Royal Enfield Shotgun 650: Bullseye, or a shot in the dark?

The fourth motorcycle on the Royal Enfield 650 platform is the first one that doesn't fit into a conventional genre. The Interceptor, Continental GT and Super Meteor all have their clearly defined roles, but what exactly is the Shotgun 650 supposed to be?

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 design

Royal Enfield says that it is inspired by the custom bike scene, and that’s an approach that makes sense. After all nothing else in India comes anywhere close to being how popular REs are in the custom world. To my eyes, this is a long, low, Bobber-style machine and while the Shotgun is based on the Super Meteor platform, there are plenty of differences. 

The more notable ones include different wheel sizes, with an 18-inch/17-inch front and rear set up vs the more traditional cruiser 19-inch/16-inch combination on  the Super Meteor. It also gets a handsome new fuel tank that holds 13.8-liters, which is about 2-litres down on its sibling. Then there’s the seat height which at 795mm is still very approachable, but much higher than the ultra-low 740mm seat on the Super Meteor.

There are also plenty of smaller details to appreciate and like the Super Meteor this bike has the highest levels of quality and attention to detail that you will find on a Royal Enfield. The switch cubes are made out of metal, as is nearly every component on the bike, including the fenders, side panels and even the butch looking headlamp surround. The upside is that this bike feels solid and high quality. The downside is that at 240kg, the Shotgun is 7kg heavier than the Ducati Diavel V4 we reviewed. 

This is certainly a handsome motorcycle and its looks are one of the big reasons you’d want to buy one, but there are some things that don’t quite gel. For one, the peashooter exhausts don’t hug the length of the bike like on the Super Meteor, but instead are kinked upwards and outwards, similar to the Interceptor and Conti. It's a look that I find a bit jarring with such retro looking pipes. Then there’s the air gap between the rear fender and wheel - it's not terrible, but it is noticeable.  

On the plus side, the floating single seat looks cool and it’s also quite wide and nicely padded. It’s also nice that this is not a completely impractical machine and you can convert it into a twin seater or use it as a single seater with a rear luggage rack. But there are things that hold the Shotgun back from being practical in general.

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 real-world usability

First is the ground clearance, or lack thereof. This motorcycle not only looks long and low; it actually is with a clearance figure of just 140mm. With plenty of caution, I got through a few days of riding without scraping the bike, but there’s no escaping that you will always need a careful approach over bad roads and speed breakers, especially if you have a pillion and/or luggage.

Then there’s the fact that just like its siblings, this bike feels long and wide in traffic. There’s also the weight and the moderately heavy clutch that will play on your mind. Mostly though, it's the width of the footpegs and exhausts in particular makes it a bit of a cumbersome commuter. But it's not all bad news because this bike has one big advantage over the Super Meteor - comfort.

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 ride comfort

The difference comes mainly down to how you sit on the bike. Here, you aren’t sitting so low but your lower body is in a very comfy, neutral position with mid set footpegs that will remind you of the Classic 350. This alone takes the load off your lower back, thus making the Shotgun much more comfortable than the Super Meteor over bad roads, even though it actually has 11mm less travel in its dual rear shock absorbers. The Showa suspension has an air of firmness to it, but it's decently absorptive and falls well short of being harsh. 

However, while this is not an uncomfortable bike, I wouldn’t go so far as calling it plush or outright comfy either. That’s partly down to the unusual handlebar position that has you leaning forward slightly. I get that RE is going for that custom-cool vibe here, but a taller and wider handlebar that is positioned a little closer to the rider would have definitely improved the comfort. 

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 performance

RE’s tried, tested and loved 648cc parallel twin makes a great companion to this motorcycle. It has gloss black painted side cases, but beyond that, it's pretty much the same engine you’ll find in the Shotgun’s siblings. There isn’t a lot of absolute bottom end torque, but the midrange is a joy to surf and the engine revs out nicely as well, all while producing a thoroughly enjoyable tune. It’s not particularly loud, but the deep sound is something you’ll never tire of listening to and this powertrain is a big part of the Shotgun’s appeal.

With 47hp and 52Nm of torque, performance is brisk and we recorded a 0-100kph time of around 6.5 seconds which makes it a little quicker than the Super Meteor and close to its other siblings. As for fuel efficiency, just like on the Super Meteor, you can expect anything between 22-30kpl, depending on how you ride. 

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 handling

Handling is quite nice too. The bike feels thoroughly stable and planted at highway speeds and that same sense of unshakable composure translates to the corners as well. But if you try riding aggressively in the bends, you’ll quickly run out of cornering clearance because the wide footpegs hit the tarmac with little effort. So if it's fast fun you want in the corners, the Interceptor and Continental GT are where you should be looking.  

Braking is handled by a single 320mm front disc and a massive 300mm rotor at the rear. The rear is so powerful that anything more than moderate pressure on the foot lever will trigger the ABS, but when used together these brakes slow the bike down well. 

Features wise, the Shotgun keeps it simple and you get the same sort of analogue-digital display from the Super Meteor along with the Tripper navigation display as standard. You also get an LED headlamp, a USD fork and dual channel ABS.

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 verdict

Prices aren’t now out for the Shotgun and it actually sits quite close to the Super Meteor. When you piece it all together, the Shotgun is a motorcycle that appeals more in terms of its design and identity than its utility. It is a reasonably usable motorcycle, but it does come across as a rather niche one.

While it certainly doesn’t have the wider appeal of most of RE’s line up, that’s no bad thing and it's nice to see manufacturers try different things. After all, the more bikes we have to choose from, the merrier.  

Also See:

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 video review