2020 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 rivals: Honda CB 350 vs Benelli Imperiale 400 vs Jawa Perak vs Bajaj Dominar 400 vs Royal Enfield Classic 350

Aditya Chatterjee Updated: November 06, 2020, 04:16 PM IST

Royal Enfield's latest entrant in its portfolio is the Meteor 350. This cruiser that replaces the popular Thunderbird from its line-up is aimed at inviting new-age riders who have been riding commuters or smaller displacement motorcycles. RE has given the Meteor 350 a new design, which does make it resemble motorcycles in the higher segment as well as ensure premium build quality all throughout. Underpinning the motorcycle is an all-new platform whereas powering the 2020 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is a ground-up new 349cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine. Here's our road test review of the Meteor 350. While the first impressions are quite positive, the Royal Meteor 350 has to battle it out against other motorcycles in this segment. Here's a quick look at these rivals, what do they offer and where are they priced in comparison to the RE Meteor 350

Honda CB 350

Rs. 1.85 lakh, ex-showroom

The Honda Highness CB350, that was being considered as a rival only to the RE Classic 350, has now met its equal match with the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. The Honda CB 350 carries the modern-classic design inspired from the yesteryear CB range of motorcycles. It comes with a neo-classic LED headlight with DRLs, black alloy wheels and a 15-litre fuel tank that can be availed with a single shade or a dual-tone depending on the variant. It comes equipped with Honda Smartphone Voice Control system using which the rider can connect his smartphone with the motorcycle via Bluetooth. Once connected, the rider can operate the system with controls on the handlebar and access phone calls, navigation, music playback and incoming messages. The semi-digital instrumentation will show info on the distance to the empty, real-time efficiency, time, trip information and also ABS, traction control, gear position indicator and battery voltage meter.

Royal Enfield Classic 350 BSVI

Rs. 1.61 lakh, ex-showroom

Sibling rivalry? Launched in 2009, this modern classic offering has ruled the segment with its strong sales numbers. While the competition did try to woo the audience with fancy tech and features, the Classic 350 remains undeterred. It was given a BSVI update which has made the motorcycle smoother and refined than before. The single-cylinder 346cc motor puts out 19PS of power and 28Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

Benelli Imperiale 400

Rs. 1.99 lakh, ex-showroom

One of the newer brands to enter the modern classic brigade in India is the Benelli Imperiale 400. In its six years long tenure, Benelli has often made street naked, scramblers, adventure and supersport motorcycles, but a true blue modern classic like the Imperiale 400 is a first. With a larger displacement engine as compared to the Classic 350, the Imperiale 400 offers a much smooth and refined performance. It also looks much premium and appealing. However, looses out on handling along with the lack of a wide-spread dealership network as the RE. The 374cc single-cylinder engine delivers 21PS at 6,000rpm and generates 29Nm at 3,500rpm, with a 5-speed gearbox. Read our details road test review here.

Jawa Perak BSVI

Rs. 1.95 lakh, ex-showroom

2020 BSVI Jawa Perak Bobber OVERDRIVE (1)

The Jawa Perak, which is the company's latest, is a rather interesting motorcycle for it is the only factory-built bobber motorcycle that you can get at that price. Other than its impressive looks, it also weighs much lighter than the Benelli Imperiale 400 and the Royal Enfield Classic 350, which should ideally mean better handling and easier manoeuvrability in city traffic. Almost everything about the Perak reads good on paper, but then there have delivery issues wherein customers have cancelled their bookings for other options, which does not work in favour of the brand. The 334cc engine makes 30.64PS of power and generates 32.74Nm of torque, also making it more powerful than the above-mentioned motorcycles.

Bajaj Dominar 400

Rs. 1.96 lakh, ex-showroom

The flagship offering from Bajaj, the Dominar 400 comes loaded with a muscular design that take inspiration from the Ducati Diavel and also comes with a performance to back it up. It also comes with a decent list of features, of course not to the level of what Honda is offering on the CB 350. While Royal Enfield, Jawa and Benelli have gone the modern classic way, the Dominar 400 is a new-age sport tourer for the savvy gen. The single-cylinder liquid-cooled 373.3cc mill produces 40PS at 8,800rpm and generates 35Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. which is the best in the entry-level tourer segment.