Best Middleweight Cruiser? Super Meteor vs Rebel vs Vulcan! 

I went to a motorcycle shop to look at a used Honda Rebel. I rode out of that dealership on a new Royal Enfield Meteor!

I've put my money where my mouth is. Bought the Super Meteor. The other two bikes are just not for me, despite the price of the Rebel and the power of the Vulcan. One month in, nearly a thousand miles on the clock and I know I've made the right choice. Beautiful machine to look at, well put together and good on fuel. I love it.

That RE is the most appealing new bike I've ever seen. I desperately want to test one. Unfortunately, the closest reseller is 600km away. Even though I live in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

It’s hard to not love on an RE. I have an interceptor 650, GSXS750, GSX250, and a CB1100…the RE is not the fastest but it’s a lot of fun and character and puts a genuine smile on your face when you ride it….also with aftermarket pipes it’s got a great big sound! :)

RE has upped their game a lot in the last 4-5 years. They experimented with the Conti GT and Interceptor 650 and gathered all the feedback from customers. Finally, they made Super Meteor, which ticked all the boxes of complaints as fixed. But the revised Conti 650 and Interceptor seem to be like a quick and dirty job.

I brought my new Royal Enfield super meteor 650 in astral black yesterday. Absolutely love the bike.

The Super Meteor for me. Been riding it for 2.5 months. Looks great, rides great and easy on the pocket.

I'm downsizing from a Harley, it's the RE for me, great looks and character. If I want speed I'll take my unrestricted B-king out, the problem is speed thrills but speed kills.

I'd go for the Enfield every day of the week! Looks fantastic and is really good fun to ride 😎

RE did a fabulous job with their design geometry .... It looks absolutely stunning ..... stand for its word Royal 👑 👍🏻

RE knows what we want and what we didn't know we want

Bought the Super Meteor 650 in Interstellar Green yesterday. Delivery in approximately 2 weeks. Can't wait! Back into motorcycling after 25 years now that the kid are adults and independent. Cannot think of a better bike for a 52 year old to get everything I need out of middle age riding.

Enfield for me anyday just looks great sounds great I like it😊😊

Oh lord, I did need to watch this video. I currently own a 23 RE Classic 350 and was thinking of upgrading to a bigger bike. After watching this video I'm happy that I was thinking about the RE Super Meteor 650 and can stick to it. Thank you for this amazing video 🌸

I have the Super Meteor and Kawasaki 650 S. Both are great bikes. I took off the chains and put belts on both bikes!

One thing noone seems to mention about the Super Meteor, the switchgear looks like a huge improvement over the other 650 twins. Hope they start putting them on all the 650s.

Enfiled for me...Great looks, finish, price, Charector, and its all metal...😍😍

really nice comparison 👌... super meteor is royal enfield's premium take on middle weight cruisers 🔥🔥

On styling alone it totally outclasses others in desirability. No doubt its better value for money to. RE will be around for much longer as well. 😊

Royal Enfield Hands down. As an old school rider that bike has the nostalgia I like in a cruiser.

Think the rich paint on the RE looks much better than the bland black of the Honda and Kawasaki. RE is the best looking of the three.

Very good analysis! And I have my RE Super Meteor 650, every time I take it out of the garage, it steals my smiles! 1 week with me this Saturday! It consumes very little and is super pleasant to the movement, stopped and has a spectacular sound. ✌🏻

I have had the Meteor 350 for a year now, 3000 miles, and really tempted to get the Super Meteor

The Super Meteor looks especially good in that specific colorway. I'd love to have one if I didn't put on enough miles to require service every 2 months.

This is a timely video for me. I have been tossing up between the Vulcan and the Rebel for a while. I had pretty much decided on the Vulcan. The release of the Super was intriguing, but I never really saw it as a direct competitor to the other two. Almost in its own category. As I am looking at used prices, I will probably still go for the Vulcan, but I now feel I owe it to myself to test ride the Super. If this ends up with me spending another 2 or 3k on a brand new SM I believe I will have a certain Moto Bob to blame 😂.

I really like the RE. Just needs a bit more grunt for where I live.

A very nice and useful comparison. Enjoyed. The RE would be my pick.

The Super Meteor looks splendid in that metallic dark green colour.

It’s the Super Meteor for me, no competition. I don’t mind the looks of the Vulcan, but those Honda’s no thanks, I just don’t get that bike. Great video.

It's the Royal Enfield that does it for me its a great looking bike would love to own one and take it out for a good blast

I've got the 650 royal enfield interceptor, I really wish it had more splayed out down pipes like the triumph bonneville, the 650 meteor ...beautiful ! ....but it needs the triumph down pipes ( my own preference). Peace out ✌️

Great video. Brilliant comparison with good points made.

I bought Supermeteor 650, and love it.

I like ergo fit in Kawasaki, the dealership can literally adjust the seating position for you. Best ergonomics in cruiser on the market

I'll take the Enfield all day long !

My Vulcan s cafe is now seven season old. AS good today as ever. I made it more cruser like with passenger pegs, Back rest, Corbin seat and I re bagspaced the cafe windscreen with a factory large wind screen and saddle bags.🍀

I somewhat agree with most of what was mentioned. That you have to understand what exactly you want to do and what you plan to do. Rebel would be my first choice as around town short trip and if I wanted to do more I would choose between the other two and the choice would basically be by price. Every bike has its purpose, so which one depends on what you plan to do

you never mentioned the tank range I find when cruising that they are great to travel distances especially riding motorways and duel carriageways but almost all cruisers let you down in range the kwaker is about 110 miles the honda a little better so it becomes a little expensive traveling on motorways and you are always thinking ahead for fuel stops hopefully like all enfields the SUper Meteor will be better, figures show about 200 miles so if you are like me that maybe the best bike ,will try it and see as soon as I find a local dealer with a demo bike lol

Definitely the Enfield. I have an Interceptor 650 and absolutely love that bike. I'm a big fan of RE overall. Been thinking of selling my tw200 for a scram and possibly getting either the super meteor or classic 650 down the road if and when they become available in the US.

Amazing video, thanks for sharing all that useful information!

Perfect comparison that I was looking for 👍

Royal Enfield, for sure so much better looking than the other two. Usually a fan of Hondas, nothing attractive about that bike. The engine compartment is so ugly.

Good review- well done!

Supermeteor wins for me...the only thing is the headlight bracket. I would love to see it done black. A beautiful bike.👍🔥

I got the RE yesterday 🎉

The Vulcan and Rebel both sound so awful. Despite being underpowered, I'd take the Meteor for the better sound alone

Enfield looks the best, plus great warranty

The Vulcan comes out top especially in the Matt black paint (this colour option is one of the worst), the meteor is nice for commuting and nostalgic rides but the lack of power would eventually get boring especially when riding with others or on highways.

I would have to do some test sitting on the RE. With my 2 m size is always a little critical, so until now my favorite is the Vulcan S of the bikes mentioned.

one thing you forgit to mention with the supermeteor 650 is the 3 price points for the 3 colour variants. Also I have purchased the celestial blue

i think a bike comparison with re super meteor & keeway benda 300cc cruiser bike is what no one has seen on RU-vid !

The Enfields are beautiful bikes, but with the classic rear shocks there is no way to lower them if needed. Has anyone found a way around this?

RE - on starting- sounds nice 👍🏼

I have always liked the small HD sporters and just wonder in my later years would the RE scratch that hitch , I do like the look of the RE but just wonder if I would be happy with this cruiser … I suppose a test ride would make my mind up ?

Great video dude. I'm considering buying a 2019 Vulcan as my daily commuter in the city. What do you think? Is it up for the task or the suspension is not that comfortable?

I'm torn between the Vulcan and the Super Meteor. I already have a bike that outclasses them both, but the SM is beautiful and sounds good, and I love the design and design philosophy behind the Vulcan. Although, what I would love to see is a comparison between the Vulcan S and the Hyosung GV650.

Interesting that Bob thought that the feet forward position was actually more comfortable than the mid foot pegs he normally likes.

It's a tough choice! Looking forward to Eliminator reviews.

The RE just had class. Just love the look of it. I currently ride a 2002 Fatboy. I might just trade it for a new RE 650 Meteor. Just so damn cool.

this video definitely helped me, I have both the rebel and meteor on my list...i think the 500 rebel may be a little too small for me

Another thing is that I am in Sydney Australia and still waiting for mine. The royal enfield acessories for the Super Meteor will not cost an arm and a leg. i have added around GBP1,131.15 to mine, but this might be cgeaper for you guys

Very helpful comparison thanks. RE all the way for me!

I get looks every time I ride my Continental. It’s great fun. I’d love to try out the super meteor, but I’m in the states and they’re not being sold in quantity yet.

I own SM650 Interstellar Green (I guess it's the best color) and I have ridden VulcanS quit often but TBH it feels like a Ninja on a cruiser body to me. I'm soo soo happy with Sm650 and it's my first RE bike ever hope it stays well.

Great video, what everyone exactly needed. But why the Views are soo low

Great review and my vote for the Super Meteor!

I definitely want another RE after selling my Interceptor last year. Not really a fan of the SMs looks, and I'm not a cruise fan. Sat on one at dealer whilst they did MOT on my Honda... bloody hell, didn't feel like a cruise position at all really. Gonna have to test ride one me thinks😉

Enfield for me if I wanted a cruiser ... which I don't! I think I'd save a bit of money and get an Interceptor if I was looking for a budget mid-range old style bike, although some of the nice features on the Super Meteor would be appreciated

I've been trying to make up my mind between the Triumph Speed Twin 900 Chrome, Kawasaki Vulcan S and the Royol Enfield Celestial blue Super Meteor 650. I think I like the Super Meteor best, bit my fisrt tire change I'd be painting the wheels silver to brighten up the entire look of the bike. I picked the Super Meteor mainly due to its relaxed rpm at highays speeds. Thanks for the video. Ride safe and enjoy every journey.

TBH after having gone from a CB500 to an Africa Twin I'd probably go for the Rebel 1100 DCT now - it's got way more power, and a 270 degree parallel twin, but it's also got all the luxury gadgetry. I doubt I'll go back under a litre now unless it's for a dual sport bike for off-roading.

Because Royal Enfield has a decades old Rider community around it and carries a really good heritage.i loved my grandfather's RE he used to ride around.used to be terrified of that bullets sound coming from afar.

I just bought a Vulcan S, because you still can't get the Meteor 650 in the States, and I have a Kawasaki dealer within 5 miles of my house. Just got done with the breakin miles so now I can let her sing, and sing she can.

I can’t wait for the RE super meteor to show up in the US so I can check it out

I've been riding the vulcan for the last two weeks, and i'm still very happy with it for my first big bike after getting my full license. I know the lack of power isn't to some people's liking, but i honestly have no need, or intention, of going over 70mph on UK roads 🤷‍♂️ I've done a few 2 hour+ rides on it, and i find it a very comfortable ride. I strongly doubt i'll look at another bike for a very long time.

I have a Suzuki C50 Boulevard and just love it - never an issue, easy to ride. Its a very fine cruiser!

We have a Rebel 11, I'm a whisker under 5' 6" and find it cramped and "locked in", and the rear brake pedal side a bit odd. My mate's son has the Vulcan, which he loves. Spoke to a guy at bike night with a Super Meteor that he says "Needs to be gone". . . .

Here in the US, RE Super Meteor will be about USD$7~8k. We have much more choices at this price range not only Honda Rebel and Vulcan S: Honda Shadow Phantom, Moto Guzzi V7, Yamaha Bolt, Vulcan 900, and about $500~1000 more you can pick up Suzuki Boulevard C50 etc etc. If you hit low $9k range, you can actually get Indian Scout Bobber series (one going at $8700 at Long Beach dealer here in California)

The Super Meteor 650cc isn't available in the United States.... would like to see this bike in person

RE is contributing to the improvement of the market, there was a gap in several countries in relation to medium Cruisers, here in Brazil we only have the Vulcan 650, I don't particularly like it. Or we have to look for the used market, including motorcycles with 20 years of use, such as Virago, Shadow, Vulcan, etc. The problem now is waiting for the launch of Super Meteor here in Brazil. I think the delay is due to high demand, as the bike is a success.

I have a Vulcan S and I'm looking at switching to the Super Meteor. I'm not particularly interested in the big cruisers (although at 6'3" I might fit one better) in terms of 'upgrading' to a 'bigger' bike because of where and how I ride. I just need to get on a test ride if the RE to find out if that's the next bike for me.

For me as a shortarse the Super Meteor was too heavy to manoeuvre on tip toes, the Vulcan only 15kgs lighter can be moved much easier and flat footed for me. I had to let the Super Meteor go unfortunately after 9 months, but they are a great bike, REs in general are great nowadays.

In INDIA we get RE SUPER METEOR for anywhere between £3360 - £3700 ex- showroom 😬

I have always loved the Rebel and I would still choose it over the two because it is a blank canvas for tons of customization...

Can you have a comparison with a fourth bike apart from Kawasaki, RE and Honda and that is the benelli 502C? Would be helpful to me though.

I think 🤔 RE has the best design team, for a while now. Their design team video was lit.

Lining up to grab a SM650 for the spring. Finally got to sit on one - the ergos are just right. Somehow both engaging and comfy - both a Bonneville or a Rebel feel awkward in comparison.

Any idea when the Royal Enfield super Meteor is for sale in the United States and how much in American Dollars it will cost?

Royal Enfield Good price Good looks Give satisfaction while riding

liquid cooling doesn't make it more modern or better. Royal Enfield choose to try & keep the bike more traditional but more importantly try to keep the weight down so no radiator-no water pump or hoses & obviously more simple so less to go wrong later in life & less to service when it comes to coolant. Both the Kawasaki & Honda sound rubbish & nothing like what you'd expect a cruiser to sound like-throaty-torquey-grunty. Looking at both the Kawasaki & the Honda they look an absolute nightmare to do the tappets. So when it comes to servicing they will be very expensive to service which is a big minus in my book as it's an ongoing cost you're stuck with. I know for a fact that the Honda uses shim valve adjustment which is even more difficult & time consuming to do, not to mention you need the correct thickness of shims to adjust the tappet to the correct thickness. The Royal Enfield simply uses a feeler gauge & ring open end spanner. I'd choose the Super meteor 650 as it looks, sounds more like a cruiser rather than some cheap interpretation with a high revving engine slapped in.

Super Meteor is the most cruiser out of three. Honda and Kawasaki have sport bike engines put in them.

Amazing video, perfect 10. I own a Vstrom 650 2021 and I am planning in changing it for a cruiser and this 3 bikes are in my shortlist. Even after watching the video I cannot decide!!! The honda looks nice and its bulletproof, the Vulcan seems to be the sportier of the 3 and the RE is in the middle. My only concern of the RE is the bad rep that the brand has in terms on reliability. Further more the RE and the Honda need a tachometer.

How many miles between valve adjustments on the supper meteor?

Any new midrange shaft or belt drive cruisers other than Harley available at the moment?😊

i was looking for Super meteor 650 service manual as i own astral black super meteor, can you please help me out.

I'm not a RE fanboy but the Super Meteor looks the best. I've ridden the Kawasaki and the Honda, but not the RE. the power-to-weight ratio of the RE is a disaster

I wouldn’t even consider the other 2 bikes but I would really like to have the Royal Enfield

RE all day long for me ❤, I’m into retro , own the halcyon gray classic 350

Motobob, I have to agree with you in the choice of bike to go with. I'm 59 years old and a 1st time rider to boot! I have NOTHING to prove to the kids. I ride &drive like an "old lady", RE650 fits me beautifully. 🏍️❤️👍😁🤓🥰⭐⭐⭐Doug

Here in the US, "midweight" cruisers are 1100-1300 cc machines...😆 I've test ridden the Vulcan S, and it is refreshingly quick, with handling is more like a sport-tourer than a cruiser (which isn't a bad thing). I do love the looks of the RE, but haven't had a chance to ride one. I tried both of the Rebels, and I really wasn't impressed with any feature. Add the issues with death wobble (apparently due to the OEM tires they fit for the US market), and it is far and away the least desirable of these three.

When it comes to Exhaust note, who actually keeps it stock?😂 for the RE I would definitely go with the standard: K&N filter up the jets, and put a cocktail shakers on there. I am considering the Himalayan.