You gotta give credit to royal Enfield how they come up with cool sounding names such as continental GT, super meteor, interceptor and now this, Royal Enfield shotgun 650.
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This is the fourth motorcycle in royal Enfield 650cc family and it has same tried and tested parallel twin but this motorcycle does not fit in a certain category.
What exactly it is??
Royal Enfield says it is Inspired by the custom bike building scene in the country, it is long low slammed motorcycle with a bobber touch with it. it is based on super meteor 650 platform but with slight yet significant changes. Different wheel size super meteor has large 19 inch front and small 16 inch rear which goes with its cruiser proportion. While shotgun 650 has 18 inch front and 17 inch rear. Overall everything in this bike feels heavy and this bike feels heavy. It weighs around 240 kg more than interceptor which is 220 kgs.
Shotgun 650 to dziecko twórczego chaosu. Motocykl został zaprojektowany jako płótno dla artystów i konstruktorów niestandardowych motocykli, Shotgun 650 to zachęta do stworzenia Royal Enfield innego niż wszystkie. Jeden silnik, dwa koła i milion możliwości.#Shotgun650 pic.twitter.com/MRI3QMlpZe
— Royal Enfield Poland (@royalenfieldpl) January 16, 2024
Design royal Enfield shotgun 650:
The floating single of Royal Enfield Shotgun’ seat gives it a sweet design but it has versatility, one can install seat for pillion or can use back seat as a rack for luggage. fuel tank in smaller with a good looking design and a big head lamp giving an edge to its look over other bobbers.
Royal Enfield has gone with the twin peashooter setup. The peashooter setup is a very old school retro looking thing, they usually hug the motorcycle tightly and they come exactly flat down along the side, but here it slightly kicked up from back and spreads outwards like on interceptor.
In my opinion Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is a handsome long butch big looking motorcycle. And one of the reasons you wanna buy it because the way it looks.
Fine details:
Frame has nice metallic finish it’s got a powder coat looking feel something you can see in super meteor, chassis looks very nicely finished. Footrest, alloy units looks nice. Royal Enfield has given the engine of Royal Enfield Shotgun a gloss finish, something they have not done before, switch cube units are aluminum, similar clock that you will find in super meteor, round unit digital analog, quite simple.
Is it more comfortable than super meteor 650??
Super meteor is a beautiful looking bike and it is even a nicer thing. But as a nature super meteor, you sit very low with feet forward that bike is not very comfortable motorcycle if you are not travelling in smooth roads. That bike is nice in smooth roads but if you get bumpy roads with big expansion gaps it can give your back a problem.
Royal Enfield shotgun 650 is definitely better!!
Main reason is how you sit on this bike, super meteor foot pegs are very forward but on Royal Enfield Shotgun they are midset, neutral like classic 350., not at the front not in the back right down in the middle. As for your lower body and legs it is comfortable, it is higher its height is about 800 mm, low and accessible. The handle bar gives you slight lean forward, giving you that custom bike feel, it’s nice but if the handle bar was slightly higher it would be much more comfortable. Another thing is ground clearance it is about 140mm, seems scary for bumpy roads, one needs to be careful.
But overall the Royal Enfield Shotgun is comfortable!! If it is a short ride but in the long rides you will feel the soreness in the back.
One on the main reasons you would want to buy this bike is not comfort but its engine, 648cc parallel twin, smooth creamy performance and nice sounding bike. And it is a quick bike.
Fuel efficiency:
It is pretty much identical to super meteor 650, so you can expect between 22kmpl to 30 kmpl, depending on how gentle you are with your throttle.
Handling:
As for handling, it is fun motorcycle. But the foot pegs hit the road very easily if you hit high lean angle in curves, probably quicker than a classic or a bullet.
Breaking:
Breaking of Royal Enfield Shotgun good too, you get 320mm disc at front and a massive 300mm rotor at the rear. Breaking is quite powerful and if press it hard you will run into ABS quickly. But together the bike slows down quietly.
It is a big bike and if you live in a city with high traffic problems you might need some patience. Clutch is also in a bit heavy side, there is engine heat also but it is familiar with the rest of the 650cc family.
Its price should be close to super meteor, maybe high or maybe low.
I thing this bike stands for style, it a wonderful looking motorcycle, it has a very nice engine and a nice bike to ride in a sedate manner. It is fairly comfortable bike definitely more than super meteor. But it is not the long ride comfort bike either. Some elements are practical and nice, especially seat setup. It doesn’t take too much effort convert it to a dual seat setup.
In my opinion this bike would appeal people who love the look, feel and identity of the super meteor but don’t want to live with that riding position. In that context it is much more comfortable and usable bike.
