BAJAJ AVENGER 220 V/S ROYAL ENFIELD METEOR 350 TORQUE AND EQUILIBRIUM

Proof that sometimes traffic lights and buying fruit can lead to an unconventional comparison tests

- CHRISTOPHER CHAVES

The other day, while taking the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 across town to the fruit vendor I usually buy from, I happened to pull up alongside a man astride the latest Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise model at a red light. As we both stood there baking in the sun, occasionally looking at each other’s set of wheels, I began to think about the last time I rode an Avenger 220, it was almost a couple of years ago, and how still not much has changed with the BS VI Avenger 220 Cruise model that came out in April last year. Yup, it was a pretty darn long signal! On reaching the vendor I checked on the prices to find that the Avenger 220 Cruise can be had for Rs 1.27 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), while the new Meteor 350 (in the Supernova trim) that came out in November 2020 commands a price of Rs 2.02 lakh – a difference being a whopping Rs 70,000. So it got me thinking, is a budget cruiser that is the Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise, today, a worthy proposition? And how much more of a cruiser motorcycle is the Enfield Meteor 350 in comparison? How much more of a cruiser motorcycle does 70 grand get you in India today? Well, it’s time to answer these questions. And nothing like a good old back-to-back ride astride both of them to confirm what each offer in terms of a cruiser motorcycle experience overall and whether they justify the price tags in the world of today.

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