Royal Enfield Thunderbird Meteor – Engine Explained

The Royal Enfield has been now seen developing a bike for a long time now. They have wound up with the BS6 launches of the classic and it is confirm that the new bike is from the cruiser segment. The bike was expected to be called as the Royal Enfield Meteor at first but now we think that the bike will come as a addition to the Thunderbird lineup.

Let for now call it the Royal Enfield Thunderbird Meteor. The main question with this bike is the new engine on this bike. Read further to know more about the engine.

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Engine

From the spied photos the upper part of the engine looks like it has been taken from the Thunderbird or the Himalyan. This engine is comparatively smoother than the engine on the Classic. If so the engine could be either 349cc or a 500cc. We can rule out the possibility of this engine to be close to 500cc as it would then compete with the Royal Enfield Interceptor. If it is a 349cc engine, then it will make a power of 24 bhp if tuned as the Himalayan is tuned. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird Meteor will have to be better than the existing Thunderbird.

The Meteor will be a bike designed for a long haul. With the growing demand for the tourers the company will try to search for the perfect recipe of making one.

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Meteor Gearbox

The bike in development was seen with a 6 speed gearbox setup as seen on the Royal Enfield Interceptor. The engine casing on the left side is similar to that of the Interceptor. Giving a 6 speed gearbox will make the engine much more relaxed at cruising speeds. We always wanted a 6 th gear on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. The 6 speed gearbox will definitely be a tall geared on and we can expect power in almost all the gears. The fuel economy will also change on the Himalayan engine because of this new engine.

Royal Enfield Vibrations

The vibrations on the engine will be low on this cruiser. The thump of the bike has been a signature of the company but we can see the company now taking in the suggestions of the customers and creating this engine so as it gives maximum comfort to the rider. Royal Enfield will make the engine of the bike more power oriented but we won’t see an undersquare layout so soon. Even the option of liquid cooling is out of the question. The engine will also not rev much. We can expect a red line of 7000 RPM which is also a high on a Royal Enfield bike. Things are about to change on this bike and we can expect to sit close to the points on the RPM band where Royal Enfield riders did not dare to venture.

Meteor Design

The Design of the Royal Enfield Thunderbird Meteor will be like that of the thunderbird. The bike will have a single round headlight and a low slung seat. The handlebars will be pulled towards the rider. The pillion seat will be separated and both the seats will be comfortable. The bike will get a single pod instrument cluster. This might be digi-analog console. Rest there won’t be many changes to the design of the thunderbird. Also the bike might get alloy wheels as standard as there is no test vehicle with spokes wheels that has been spotted.