Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 review, first ride

Royal Enfield’s onslaught of new models rages on. The story of the new-generation J-series 350s began with the Meteor and now carries on with the Classic, Hunter and Bullet. We even have a brand-new Himalayan with an all-new engine, and Scram still comes with the 411cc engine from the older Himalayan. Then there’s the 650 saga, which began with the Interceptor and Continental GT and then moved on with the Super Meteor. If you keep a keen eye on social media and spy shots, you know there’s a lot more to come, but where does the Shotgun 650 fit into the equation? Let’s begin with its most striking quality.

The biggest talking point of the Shotgun 650, by far, is its design language. The whole point of this motorcycle appears to be the way it looks. And there are no two ways about it — it looks quite handsome in the flesh. The Stencil White colour does help the Shotgun feel distinctive, but I personally would’ve preferred the Plasma Blue or even the relatively plain looking Sheet Metal Grey. The single-seat, sculpted tank — which holds slightly less fuel than the Super Meteor — looks quite well done. There’s also a feeling that Royal Enfield is improving on its quality levels with each motorcycle that it brings out. The rotary dials to control the ignition and headlamps get a gloss aluminium finish, which further adds to its appeal.

The Super Meteor-borrowed tail lamp with the large rear fender looks rather substantial, but there is a downside to this design aspect, thanks to the unusually long pea-shooter exhaust pipes. They are long and jut out quite a bit to the sides as well. This does make one slightly nervous in tight traffic, but nothing that is overtly disconcerting. I also like the unique headlamp cowl, which makes the Shotgun stand out from the apparent family feud. Moreover, the blacked-out finish of the engine casing and switchgear does look quite cool. Overall, the design is where it as at for the Shotgun 650. When you’re stopped at a traffic signal or going through slow moving traffic, people will notice and awe at this bike. Just like its other models, Royal Enfield has kept it quite simple when it comes to features. It gets a USB type-A charging port,