Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Gets Big Price Cut And Many Upgrades: Launched At Rs. 1.96 Lakh

Images of the updated Royal Enfield Meteor 350 motorcycle had recently surfaced online. The bikes had started reaching dealerships, and the brand has now come forward with an official announcement. The updated Meteor 350 now comes with a host of changes along with GST benefits. Prices for the Meteor 350 now starts at Rs 1.96 lakh, ex-showroom.

The updated Meteor 350 motorcycle looks the same in terms of design. However, the most noticeable change on the updated Meteor is the addition of new LED headlamps and LED turn indicators. The Fireball and Stellar variants of the Meteor 350 previously came with halogen units. The Meteor 350 also comes with new updated colours. It gets seven colours spread across the four variants.

The Meteor 350 is now available in Orange and Grey for the Fireball, Matte Grey and Marine Blue for Stellar, Retro Green and Red for Aurora, and Black for Supernova. Apart from the cosmetic changes, Royal Enfield has also made a few mechanical updates to the motorcycle.

While the engine remains the same, the manufacturer is now offering features like a slipper clutch, which had been due for quite some time. The Meteor 350 continues to use the same chassis, engine, suspension, and brake setup.

While the base Fireball and Stellar variants now get LED headlamps, LED turn indicators, and the Tripper navigation pod as standard, the Supernova and Aurora variants come with adjustable levers as a standard feature.

The Meteor 350 gets a classic cruiser-like design and, just like most Royal Enfield motorcycles, it retains the neo-retro motorcycle charm. The motorcycle is powered by the same 349 cc, single-cylinder, fuel-injected engine that generates 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque. The engine is paired with a 5-speed gearbox.

Usually, when a manufacturer introduces an update for an existing model, the price goes up. However, in this case, the opposite has happened. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has now become a lot more affordable than before, thanks to the revised GST rates. Earlier, the price for a brand-new Royal Enfield Meteor 350 motorcycle started at Rs 2.08 lakh (ex-showroom) and went up to Rs 2.33 lakh (ex-showroom). However, the price of the updated Meteor 350 now starts at Rs 1.95 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up to Rs 2.15 lakh (ex-showroom). The lower variants have seen a price drop of around Rs 13,000, while the higher variants have dropped by Rs 18,000.

As per the revised GST rates, motorcycles in the 350 cc segment or below now attract a GST rate of 18 percent. Before the revision, these models fell under the 28 percent GST slab. However, any motorcycle above the 350 cc segment will attract a 40 percent GST. Many models from Royal Enfield have become more expensive because of this. Models like the Himalayan 450, Guerrilla 450, twin-cylinder motorcycles like the Continental GT, Interceptor 650, Classic 650, and Super Meteor have all become costlier than before.