Great bikes, I've put just shy of 9000 miles on mine. Used daily in all weather's, regularly on motorway and tours. Very suprised as always owned Japanese motorcycles. It's fantastic

All chain drive bikes should have a center stand stock from the factory.

I am an owner of a 350 Classic in the same colour you have got (Halcyon Green). My dealer told me running in the RE 350s is not necessary at all, no matter what the manual states. Apparently these bikes are delivered with normal oil filled in the engines and not with special running in oil as it used to be in former times. Thus no running in. Of course it is of advantage to apply power a bit more smoothly during the first few weeks of operation, but you can go up to the highest speed and rev possible at any gear. In a KZfaq video by a German biker and employee at an RE dealer he says he had visited different motorcycle factories and there he learned that nowadays every new engine coming straight from the production line has to undergo extreme testings under highest revs possible. A running in of engines which survived these extreme testing is not necessary anymore he has learned. PS: many riders state that after a few hundred miles when the running in phase was over their engine's performance and behavior had improved. But actually nobody of them can prove that it wouldn't have been the same after a few hundred miles without running in.

I've got a Honda 750F2r in the garage alongside my Meteor, same as you tested. The Honda hardly gets ridden these days. The Meteor is so easy to just hop and go for a ride round the lanes. My "go to" bike. And a real bargain at the price !

the heal / tow shifter was quite common. Easy to use once you get used to it & makes gear changing easier I feel, but again it's what you're used to. The majority of bikes now don't have the heal section of the gear change so for most people it will appear foreign to them. The market for the bike though is older people & most of those have experience with a heal/tow shifter. Never had an engine light come up on both my Himalayn's so perhaps a J series engine thing. It's more than just a commuter as I reguarly see these size bikes at Royal Enfield Rallies all around the country & they travel a very long way some of them to get to the Rally. It's in between a normal riding control position & a cruiser position for the foot controls-very similar to the V9 MotoGuzzi Roamer (semi Cruiser). I thought it had a 13 litre fuel tank!?

Nice review thanks. I have an RE Himalayan in a hilly area here in Australia and have been careful to run it in. It’s a nice do it all motorcycle. I was in Bradford for 10 days in late November visiting my old uncle, so good to hear the Yorkshire accent and see the local roads again on your review.

out of control Inflation has helped popularity of single lesser cc bikes in europe for being more pocket freindly yet giving good riding experience

I have the Meteor and the Bullet 500. The Meteor is my daily driver, I replaced the gearshift with the excellent version from TEC motorcycle parts, I also fitted the free flow stainless steel exhaust from Hitchcock’s along with the DNA filter and intake kit with a FuelX lite module. It is excellent with these modifications. The windshield causes dirty air buffeting so I discarded mine. I’ve did try the touring seat, but it gave me back aches, so I refitted the standard seat.

Great review 👏 👌 wonderful to see a motorcycle that looks like a motorcycle instead of a Ant 🐜 or a Duck or Jet Ski 🎿 Modern bikes and cars today are extremely Bland and not worth a second glance. The RE however is a sight for sore eyes, a real beauty and will probably attract a crowd 😍 wherever it goes.

Greetings, with my 2021 RE Meteor 350, l found out pretty quick that going up a curvy steep hill in fourth gear was definitely a struggle. However, made it up in third gear at 50 kph. with no problem at all, :-). Cheers. 🏍🇨🇦

Yet another cracking bike I want now. Fair & in depth review...

Proper review as per usual. Thank you.

Crackin' review, I may take a test ride on the back off this. Dealers near me have a few ex demo's which I've always been dubious of due to the running in process probably not being followed ... and you possibly confirmed my fears 😉

I have just bought one after 3 years on a Himalayan, to sum up I would say it is charming, love it. Just subscribed .

Another very informative video.

A bigger danger when running in, is under-revving and labouring the engine, not exceeding a recommended rpm limit.

If you compare the Honda 350 single, which has similar specs on paper, the difference is huge. The Honda pulls well past 120kmh, and has a cheap and easy maintenance intervals. The Royal Enfields have terribly expensive service intervals and tightly restricted running in protocols. And then the dash components can break easily. But there is no disputing how gorgeous they look.

Services are at 3000 miles, although it's mainly a check and adjust service with oil and filter change 👍🏻 valves are 6000

Nice review BW, you pretty well mirrored my views after my test ride, and I have to say that if I was to sell my T100 outfit there'd definitely be space for one alongside the Himalayan, although I've not tried the Hunter yet! On a completely unrelated subject....if it isn't Ainsworth Rider it's yourself, reacquainting me with the roads I used so much up until the dreaded Covid, driving my Shearings coach on holiday feeder routes! Thanks for that.😅 Stay safe anyway, cheers. 😎👍

I would have 1 of each of the 350s 👍🙏

i love my RE meteor 350 to death, such a great deal for a bike and such great fun, will be upgrading to the 650 later on, but i have the idea that with the introduction of watercooled 450 enginges for euro norms this is the way for RE going forward. I expect watercooled engines for all platforms going forward tbh.

Great review, thanks so much. I'm undecided between this and the Classic. Which of the two has the best finishes?

I bought a Stellar Blue and its great, Very Nice bike. Cheers from Brasil 👊🇧🇷

Thanks my friends RE

I get 100,000 miles out of a drive belt on my Sportster, along with hydraulic valve adjustment means very little maintenance other than changing fluids.

RE are certainly producing wonderful motorcycles. I need a larger garage! 😊

Better a few revs over than slogging the engine in too high a gear and the run in period is relatively short and makes a massive difference..they just get better and better over time..absolutely the best 350 single on the market !

What I do when running in a small bike is put a tip ex mark on switch gear and one on throttle tube a bit under half throttle and then try not to go above unless you really need two.

They are a really pretty bike looking bike just perfect for country lanes I think I would stay away from m'ways though . One thing these bikes have are proper mudguards and decent seat at least it looks like it on the 350's to me .Good review and a good little bike 👌👍

After you went through Morton village I noted that you didn't show the climb up Alma hill!

Re EML :had the same on my Meteor at about 500m. Forums etc suggest that it's quite common and caused by issues with temp sensor tolerances. Bought a £30 obd reader c/w RE adapter, codes confirmed sensor, cleared and has not (yet) returned. Apparently a software update may be available, will check at next service. ATB

it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to run a fast bike slow.

Great video - underated bikes

Wow so good lukin motorbike

I have to confess that i pretty much ignored the book on running in my Meteor, I’ve been an engineer and mechanic for most of my adult life and used to fettle race engines , having that experience i already know that the killer of a new engine is crank load and heat so too high a gear and too many revs, i live in Wales so everywhere

It would be good if you could do a comparison between this video and the new 650 super you ride now. I also think it would be we well watched video.

You don't need 100hp and 100mph to have fun on a motorcycle.

I'll tell kieran J Thackray about the engine management light, give him a bit of stick over it 😉😂😂

seat height as far as I'm aware is 790mm & the Classic is 805mm.

I would have said : for beer money

Had mine 18 months and put 3700 miles on her, lovely bike ridden within its limits, very happy with her, but the rumoured classic 650 later this year may very well tempt me.

Nice review. How do you get away with an illegal numberplate on your classic?

What's the part number of those nice brown saddlebags you've got?

I'm having a torrid time choosing between this or the Hunter... Been paralyzed 2 months... Driving a Honda Wave 110 until I decide... It's agony... 😂 *Crap Game*

Hi I noticed your have old school number plate on your 350 I thought that was illegal would love to put one on my meteor? Many thanks great vids

I have just seen the rear chicken strip

Surely running in the bike lugging the engine at really low revs does more harm than just riding sensibly not lugging or thrashing the engine?.

It really sucks that one cant take the drivers test on this bike here in sweden. Just silly that they have a minumum on hp. Imagine if that was the case for cars....

Wish it did 120/130 kmh

one minor thing i find a little irritating... aren't the front tires put on the wrong way on this? or is it supposed to be like this with these. afaik the lines are supposed to point downwards seen from the front, here they point up.... same with all the meteors i have seen in other reviews.

I wonder how the bike will hold up with 10 yrs of use?

Tree fiddy ?

I'd be grateful for comments and opinions on the following. I bought my Meteor last year as a returning rider (at 66 and a NARPO member). Done about 600 miles (winter and covid intervened) and generally happy with it. The semi forward position suits my joints and the bike is ideal for Pembrokeshire roads. BUT I can't help comparing with my first bike, a 71 Honda cb175 twin. About the same power, but much more nimble. Completely different bike, I understand, but I find the Meteor a bit ponderous. I'm thinking that the hunter may be a better bike for me. Anyone had or tried both? What are your thoughts? Cheers.

And trying g to lug up a hill in too high gears is very bad for a new tight engine.

Is that number plate legal?

On highway,there is ,no extra power to get out of harms way.

ive got the rona right now lol

Notice you didn’t show how the bike performed out of East Morton up Alma as us locals call it. Was it because it the bike you so praise either didn’t make it or was in 1st gear 10 mph . The review is misleading for area where we live, me I’m in Keighley so know all the local roads very well. It would be more helpful not to cut out of your review where the bike would be poor thus giving a balanced view. Taking these bikes on almost flat roads doesn’t help.