Theres a massive price difference between these cruiser motorcycles
Honda recently launched the Rebel 500 in India at Rs 5,12,000 (ex-showroom Gurugram). It is a proper cruiser motorcycle with a parallel-twin motor, which competes with the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 and the Kawasaki Eliminator. Lets compare the specifications of these cruisers.
Engine
|
Specifications |
Rebel 500 |
Super Meteor 650 |
Eliminator |
|
Engine |
471cc parallel-twin |
648cc parallel-twin |
451cc parallel-twin |
|
Power |
46.2PS |
47PS |
45PS |
|
Torque |
43.3Nm |
52.3Nm |
42.6Nm |
|
Gearbox |
6-speed |
6-speed |
6-speed |
In this comparison, all of the motorcycles have a parallel-twin motor. However, the Super Meteor 650 gets the biggest engine which also happens to be the most powerful amongst this trio. That said, despite being almost 180 to 200cc larger, this engine just produces 0.8 to 2PS and about 9Nm more than the other two, which is not much. Also, there’s its heavier weight, which we will talk about just in a bit.
All of these parallel-twin motors should provide a smooth and refined riding experience with a good amount of low and mid-range grunt.
Underpinnings
|
Specifications |
Rebel 500 |
Super Meteor 650 |
Eliminator |
|
Frame |
Steel tube |
Steel tube |
Steel trellis |
|
Front Suspension |
Telescopic |
Inverted |
Telescopic |
|
Rear Suspension |
Twin shock absorbers |
Twin shock absorbers |
Twin shock absorbers |
|
Front Brake |
296mm Disc |
320mm Disc |
310mm Disc |
|
Rear Brake |
240mm Disc |
300mm Disc |
240mm Disc |
|
Front Tyre |
130/90-16 |
100/90-19 |
130/70-18 |
|
Rear Tyre |
150/80-16 |
150/80-16 |
150/80-16 |
The Rebel 500 and the Super Meteor 650 gets a steel tube frame, while the Eliminator comes with a Steel trellis frame which should be a bit more sturdier. The Super Meteor 650 gets an inverted fork setup while the other two cruisers come with a conventional telescopic fork.
The Super Meteor 650 gets the biggest disc brake setup at both ends. However, that might also be because of its weight. . These cruisers get different front wheel sizes, but all of them use a 150/80-16 rear wheel setup. The Super Meteor 650 gets a slightly slimmer front tyre, while the wider front tyre on the Rebel 500 and the Eliminator does make them look quite bulky in terms of appearance.
Dimensions
|
Specifications |
Rebel 500 |
Super Meteor 650 |
Eliminator |
|
Wheelbase |
1490mm |
1500mm |
1520mm |
|
Ground Clearance |
125mm |
135mm |
150mm |
|
Fuel tank capacity |
11-litres |
15.7-litres |
13-litres |
|
Seat height |
690mm |
740mm |
735mm |
|
Kerb weight |
191kg |
243kg |
176kg |
The Eliminator gets the longest wheelbase, but it is also the lightest motorcycle in the segment being 15kg lighter than the Rebel 500 and 67kg lighter than the Super Meteor 650. As these motorcycles do not have a huge difference in terms of the power and torque figures, the Eliminator should be an overall better performer in this comparison thanks to its light weight.
The Rebel 500 gets the lowest seat height setup which should make it comfortable for shorter riders while the other two cruisers get similar saddle heights which are not too high either. In this comparison, the Super Meteor 650 gets the biggest fuel tank at 15.7 litres, which should give it better tank range for long distance touring.
Features
|
Specifications |
Rebel 500 |
Super Meteor 650 |
Eliminator |
|
Console |
LCD console |
Semi-Digital |
LCD console |
|
Lights |
LED |
LED |
LED |
|
ABS |
Dual-channel |
Dual-channel |
Dual-channel |
|
Traction Control |
No |
No |
No |
All of these cruisers get LED lights and basic instrument consoles which show almost every important information. The Rebel 500 misses out on smartphone connectivity, while the other two get it. The Super Meteor 650 comes with a tripper navigation pod as standard, which supports smartphone connectivity with SMS/call alerts and turn-by-turn navigation.
The Eliminator also gets smartphone connectivity but only supports SMS/call alerts. All of these cruisers get dual-channel ABS for a safer braking performance while none of them get a traction control system.
Price And Verdict
|
Variants |
Rebel 500 |
Super Meteor 650 |
Eliminator |
|
Standard |
Rs 5,12,000 |
Rs 3,98,885 (Celestial Variant) |
Rs 5,76,000 |
All prices ex-showroom Delhi.
In this comparison, we have mentioned the pricing for the top-spec variant of the Super Meteor 650 which is still Rs 1,13,115 and Rs 1,77,115 cheaper than the Rebel 500 and Eliminator, respectively. This makes the Super Meteor 650 a great value-for-money proposition to consider for anyone looking for a big, good looking and powerful cruiser-style motorcycle.
The Kawasaki Eliminator sits as the most expensive motorcycle, which should also be a slightly better performer than the other two because of its light weight and similar engine specs. The Rebel 500 looks different and comes with Honda’s unquestionable engine refinement and reliability. For what it offers, the pricing is still a bit on the higher side. That said, all of these retro-modern cruiser style motorcycles are great options available in the market, but the Super Meteor 650 offers a bit more value for your hard earned money.
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