Why This Royal Enfield Is The Most Fuel Efficient Cruiser In 2025

Say ‘cruiser’ to a motorcycle enthusiast, and a picture of a large, chrome-laden low-slung two-wheeler will come to mind. You know, one of those with a lazy V-twin filled with character and good vibes. However, cruisers are also great first motorcycles, because they’re low, which allow the rider to put their feet on the ground easily. Their long wheelbase and the choice of increased rake make them more stable in a straight line and over bumps. This becomes especially important in a corner – a nervous-handling or quick steering motorcycle most definitely isn’t confidence-inspiring to a beginner.

A good first motorcycle should also have low ownership costs. That includes service costs, spares pricing, and of course, fuel economy. The last one is what owners will encounter the most, because fill ups are the most frequent part of motorcycle ‘maintenance’. So a cruiser with good fuel efficiency takes on a whole new dimension of importance, especially at the budget or beginner end of the spectrum. We’ve found the most fuel efficient cruiser of 2025 – and it probably isn’t what you’d expect!

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Is The Most Fuel Efficient Cruiser In 2025

Fuel Economy: 84.3 MPG

Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield has been producing motorcycles for the longest time – in fact, it is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers, and unlike a lot of marques, there has been no break in manufacturing over the decades that it has been in business. With new ownership in the 1990s, it started down a path of modernization, culminating in the 650 cc parallel twin engines, and its first ever liquid-cooled engine that powers the Himalayan 450.

This done, RE then focused on updating its meat and potatoes models, the 350 cc thumpers. This resulted in a new platform, a new driveline, and the most fuel efficient cruiser in 2025, the Meteor 350. It returns an amazing 84.3 miles to the gallon if ridden right.

Why We Picked The Royal Enfield Meteor 350

• 84.3 MPG is the most among any cruiser
• Simple driveline and chassis

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Engine

New Engine, But Feels Like An Update

Royal Enfield

Brands like Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson always face a major dilemma when it comes to developing new products. They have such a loyal fan base that they can’t risk alienating them with a completely different (or modern) product. Harley has taken the plunge with the current Sportster range and the Pan America 1250, as has Royal Enfield with the Himalayan 450. These models serve to expand the customer base of the brand, but the core models need to toe the company line because they’re the ones that bring in the profits today.

As such, Royal Enfield’s new J series engine that powers the Meteor 350 doesn’t seem like a massive departure from the old engine, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. This new engine has an overhead camshaft design, finally moving on from the pushrod design, and it has a balancer shaft to reduce vibrations. It hasn’t changed everything, though. This is still a long-stroke design with air cooling and an SOHC design with two valves. The only other nod to modernity is fuel injection. A five-speed gearbox rounds things off with a chain driving the rear wheel.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Engine Specifications

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Chassis

As Simple As The Engine

Royal Enfield

Like the engine, the chassis of the Meteor 350 isn’t anything groundbreaking, or even modern. This is expected, as Royal Enfield has only one platform so far that uses the engine as a stressed member of the frame, and that is the 450 cc engine platform. The Meteor chooses a traditional double downtube cradle frame that will offer predictable handling and the potential for customization.

The suspension is simple as well, with telescopic forks and twin rear shock absorbers that have preload adjustment. A 19/17-inch wheel combination is present, and RE has chosen to offer the Meteor with alloy rims and spokes (variant-wise). There are disc brakes at both ends, and ABS is standard. Special mention needs to be made of the 4 gallon fuel tank. Coupled with the fuel efficiency, it means that the Meteor 350 is capable of some incredible distances on a single tank of gas.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Chassis Specs And Dimensions

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Features

Short List To Keep The Price Down

Royal Enfield

The Meteor 350 is built to a price, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the features and options list are severely truncated. It has a single pod instrument cluster which is quite neatly designed – the outer circumference is an analog speedo with a floating needle that was very popular with premium cars before screens took over. As with those designs, the inside is an LCD that offers relevant information like fuel level and the odometer.

The Meteor 350 also gets Royal Enfield’s ‘Tripper’ nacelle, which is a TFT color screen fitted separately. This offers Bluetooth connectivity and turn by turn navigation via Google Maps, although you do need to keep your phone screen on for it to work. This means a large drain on the phone battery. The manufacturer needs to be praised for offering dual-channel ABS, as none of the competition from Japan offer this feature even as an option. Last but not least, there is ample potential for customization. Just check out RE’s GMA program.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Notable Features

• Floating needle speedometer is a nice touch
• ‘Tripper’ TFT nacelle enables Bluetooth and navigation capability
• Dual channel ABS is standard
• Alloy wheels

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Competition

Some Very Strong Brands

Honda 

The beginner cruiser market has a lot of choice, and surprisingly, the V-twin engine format is quite popular. However, a V-twin doesn’t make things very fuel efficient, which is why we have to discard the Benda Chinchilla 300 ($4,899) and QJ Motor SRV300 ($4,999). One can’t deny that these two offering liquid-cooled V-twin engines with six-speed gearboxes at the same price as the Meteor 350 is quite amazing.

Yamaha Motorsports

When it comes to fuel efficiency, there are two bikes that come close to the Royal Enfield, the Honda Rebel 300 and the Yamaha V-Star 250. The Rebel 300 has a more sophisticated driveline with a DOHC liquid-cooled thumper and a six speed gearbox, while the V-Star 250 is an anachronism, with its air-cooled V-twin and carbureted fuel delivery. However, neither of these two motorcycles offers ABS even as an option, while dual channel ABS is standard on the Meteor 350.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Vs Rivals