The Best Beginner-Friendly Bike For Riding 80 MPH All Day
The first time beginner riders head out on the highway, they realize they are seriously under equipped. Licensing courses focus on training in a parking lot, and slow-speed figures of eight do not help at higher speeds. Another reason is that beginners are funneled toward sub-500 cc featherweight motorcycles. This is understandable because the assumption is that a beginner will ride around in the city, and the light weight of a small motorcycle is a valuable confidence builder within city limits. But the first time they experience the vibrations from that small engine spinning at 80 miles an hour, and the first time a true crosswind blows them off line, the sensory overload convinces them that the interstate is not for them.
Featherweight Commuters And Heavyweight Twins Trap Beginner Highway Riders
Even if said beginners head to a showroom to fix those problems, it gives rise to a third problem. Showrooms have sub-500 cc choices, which offer numbing high-frequency vibrations and no reserve for overtakes at 80 MPH. On the other hand, they are forced to look at traditional cruisers with long wheelbases that are rock steady at that speed.
The downside is massive curb weights and high pricing, neither of which a beginner motorcyclist wants to deal with. It is a tough choice for someone getting into the sport, and with so much engineering and choice available to us, why aren’t there more options for the beginner who wants to head out to the highway?
Low-Slung Mechanical Mass Delivers Interstate Stability Without Intimidation
The middle ground between a lightweight commuter-derived cruiser and a traditional one needs an exacting blend of overall heft for the highway, but it should carry that weight low enough that riding around in the city never feels precarious for a beginner. It needs an engine that is understressed and does 80 miles an hour with minimal vibrations, and of course, it needs to be affordable for a beginner.
Royal Enfield is uniquely positioned to offer such a cruiser as a brand that built its reputation on affordable two-wheeled transportation for those who want to chase the horizon. It has had a renaissance of sorts recently, and as a result, it has what is probably the best beginner-friendly bike for riding 80 MPH all day.
The Super Meteor 650 Blends Authentic Cruiser Stance With Touring Gear
The Super Meteor 650 was not a surprise from Royal Enfield. Royal Enfield has been known to put out products with extreme value; what was surprising is the level of maturity from a new product on a new platform. The Super Meteor looks the business with the right stance, period elements like twin rear shocks, chrome exhausts, and a round headlamp. And it feels simple, which is important.
It is also reliable, not something Royal Enfield was known for even two decades ago. It delivers big-bike confidence without the big-bike drama. The Celestial variants offer a standard thicker, more comfortably padded touring seat and a bolt-on windshield, which makes riding at 80 miles per hour much easier for extended periods.
A $7,999 Price Challenges Established Metric Cruisers
The Super Meteor 650 originally launched with a price below $7,000, but it has gradually climbed northward to $7,999. At this price, it competes with more established Japanese cruisers rather than Chinese equivalents but is still an affordable cruiser worth buying. It offers more metal, better paint quality, and presence than even the Japanese in some ways, although it still has some way to go before it proves that its longevity is on par. Still, for the kind of feeling it offers, it sits in a unique space in the segment.
The 270-Degree Parallel Twin Delivers Relaxed, Low-Vibration Highway Cruising
This 648 cc engine is Royal Enfield’s first multi-cylinder engine in a very long time, but it has also been on sale now for a good eight years. Among all the 650 cc bikes in the range, it has proven to be a reliable engine, and though it is down on power, it has a lot of character and is one of the more enjoyable powertrains on sale right now. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it captures the Harley spirit in a different way. This is a parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree firing order, a SOHC head with four valves per cylinder, and a compression ratio of 9.5:1.
It generates 47 horsepower at 7,250 RPM and 38.6 pound-feet of torque at 5,650 RPM. This is a basic engine with a cable throttle and fuel injection, though Royal Enfield does equip it with an assist-and-slipper clutch and a six-speed gearbox. A chain drives the rear wheel, which keeps costs down, but you will need to keep an eye on chain maintenance on a long ride. It is surprisingly eager given the spec sheet figures, and is smooth across the rev range. There is decent shove in all gears, but it might not have true performance for a quick overtake on the highway. Still, it lopes along in its sweet spot at 80 MPH.
Inverted Showa Forks And Tubeless Alloy Wheels Offer Touring Peace Of Mind
The Super Meteor is underpinned by a tubular spine frame, but in a twist, the front forks are inverted. In fact, this is the first Royal Enfield model to get inverted front forks. These are 43 mm Showa SFF-BP forks with 4.7 inches of travel. At the rear, there are twin shocks with preload adjustment; they offer four inches of travel. The lack of travel and the absence of progressive-rate springs can make the rear ride harsh at speed over bridge joints or expansion seams, but there are upgrades available in the aftermarket.
There is a single 320 mm front brake disc and a 300 mm rear brake disc; both are paired with two-piston floating calipers. These are mounted on a 19-inch front and a 16-inch rear alloy wheel with tubeless tires, which mean puncture repairs are a painless five-minute delay even for a beginner. The Super Meteor is proof that you don’t have to overpay for comfort.
A 29.1-Inch Saddle And 59-Inch Wheelbase Tame Crosswind Jitters
The Super Meteor 650 might look like it makes bigger bikes feel unnecessary, but it has the proportions to make a beginner feel comfortable. It is 89 inches long and 35 inches wide with a 59-inch wheelbase. The seat is 29.1 inches high, the ground clearance is 5.3 inches, the fuel tank can hold 4.15 gallons, and the wet weight is 531.3 pounds.
That wet weight is a little high for the segment, but the Super Meteor carries it quite low. The seat is quite narrow, and the long wheelbase makes sure it is quite stable against crosswinds and the wash of a semi going past, all of which ensure that inexperienced riders are confident on it.
Turn-By-Turn Tripper Navigation Pod Complements Analog/LCD Dial
The Super Meteor 650 gives riders more than they bargained for, but the instrument cluster is what the feature set is like: part retro, part modern, and always with an eye on giving the maximum value. The cluster consists of two circular pods. The larger left-side one houses an analog speedometer, but has an inner LCD that shows the rest of the information, like the fuel level, odometer, trip meters, clock, and gear position. The smaller right-side pod houses a circular TFT that Royal Enfield calls the Tripper; it is used for navigation and Bluetooth functions.
All variants of the Super Meteor 650 have alloy wheels, ABS, and a center stand as standard. They are all priced the same; the only difference is that there are a couple of variants called the Celestial, which have two-tone paint schemes, a bolt-on windshield, a single-piece touring seat with more padding, and a pillion backrest. Since there is no extra cost, these would be the variants to go for to maximize bang for the buck, and, of course, the more comfortable seat and the windshield make it much more suitable for riding 80 miles an hour all day. The options list includes soft luggage, engine guards, and sump guards.
Shaft-Driven And High-Revving Middleweight Rivals Challenge The Super Meteor
With Royal Enfield increasing the Super Meteor’s price to $7,999, it certainly has started competing with established Japanese brands. The closest to the Royal Enfield in price is the Kawasaki Vulcan S ABS, which balances power and practicality, and retails for $8,149. This is a much lighter motorcycle because of its more modern frame. It is also a more exciting cruiser to ride because the engine loves revving and generates much more power at 60 horsepower. It does not have the navigation facility that the Super Meteor offers, and Kawasaki also offers it without ABS for $7,649.
If you want a different flavor, the Honda Shadow Phantom offers an affordable V-twin cruiser experience at $8,699. Honda now provides this as standard with dual-channel ABS, and it has a driveshaft, which means that when you are on your highway runs, there is absolutely no chain maintenance required. This is also a motorcycle that has a reputation for low running costs and bulletproof reliability; the Vulcan S also belongs to this tier of ownership costs and reliability. The Honda gets slightly more brownie points because of its authentic V-twin engine rather than the Kawasaki’s 180-degree parallel twin.
However, if it is pure value for money you are looking for, there is the $7,199 Moto Morini Calibro 700 Bagger that outclasses more expensive rivals. This has a parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree firing order like the Royal Enfield, but it is also liquid-cooled like all the others here, and it is equipped right from the showroom floor with a fork-mounted batwing fairing and hard luggage. It still has a way to go to prove its reliability, and the dealer network is not quite where it should be if you intend to cover highway miles regularly on it.
Source: Royal Enfield USA
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments