What else can you buy for the price of a Meteor?

There isn't a lot to rival the Meteor in its class and at its price. Nearest to it is the Benelli Imperiale 400. This has more of a classic feel and has been styled after RE's own Bullets. At £3699, it costs a little less than the Meteor Fireball and has similar performance. It will be interesting to see if RE creates a Bullet-like version of the Meteor to take on Benelli, or whether it has left the old look behind.

If you are wedded to the idea of a Royal Enfield, my local dealership, GV Bikes in Taunton, recently sold a threeyear-old low-mileage Continental GT 535 for the same price as a Meteor.

Pembrokeshire Classics has a 2007 Bullet 500 Electra which came with a 500cc lean-burn engine that offers 25bhp, so is marginally more powerful than the Meteor, for £2795, giving you a lot of change left over for clothing, goodies and upgrades.

The West Wales dealership also has some more authentic classics in stock, too. Does a 1953 500cc AJS twin appeal, or a BSA A7SS from 1959, rebuilt from bits in the 1970s? They can each be had for £3995, a little more than a new Meteor. The BSA promises much fun, and decent spares back-up. Restore it or – and this is our preference – get it road-safe and belt around on it. www.pembrokeshireclassics.com