[Ford@XL6]

Facing couple of issues in my SM650, It it normal...Sent trailing mail to RE, awaiting solution... Any replies on trailing issue from BHPian's
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Hi RE Support Team;

I ride a Supermeteor 650 and have logged close to 1600 kms so far. Even though I am generally pleased with the bike, there are a few problems that really irritate me. I would like your technical team's help in figuring out a cooperative solution to these problems. I initially ignored all the trailing issues considering Bike is new and is in a running-in period, however issues are multiplying. Here is a list:

1. I inquired about the tappet clearance adjustment during my first service and how we can determine whether it is necessary or not. Service Mechanic blocked the exhaust pipes alternatively, and declared it wasn't necessary. I was a little taken aback by his approach, but is this the right way to determine whether or not tappet clearance needs to be set?

2. During riding, In the 3rd & 6th gear, there is a humming sound from the engine, which increases with acceleration and exists till gear change. It has been there since the vehicle was bought by me. I highlighted this to the sales executive of Shiva Riders, Patel Nagar, Ghaziabad as well as their service team but didn't receive a specific response.

3. EXCESSIVE ENGINE HEATING: Engine heats up excessively within the first 10 kms of the ride only. My daily ride is around 62 kms ( Home-Office-Home). I use the bike for office commute and it is almost an 80/20 (highway/city) ride. To avoid heat, I am forced to take a roadside break of 10-15 minutes after 15-20 kms. Also the engine dissipates so much heat around my hamstrings that am barely able to sit in proper riding posture, resulting in profuse sweat by end of ride.

4. With the exception of dry tarmac roads, rear tyre grip on a straight road is largely compromised. Furthermore, in continuation rear tyres perform poorly when exposed to wet and semi-wet tarmac roads as well. However, throughout corners and turns, the bike maintains a secure grip on the riding line. With Ceat tyres, is this typical?

Variant: Celestial Blue
Date of Purchase: 28/06/2023

I have been strictly riding the bike, according to the ride recommendations in the owner's handbook to ensure total riding compliance for the running-in time, but still have run into a few issues and wondered if RE Team has a solution for the same.

Regards
Avinash

[Maverift]

Originally Posted by Ford@XL6

Facing couple of issues in my SM650, It it normal...Sent trailing mail to RE, awaiting solution... Any replies on trailing issue from BHPian's

Bumping this.

Did you hear anything from RE? The jugaadu way of testing requirement of tappet adjustment reeks of unprofessionalism. Maybe they didn't have the required gaskets or other parts in stock and are conducting this drama to convince customers what's not available is not required.

I am considering buying this bike but the RE unreliability and accompanying service is the first psychological hurdle I have to clear. Coming from RX135 5 speed and Splendor during my college days. Have kept in touch with biking lightly. Mostly with small outstation rides <200km on my RX, Dad's old Yezdi, Bullet and friend's Thunderbird.

Have mentally shortlisted SM650 and Duke390. Yet to test ride both bikes. Not in a hurry and will not rush into buying and my test rides will involve renting these bikes and going for a long test ride of 100kms or more. While I decide in what bike I like best, I am keenly observing TBHP and Youtube for service experience.

[venbas]

Very nice comparison. Was at the Royal Enfield showroom at Tambaram yesterday for some gear purchase. Now I have a Thunderbird 500 from 2017 and thought would give the Super Meteor a try. Apart from the observations made I had the following to add

1. To its credit the Super meteor 650 had near zero vibrations, super refined almost honda like vibe-free engine. But my Thunderbird with RRP exhaust and motul Engine oil has that familiar bullet tuppu tuppu sound and near zero vibrations till the 90's :P

2. The aggressively forward set cruiser mode of SM 650 is good for crusing but extremely uncomfortable for city riding. The changing of gears, maneuvering high traffic highways etc were a huge problem compared to the relaxed positions on the TB 500.

3. The seating position and overall height is a big issue for tall riders in the SM 650. I am 6'1" and felt very uncomfortable especially in stop and go traffic. The TB 500 was a natural relax fit.

4. The Turn radious issue has been rightly pointed out by others. Took the SM 650 to a 20ft road and had to make 4-5 3-point turn on the crowded narrow road to make a u-turn which was embarrassing. Never faced this on TB 500.

5. I felt that the suspension of the TB 500 was better than the SM 650. The TB 500 soaked up bad roads and speed breakers way better as to the SM 650.

6. The looks has been done to death. The TB 500 especially with it's spoke wheels and timeless design is a looker even from afar whilst the SM 650 looks a tad better when I come very near the bike.

All in all I decided *against* turning over my good old TB 500 atleast for now. The TB 500 might be from 2017 but it had cost me 60% lower money than the SM 650 and still in impeccable condition, rides strong even for 300km ride with no strong excuses to turn it in. Reckon the SM 650 was intended for butter smooth highways whilst the TB 500 was this practical blend between City madness, Chaotic roads and open Highways.

[Sebring]

Thanks for the comparo. How would you compare the SM 650 to the newbie Shotgun 650?

Originally Posted by venbas

Apart from the observations made I had the following to add: To its credit the Super meteor 650 had near zero vibrations, super refined almost honda like vibey engine.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Ford@XL6

Facing couple of issues in my SM650, It it normal

The tappet adjustment is an involved process that requires lifting the tank, opening up the valve cover, etc. Its an hour, minimum of doing just that task. You'll know if you need to adjust it or not only after doing all this. I suspect the mechanics don't have time (or the interest) to do this being a new bike + the job needs to be done for free (or at their cost). The method they did is the usual road side, incompetent mechanic style of working. You are not going to hear anything by covering the mouth of the exhaust on a modern Enfield. If the bike is running fine and its not skipping a beat, your tappet clearance is probably within limits.

I have no idea what this humming noise is that you describe so hard to help unless you can hear it. You should try and roll the bike down a slope and listen for it, while in neutral. Its unlikely in your case but check if the chain is lubricated and at correct tension.

The 650 Twin does not like sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and will run hot in such cases. Little you can do about it. The excess heat can also be the result of the engine still running tight. Give it some time. It will improve a little but the issue around heat dissipation isn't going away.

I have no experience with new generation Ceats so won't comment on their wet weather performance. Check tires pressures. An over filed tire can also result in skittish behavior.

You don't need to follow the running in procedure exact to what the book says. I'd say open up the engine, rev it a bit in gear and get up to highway speeds in 6th. You're not going to blow the engine. In fact, your engine will Thank you for it.

The day I took delivery of my bike, I tried riding at 60 and it felt I was causing more harm to the engine. I ended up riding between 80-90 in top gear and the engine felt far more at home. Zero stress.

Aside from the humming noise which I can't quite place, your bike is absolutely fine. Enjoy it.

[venbas]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Thanks for the comparo. How would you compare the SM 650 to the newbie Shotgun 650?

Did not get a chance to ride the Shotgun as there were no Test mules available . Just sat on the showroom bike and stayed away since it felt more "Classic" than "Thunderbird". For people who love Classic this could be a upgrade worth a try.

[anandkenkare]

Has anyone used the batwing fairing on the SM650 ? Is it only the looks or does it actually prevent wind blast better than the stock windscreen ?

[Sebring]

YouTuber autorevvv has posted his rear suspension breaking into two while riding. This incident scared the daylights out of me. I mean, I have never heard this happen on any bike so far.

[anandkenkare]

Originally Posted by Sebring

YouTuber autorevvv has posted his rear suspension breaking into two while riding. This incident scared the daylights out of me. I mean, I have never heard this happen on any bike so far.

The saddle stay has been fitted on the same bolt which holds the shocks. RE has provided a separate point for this purpose. Not 100% sure whether this is the reason but better to do things right and avoid such issues altogether.

[neeravp]

I had been a proud owner of Bullet Electra 350, 2011 model for 13 long years. Even when I sold it off to buy my new bike, it was running flawlessly. I sold it just because I couldn't stop salivating at the Super Meteor 650 and finally decided to buy it. I would get my Bullet serviced once a year by my local technician for something around Rs. 1k and it never troubled me.

Super Meteor 650 buying experience

Before I bought the SM 650, I decided to wait for Shotgun to launch. I had seen the prototype and it looked amazing! Since SM 650 had a 6 month waiting period, I decided to pay the deposit for both Shotgun and SM 650. The showroom agreed to refund the deposit if I cancelled my booking later.

Once the Shotgun launched, I was seriously disappointed. The production version was nowhere close to the prototype in its beauty. I took a test ride and did not like it much. That's again my personal preference. The bike is great, just not to my taste. Maybe my disappointment at the looks spilled over to my experience riding it. One shouldn't set the expectations so high that you end up disappointing even with a very good product!

I therefore decided to go ahead with SM 650. I followed up with the showroom after 3 months to check where was I in the queue. They said that bookings made 7 months back haven't moved so I shouldn't be expecting my bike as per promised timeline. One month later they said that making an order (against just deposit) "increases the chances" of getting the bike early. To make an order, I need to pay up 1 lac at least and that is without any guarantee on the delivery timeline.

I realised I couldn't rely on these guys and reached out to my brother who used to work in a bank that also financed new motorcycles. He knew the city level manager of RE from his days with the bank and asked him about the inventory levels across showrooms in Mumbai. He was told - and read this carefully all who want to buy any RE bike - that showrooms get inventories depending on the speed with which they move it, the faster they sell, the more preference they get. Hence, while some showrooms waited endlessly for getting new models, some got it as and when they wanted.

I realised that the Kandivali West showroom was one such preferred showroom. I went there and enquired. I was shocked when they asked me to name my preferred colour and model and they'll get it in one week!! I told them I want the top model in celestial blue colour. They said they'll need 1 week to finish the registration process and hand it over to me!

I wanted a special number (got GF 4666; 666 is my preferred number, my car is also 4666 and getting GF was a bonus ) so the timeline got extended by a couple of days and then I also wanted to buy in my company name so a further delay of 1 week. But still, I was super happy to know that I'll have the bike in my hands in 2 weeks as against an unknown deadline 6 months away!

On the day of delivery, I was surprised and extremely annoyed to hear that I will have to go to their warehouse for delivery! I said I'm buying your most expensive bike and this is the experience you want to give me? You expect me to take my wife and daughter to a warehouse? In my mind I was expecting an experience similar to what I had when buying my Jeep Compass which was extremely pleasant. I told the RE showroom sales agent I wanted to speak with the owner. An hour later, I was told that I'll get the delivery at the showroom instead of at the warehouse. I think this kind of attitude was pure economics at play - demand is way higher than supply. Hence, they've stopped caring for the customer experience.

But then, all's well that ends well and there I was with my beautiful new SM 650.


Delivery pic


Me on my beauty!

Super Meteor 650 ownership experience

It is an absolute pleasure owning this bike, not just riding it. Every time when I park my car in the garage, I see it and my heart skips a beat.


SM 650 parked next to my Jeep Compass

I'm yet to go on a really long ride so far, but whatever little time I've had on this beauty has been amazing. I used to own a Yamaha Enticer long time ago and riding the SM 650 took me back to that time. People have already written dime a dozen articles on the bike config and the riding experience, so I won't go there. But a few things I'd like to point out:

1. Engine heating - I'd been using a 13 year old 350 cc engine and I never experience any heat between my legs, whether in city or on highways but I've heard the new J series engines, whether 350 cc or 650 cc, heat up like crazy. After owning the SM 650, I can second this fact. The hear is extremely uncomfortable in Mumbai traffic but gets releatively okay while riding on the highway.

2. Suspension - Again, the stories of SM 650 rear suspension are already a part of folklore. My experience has been no different. I don't like how my bike handles bumps and undulations. I've read that changing the suspension setting a bit improves the experience, but I'm yet to try it.

3. Rear view mirrors - The company fitted round ones are woefully insufficient and don't give you a good view of the rear. I got them replaced with the Bajaj Avenger mirrors and that fixed the issue. Would suggest all owners to get this done.

4. Horn - Again woefully inadequate for the kind and size of the bike. Got new ones added.

That's it in terms of my owner review after 4 months of owing the SM 650. I thought fellow BHPians would benefit from learning about my purchase experience and could cut down their wait times. This was my primary motivation of writing this review. Hope this helps some.

Leaving you with some more picture of the bike:


First service


First service


A breakfast ride to have some vada-pavs

[Mrs&Mr_Shenu]

Originally Posted by neeravp

But then, all's well that ends well and there I was with my beautiful new SM 650.

Wish you a very happy and long ownership of SM 650. This one is gorgeously designed to ooze beauty and create admirers while on road.

Cheers

[iskandariya]

SM650 owners help me

Planning SM650 Astral Black or Interstellar Green both are readily available here. It would be an impulsive buy but help in deciding whether it makes sense or not.

I also own a Royal Enfield Classic 500 Squardon Blue Despatch Rider limited edition but it has just done 13K since 2016.

[Centodieci]

Originally Posted by neeravp

Once the Shotgun launched, I was seriously disappointed. The production version was nowhere close to the prototype in its beauty. I took a test ride and did not like it much. That's again my personal preference. The bike is great, just not to my taste. Maybe my disappointment at the looks spilled over to my experience riding it. One shouldn't set the expectations so high that you end up disappointing even with a very good product!

Congratulations on your new steed and wish you miles of happiness on it.
Super Meteor is a gorgeous bike but has some practical limitations mainly regarding ground clearance and suspension. I am also looking to purchase one but am in conundrum between this and Shotgun as latter is a tad bit more practical. Can you please help with some more observations on differences between these two that you noticed which might help people like me?

[neeravp]

Originally Posted by Centodieci

Can you please help with some more observations on differences between these two that you noticed which might help people like me?

For me, there were two primary reasons for not going with Shotgun:

1. Looks: The production version of Shotgun looks very different from the prototype they had shown at some auto-expo a year or so back. That prototype was gorgeous and the reason I didn't go for SM 650 and waited for it to be launched. But once I saw the production version, I was extremely disappointed.

2. Seating position: I prefer the forward foot pegs in SM650 against their neutral placement in Shotgun.

[RoadRambo]

Hello Everyone. I will be getting a Super Meteor after a year , but have started my research well beforehand (I'm obsessed with it) . I wanted to know if there is any good option available for the rear seat without changing the rider seat? I want my mom to sit comfortably but I feel that touring seats spoil the look of the Intersteller Green variant . I would love to hear the inputs of BHPians if there is any good option available.
Thanks in advance