Category: Cars and Bikes

  • The Meteor 350 is here – is it any good?

    The Meteor 350 is here – is it any good?

    Royal Enfield is now among the biggest news maker in the Indian biking scene. Thunderbird defined what Cruiser is for many Indians. And now, Royal Enfield has launched Meteor 350.

    The newest offering will be replacing T-bird, primarily because the name Thunderbird cannot be used in many markets. That is the reason you don’t see the beloved T-bird being sold in other countries like the Classic, 650 Twins, and the Himalayan.

    What’s new on the Meteor?

    Well, the Meteor is not just a rebadge but a thoroughly ground up development with new chassis and engine. Powering the Meteor is a newly developed single-cylinder engine that produces 20.2hp at 6,100rpm and 27Nm at 4,000rpm.

    The new Meteor is built on a brand-new twin downtube spine chassis that is said to be stiffer than outgoing TB models. RE continues to use an engine that is air-cooled, they have incorporated an oil circuit in the 2-valve head to aid cooling.

    Typically, Royal Enfield bikes are known for vibrations, the new 349 CC engine has a balancer shaft with an SOHC, two-valve head which helps in containing vibrations. The bike is available in three variants – Fireball, Stellar and Supernova priced at Rs. 1.76 lakh, Rs. 1.81 lakh and Rs. 1.90 lakh (ex-showroom) respectively.

    Colors and Variants

    The Royal Enfield Meteor picks up where Thunderbird X left off, with bright Yellow and Red making it to the list of colors offered as standard. Offered in multiple trims with features and pain schemes differentiation, Meteor 350 is available with a wide variety of combinations.

    Plus, Meteor will the first bike from the RE stable to offer such an option to customize the bike before it is being delivered to the showrooms. I personally prefer the Fireball Red color.

    Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – the bike, the tourer

    Thunderbird was designed as a cruiser with primary purpose of touring. Meteor follows the footsteps of Thunderbird very closely. The engine is powerful enough, like previous generations, for touring rider in India.

    Royal Enfield Meteor 350 - Ride though the hills
    Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Ride though the hills

    RE’s are among the most affordable and reliable machines with a super wide service network. This bodes well for a rider and RE seems to have hit the sweet spot with Meteor.

    The competition

    What remains to be seen is how a potential new customer is considering the latest machine from Royal Enfield against options like Honda’s H’ness CB350, Benelli Imperiale 400 and Java Forty-Two.

    Of the three, it’s the Honda looks most promising and does have what it takes to challenge the RE’s bastion in the segment. However, Honda’s decision to sell the CB350 with the cheeky H’ness tag exclusively via Big Wings show rooms instead of using its wide Honda 2 Wheelers network could be its Achilles heel.

  • Why Himalayan, a question I am asked often!

    Why Himalayan, a question I am asked often!

    When I wanted to buy a bike, the family told me to go for a Scooter instead. It was practical, given that few members of my family can use it if I did not. Though, at that time, I wanted to buy the Pulsar, just like every other guy in the market.

    So I went in for the TVS Wego, and it held me in good stead in the last 4 years. However, long daily rides of 80+ kms were becoming a pain for me even on my Wego. I hear you say of course, do I?

    I was long due an upgrade to a bike, and I often wondered which one to go for given my daily commute. So I naturally thought, why not try the Avenger from the Bajaj stable? It was powerful enough, comfortable and a good bike overall, given it had proven itself in the market. Impulse, was another bike I had eyed but Hero stopped selling it. Another bike I had considered was the all new Pulsar NS200. I also took a test ride (the Showroom sent in a mechanic as pillion which really robbed the experience). And came back, impressed.

    • Kerala Ride to the god's own country
      Kerala Ride to the god’s own country
    • Kerala Ride to the god's own country
      Kerala Ride to the god’s own country
    • Kerala Ride to the god's own country
      Kerala Ride to the god’s own country
    • Kerala Ride to the god's own country
      Kerala Ride to the god’s own country
    • The Limited edition Royal Enfield Himalayan looks classy in its natural surroundings.
      The Limited edition Royal Enfield Himalayan looks classy in its natural surroundings.


    But then, the news was floating around of the all new Royal Enfield Himalayan. You see, it would be, at launch, the only affordable adventure bike in the country. With the roads pothole ridden, I felt this was the bike I want to ride to work. A quick back to back TD with Pulsar NS200 and Himalayan was enough for me to decide.

    I never rode a Royal Enfield bike before in my life, like ever. Himalayan was the first one! A quick back to back TD with Pulsar NS200 and Himalayan was enough for me to decide my future bike.

    Enter Yeti, the Himalayan

    I went ahead and booked the new Himalayan for Rs. 5000, with a waiting period of three months. Three efng months!

    It was too long a wait, and I had to really count days. It was not easy, but I had this longing of buying myself a Himalayan that really kept me pumping. As the days passed by, I got a call that my Himalayan had arrived 15 days earlier than anticipated, and that I should be ready to receive it.

    The day of the delivery was also the day when Raksha Bandhan was celebrated. Using the day off to the fullest, I called in my friend Vishnu Tantri to join me for the delivery.

    It was a non-ceremonial delivery, but heck did I care about those things. I had the beast waiting for me, and I was more immersed in deciding to go for my first ride on it.

    Long rides on Himalayan, the best sub two lakh tourer!

    I did many long rides on my Yeti, with the longest yet at 3300+ kms in 8 days. My Mumbai to Kerala and back trip was really an eye opener. My friend and fellow Wolf at TGW accompanied me astride the Dominar. Between us, I bet I had a more comfortable tour

    When we faced pothole ridden roads, it was the Himalayan that came on top. On the highway, Dominar was regularly breaching the 140kmph mark which my Himalayan did not. However, it was never my intent to be riding at those speeds.

    Doing 120kmph constant is easily done on Himalayan, even with loads of luggage and a heavy rider. After the initial niggles, it has proved to be a no-nonsense bike for me.

    Other bikes from the RE stable are famously used for long tours, and of course people have claimed it to be comfortable likewise. For me, it has been the Himalayan which beats the odds.

  • Indianomics Showcase – Road Trippers Club!

    Indianomics Showcase – Road Trippers Club!

    At Indianomics, I am continually evolving the content I create and try to promote ideas in a fresh bottle. Bottle jibe is to emphasize that We often forget that world around us have a stimulus, playing its role in silence, while we are aloof of it. Indianomics Showcase brings out people and groups from cold, and showcases them.

    In this article, I am going to introduce you all to Road Trippers Club (RTC)! Watch the video interview with Vineet Rajan and Neeraj Sinha, who along with Deepak Ananth (could not be there for the day) are the men behind ScoutMyTrip.com and have started RTC to celebrate Cars just like Bikes to their riders.

  • Tata Motors eVision is all electric sedan concept

    Tata Motors eVision is all electric sedan concept

    Tata Motor’s love affair with Geneva Motor show made it to 20 years. And they celebrated it in Style with stunning concept, the Tata Motors eVision! The all-electric sedan and is based on Tata’s new Omega Arch platform. The car absolutely looks stunning thanks to its sharp design, and consistent with the IMPACT design language that started off with Bolt and Hexa.

    eVision looks stunning for a Tata product!

    Per the press release, the design of new Tata Motors eVision is based on the IMPACT 2.0 design language. Using brushed aluminium to beautifully craft the a three dimensional ‘humanity line’, it runs the entire width of the car. The grille and lamps appear to be pieces of high tech jewelry. Another aluminium blade runs from ‘A’ pillar to ‘C’ piller, creating a diamond shaped DLO. It visually lowers the profile of the car.

    At the rear, animated tail lights creates a ‘Slingshot’ line, which swings around the body from logo up front, defines the character of the car. Visually, it pushes the car forward in the precise yet balanced dynamism.

    It is the best designed sedan Tata Motors have showcased in many years. After H5X unveil, Tata Motors have kept the car enthusiast in India hoping that they bring this bad boy or (sleek beauty, call it what you may) out there. Look at that design!

     

    Tata Motors connected technologies

    First of all, it is no secret for last three years that Tata Motors have been focusing on bringing more human interaction technologies into the car than ever. They have not shied away from talking of the importance and their relentless focus on this one aspect.

    Tata Motors eVision will connect to cloud and will be able to provide lot of information; and hence can provide analytics, geo-spatial mapping, service reminders and predictive energy management system. The later helps to save battery by avoiding traffic routes whenever possible.

    There is not much known about the sound system, and I expect the Harman systems to continue with JBL speakers which has worked really well the car.

    The Tata Motors eVision Concept

    Being electric car, I can expect it to be really fast. From whatever limited information that was shared, it is clear that the car is geared towards performance than usability. There may be synergies that Tata Motors is able to draw from Jaguar, which unveiled the i-Pace electric crossover globally yesterday.

    As a result, Zero to 100 kmph acceleration figure is achievable at less than seven seconds. That is fast. Really fast, with (possibly electronically controlled) top speed of 200 kmph! The car can be charged over with slow charging AC connection or fast charging DC connectivity.

    Here is the video Tata Motors made to introduce the car!

    Electric revolution by 2030

    If you have not read my post about electricity and pollution, please do read. The ruling BJP government has clearly stated an ambitious target of making it mandatory to only sell electric cars by the year 2030. And a lot of manufacturers are now gearing up for that eventual challenge. Going by the recent turn of events especially, the government also can bring forward the implementation date any day.