I was in my 50's when I got my first motorcycle. I live in the rural mid-west. I make videos to connect with other riders like me and to share the things I've learned and experienced along the way. I make occasional "how to" videos but mostly I take you along for "Rides in the Country." I have a Yamaha Zuma Scooter, a Honda CRF250L and a Royal Enfield Meteor 350
I have had my Meteor 350 for 3 years this month (August). 2021 Stellar red Meteor 350. I just went over 11,000 trouble free miles. I will be 68 this November and have ridden motorcycles most of my life. I've owned dirt bikes and a Triumph 750 but other than hill climbing and riding out in the sticks on those dirt bikes none of them gave me the enjoyment this Meteor does. The only thing I didn't care for when I first got the bike was the poor (dim) head light. Maybe the new ones have LED lights but this one doesn't. I put an engine guard on it and hooked up a couple LED lights and attached them to the engine guard and that really helped. Also installed a windshield, saddle bags, touring foot pegs, and just got my touring seat today. My son and I are planning a road trip from here in North Texas to Iowa this fall. About 800 miles one way. He rides an Indian Scout 60. I love the Tripper navigation on it. It will let you put in your destination and avoid highways and toll roads. Granted It won't break any speed records but at my age it goes plenty fast. I'm at the age that I just like to get out on the back roads and enjoy cruising. I know you will enjoy your Meteor as much as I do. The one common thread I hear people say on RU-vid that give their review of the bike is "it puts a smile on your face."
I bought the Sportster with the ape hangers in June.Kinda weird seeing my actual bike on a RU-vid vid.I haven't even taken any pics of it,yet I get to see it on the internet now. I think it was Jake that you showed briefly that I dealt with.Great guy.He ran out and stopped me when I was about to leave and handed me 2 $100 bills...Turns out I accidentally overpaid $200.Can't ask for a more honest dude than that
Hé salut, je découvre ta chaîne et nous avons la même passion RE et j'ai également dans mon garage la meteor... pourrais-tu me faire un retour d’infos sur la protection moteur (la peinture noire résiste t’elle bien aux projections, la chaleur du moteur est-elle correctement évacuée....) j’envisage de l’installer ! Merci par avance. ✌️
I purchased a pre-owned 2021 RE Meteor 350, which came with the touring seat for rider and pillion. But find the rider's touring seat to be a bit hard, but it does look good with the stitching, :-). Enjoyed your video. Cheers.
I've got a Meteor 350 recently, and the seat feels too soft; perhaps will buy the touring seat. On the bicycles I prefer the Brooks saddles, and had similar sturdy leather custom seat on my HD Sportster, but the original Enfield seat is more or less ok, at least for an hour or so. Thanks for the review!
I fitted the touring seat on my bike at 500 miles at the time it was less than £100 ($120) in the UK and it for me is a worthwhile upgrade as it is firmer and more comfortable (the stock seat the padding compresses and it felt like I was sitting directly on the base after 50 miles) . I would also recommend the comfort foot pegs they allow you to move your feet a bit to relieve the cramps . I have had over 9000 trouble free miles with my bike in the last two and a half years with the exception of the rear indicator lenses fracturing where the screw goes through. This I have put down to Royal Enfield employing a gorilla to over tighten them at the factory as since I replaced them I have had no problems but l do have a couple of spare lenses (£5 each) just in case. My first service cost me £150 as it is a valve check along with oil and filter and check over but I have seen people paying over £200 and less than £100 as there is no set charge .
Did you installed any PPF on your bike? Looks so polished so asking 😅 I'm using supernova model thought to buy Touring seat how you compare with stock seat with Touring one?
They are extremely reliable 500 cc,50 h.p. water cooked shaft drive. I had one with 80k and no problems at all. They are a bit heavy but the 90° v twin is well balanced and it does not feel heavy. It handles similarly to a guzzi without the dubious Italian electrics and a dry clutch not noted for longevity.
80° silly goose, it was originally going to be 90° but honda wanted a slimmer engine. So along with tighten the V angle, they also rotated the heads 22° so the carbs are tucked under. Doing so resulted in a stubby push rod valve train, when honda was all about over head cams at the time. Truly a masterpiece of engineering
Ive just bought a Meteor exactly the same bike and colour, i downsized from my B M , and i love it , never had a problem with the heal & tow shifter , the note out of the engine is great , mine is the blackedout , air cooled so go anywhere without worrying about coolent , does about 80 to 100 miles per gallon, i love everything about it ❤️ Ive changed my style of clothes as well , open face helmet , and bomber jacket that suits the style of bike , enjoy your R E 😀 Best wishes from England 🇬🇧.
You wait until the engine has been completely run-in (I think terminolgy in the States is 'broken in'. Guess that's from your Country's affinity/history with horses). Whilst it's a pain adhering to the low road speeds in each gear in the early stages, it pays dividends in the long run. I've recently returned to Meteor ownership and bought a well looked after pre-owned Meteor Fireball (yellow tank) with just under 3,000 miles on the odometer. When I get out on the country lanes of Hampshire (UK) my newly acquired 'bike conveys it's happiness. I didn't realise what I was doing when I parted compay with my first (first owner) Meteor (local R/E dealership ceased trading !) As you mention, the duff-duff exhaust note is magic. Any troubles from the day just melt away 😁. As I will have to do most 'servicing' tasks from now on, I'll be forming an even closer relationship with my two-wheeled beauty from now on.
Hey, Cliff ✌️ You might want to remove those black plastic shipping covers (left & right...just in front of the handlebars) on the front shock end caps to reveal that shiny chrome. None of the RE dealers seem to be aware of this minor detail. I rode around for almost a year with mine on before I learned about it on a YT video 😂 I'm curious to hear your take on the touring seat. I've been thinking about getting one myself for a couple of years now. Cheers 😊
Oh my 😲. This is the equivalent of driving around in a Dodge Challenger with the yellow protective shipping guards on the front air dam 🫢. Thank you kind sir for bringing this to my attention!! I have removed them and we will all move forward trying to forget this ever happened!
That seat looks great! I've been hemming and hawing about buying the touring seat for my Meteor 350. After watching your video, I'm calling the dealer tomorrow morning and ordering one! Thanks.
My touring saddle arrived today and I installed it on my Meteor 350 after work. Your video was a massive help and spot on in its directions. Unfortunately, it started raining just about the same time I got done. So, I didn't get a chance to try it out. I'll do so tomorrow after work. I did sit on it and my initial reaction was, I seem to sit a bit lower and I seem to sit just a smidge further back. It feels as though I have to reach a bit on the handlebars. Also, the cushion is definitely firmer. I'm anxious to try it out. I'll look forward to more of your videos. I've lived in Texas for 30 years but I'm from Western PA, just across the state line from Youngstown, OH. I like watching channels like yours because I miss that part of the country. Thanks again.
Although on your Meteor you have to take the rear seat off to get to the bolts on the front seat, that's a lot easier than the seat on the classic. You can get the rider seat off on it's own but getting the bolts lined up to put it back on, or the low seat that I put on mine, it took some persuasion to get the rear bolt back thru the frame.
How exciting! I love the Stellar Red version! I think it will do ok for 7 km at that speed. I haven’t gone that fast on mine, but the videos I’ve seen say it will do it.
Very good camera work on showing the placement of the sump guard underneath the bike. Also it's very handy that you put the pdf link as it has the torque setting (55nm) which I couldn't find anywhere. Nor could the YTers find it that I watch.
Ive got a Fireball Red Meteor and i agree with all of your points. Its just so beautiful, when i ride it to work i love to sneak out to look at it gleaming under the sunlight
I have the FAPO Mini Clip-on Lapel Lavalier Condenser Mic plugged into the GoPro Media Mod. I don’t think it’s so much the mic but the placement of the mic. I have learned over the years that it is best to have it taped down inside my helmet right at the corner of my mouth. Good luck with your first bike!
I have owned a yellow Meteor 350 since January 2022. I agree with everything you said. I get people asking me about it all the time! I can't imagine what Classic 350 owners must go through as that one is really old school looking. One thing I would add to your list is how easy it is to keep clean. Since so much of the bike is blacked out, particularly the engine and the motor, all do to make mine look new is a quick wipe down with a cleaner/polish. I always wipe down the yellow pin stripe on my wheels. I used to have a Honda Shadow with chrome spoked wheels. It was a chore keeping that bike looking like new.
I’m surprised about how many looks it gets when I’m out riding! I mean, I guess it makes sense. It sure caught my eye! I agree with what you said. It is easy to keep clean.
I think you definitely hit the highlights! I bought the same year and color just two months ago. Absolutely love it. The sound is sooooo sweet. 800 miles and climbing!
Hi I am in Uk 🇬🇧 I had one from new did 1200 miles on it great comfortable bike great sound economical, but after 1200 you do get fed up with lack of power so I sold it,but I can understand how and why you can’t help liking these bikes..my next bike possibly the Vulcan S or the new moto calibre….which lands in Uk this year 🤔
Hello! New subscriber. I started riding when I was 55. 63 now. The 2nd bike I bought was a 1982 Silverwing. I still have it and I still love it!! I also have a Goldwing that my wife and I usually ride 2-up, but the Silverwing has a special place in my heart.
A big Hi from me, a pensioner in the UK who rides a Meteor Fireball 350 in the lanes of Hampshire, just for pleasure. I won't bore you with my bike-owning history, but my current Meteor is the second one I've owned. I've only recently acquired it. It's a pre-owned 2021 model with just under 3000 miles on the odometer. . I expect you've read plenty of RU-vid vids on the Meteor 350, but I can make a couple of observations on my returning to the model. Just as I found on my previous Meteor, riding over big bumps on the road-surface would produce quite a violent 'kick in the butt'. I've experimented with rear suspension pre-load as per a few RU-vid vid suggestions. The advice was to to do a counter-intuitive thing and add a couple of click-steps of pre-load. I tried that and found just one click added to pre-load improved the ride quality massively (two clicks was a slight a retrograde effect from just the one). My weight in full riding gear is about 74 Kg. I've also noticed that , with my latest Meteor engine having more than completed it's break-in mileage, the general performance is much 'perkier (relatively speaking) than when riding my first (new) one wth a tight engine. I persoanlly don't favour the heel/toe shifter and will be replacing the original gear shifter with a conversion kit that makes the shifter 'toe' only. I fitted the conversion on my first Meteor and it provided a vastly improved gear-change action. (Kit marketed by Tec Bike Parts in the UK, who do mail-order). They do the kit in a silver finish, and also in black, which is what I'll be getting, but Tec are awaiting new stock of the black kit) Part of the reason for my return to Meteor riding was for the added comfort (in my old age I have started to develop arthritis in my right hip) I am really glad I made the change back. If a person is not the type that craves sports-bike performance, the semi-cruiser ergonomics and low revving, but high torque engine, characteristics of the Meteor 350 are a delight. The Meteor handles the 'twisties' in the country lanes surprisingly well, and the riding experience has a soothing but exhilerating effect on the mood 😀. 👋Safe riding, and keep enjoying being a Meteorite.
Is the Tec Bike Parts gear shifter longer than the original? I've just got a Classic 350 and am going to put the heel and toe on as my feet in anything other than trainers won't fit under the gear shift. I'll give the heel and toe a go but if not look for a longer gear shifter and or move it up a notch on the spline. Cheers for any info.
@@simonchilli2088 Simon, The TecBike Parts gear shifter I've referred to is just for the Meteor. With the Meteor's footpegs being in a mid position they are further forward than on a conventional position such as the Classic, so a linkage is provided with the Meteor's kit to connect the gear-selector shaft with the forward pivot axis of the operating lever. (The standard Meteor arrangement is also has a linkage set-up). Hope this makes sense. 😁.
The 'Heel-Toe' gear change arrangement (from any manufacturer) enables the use of ordinary ** shoes/light boots/ trainers, without damaging the toe-cap of your footwear. The first 'Heel-Toe' I used was on my Honda Cub (original model) some 52 years ago. (** Before anyone says anything, yes, I know, the 'wearing of appropriate footwear is always advisable' ).
If you're feeling down, just remember that the numerical remedy is 2 (wheels) & 1 down, 4 (or 5) UP! Ride safe y'all, greetings from a 🇬🇧 RE 500 Classic owner.
I was always looking at GS with some prejudice because here in Germany it's mostly ridden by blokes over 50 in Hi Vis jackets. Plus you see dozens of GS's on every bike stop. Then I bought one myself last year. It's an old 1100 from '97 but boy are these things good! I returned last week from a five week and 6000 mile trip on the old girl and she did everything I asked for and more. 47 mpg and no mechanical issues, pretty great for a bike that's 27 years old. And the newer ones have only gotten better each year.
I know what you mean about the prejudice. There was a guy in one of my Motorcycle training classes who had one and he fit the stereotype perfectly. Thanks for watching!
@@arideinthecountry You're welcome. I'm following you and am looking forward to more videos in the future. Love the Meteor by the way... i had a Bullet 500 for some years, most fun i ever had on two wheels.
Welcome to the BMW club. There is a reason they have been building the GS for over 40 years. It's an iconic bike which gets better every year. IMO, it's the Swiss army knife of bikes, it does it all, and is a pleasure to ride.
