Royal Enfield Meteor Custom “Chimera”: the best-seller gets tough and pure
Building a custom bike from a sales champion is always a risk, but the urge to transform the Meteor 350 was just too strong. Here is our “Chimera”.
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is one of the bikes of the moment: it has brought the Indo-British brand into the top 10 of the Italian market sales charts, a market always known for favouring large-displacement bikes, and it is one of the best-selling motorcycles in Europe.
The Meteor 350 opened the doors of the cruiser segment to Royal Enfield with a reliable, affordable motorcycle with well-defined lines. In short, the perfect bike for those who want to be an EasyRider even on their daily commute, giving rise to a real family to which the Super Meteor 650 was added just a few days ago.
Chimera: the cruiser becomes a bobber
Even the smartest, most versatile, fun and easy bike can be improved with a project designed to enhance its style, riding pleasure and therefore its character. And that’s exactly what we did by creating our Chimera, based on the Meteor 350.
The idea came from the cruiser’s dimensions from Royal Enfield, more precisely from the wheel sizes: the combination of a 19” front and 17” rear, perfect numbers for creating a bobber, naturally following the sacred rule of “Less is best”, always dear to custom builders worldwide.
And indeed, the first steps that led us to create the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 “Chimera” focused on removing elements such as the mudguard assembly, the passenger seat subframe, the handlebar, as well as the original instruments and handlebar switches, indicators, OEM tyres, side panels and all the lighting units.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Chimera: how it has changed
Basically, we stripped the bike down and then rebuilt it, always keeping in mind the complete reversibility of our modifications: our Chimera can, in fact, be returned to a “standard” Meteor 350 at any time.
First, we gave this special new “shoes”, choosing to fit a pair of Vintage Classic style tyres on the original rims; then we slimmed down the sides of the Chimera by removing the original airbox and fitting a new slim battery with the fuse box and an external “soap bar” air filter that gave the Meteor a meaner look, improved its performance and allowed us to use the smaller, more compact Royal Enfield Bullet 350 side panels.
Highlighting the transformation of Cafe Twin's Meteor 350 is a truly aggressive front end: inverted sportbar handlebars, external springs on the 41 mm fork reminiscent of old Springer systems, and a Daytona Sport headlight mounted low. This detail evokes Italian design, paying a fitting tribute to the legendary Vespa “faro basso”.
The rear end of the Chimera, on the other hand, features a single seat with a luggage rack on which two Kellerman Bullet Atto 3-in-1 indicators are mounted, combining position light, brake light, and turn signals. The two-tone paintwork of the original tank and the headlight base adds the finishing touch, but the real highlight is the technology of the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Chimera, which truly contrasts with the vintage aesthetics of this one-off.
To create a truly “timeless” special, we decided to use the latest technology found in today’s motorcycle electronics: instead of a mechanical key, we have installed a Motogadget M-Lock electronic magnetic key in the specially modified original housing; the original instrumentation has also been replaced in favour of a Motogadget Mini speedometer with indicator lights. This modern touch extends to the handlebar controls: after removing the originals, we installed an Axel Joost D-Box mini control unit connected to 7 buttons that handle all functions (horn, high beam, start/stop, ignition, indicators, and instrument selection).
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Chimera: the result
We are truly proud of this special, because it brings together everything we strive for in a unique motorcycle: practicality, as we have retained riding comfort; a design that uses the bike’s original lines but revolutionises them; a minimal yet stylish approach; improved performance and a sound that stands out from a thousand other bikes.
Don’t believe it? Come visit us at Via Mesula 12 in Rome and see for yourself. We look forward to seeing you!
