't think the INT would be as comfortable for me, but I'm confident I could do a long day's ride on it.

Anyway, just wanted to add a few more thoughts on the bike. Some shots from Multnomah Falls and Crown Point was looking pretty with the snow-capped mts lit up by the late afternoon sun. With the temps at 40, not many visitors today.



Can't get imgur to work normal right now.