2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun Review | Motorcycle Test

2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun Review

Royal Enfield, the motorcycle brand that sells itself as “Built like a gun”, has created a shotgun. In fact, it’s created a bike called the Shotgun 650, which owes much to the popular “Bobber” styling many factories have tried over the last few years. The bike originally debuted at EICMA a few years back under the rather anodyne SG650 moniker. But now it’s the Shotgun, which has to be one of the coolest model names ever.

The Shotgun 650 seeks to fill a gap in the Royal Enfield range by offering a model that’s closer in styling to the 350s, but comes with the well-proven 650cc parallel-twin engine first seen in the Interceptor and Continental GT models. Nonetheless, it remains a LAM, with a shade under 35 kW being produced by the aesthetically pleasing engine.

That 650 donk has been specifically tuned for the Shotgun, which also receives Showa SFF-BP forks and dual preload-adjustable shocks. An analogue/LCD dash and the Royal Enfield Tripper navigation system provide all the information. The billet switch-blocks have been blacked out to match the rest of the bike’s darkness, apart from, of course, the paint. And the options there look pretty trick.

At $11,990, ride-away with a three-year warranty and roadside assistance on the premium Stencil White colour variant, it seems to offer quite a stylish bike for your money. The Sheet Metal Grey colour scheme starts at $11,590, with the Plasma Blue and Green Drill starting at $11,790. Each of these variants gets unique graphics to further differentiate them.

Our test ride was a loop out of Melbourne’s CBD with some narrow city alleys thrown in, then it was out to the Hurbert Estate before heading back to the start. The route was a decent mix of highway, urban, some twisties, and a bit of commuting, which is pretty much what any prospective owner would be using the Shotgun for.

The Shotgun is well-suited to the urban commute, with an upright and neutral seating position. The handlebars are wide, and the whole feel is relaxed and comfortable. The Shotgun is lighter and more nimble than the Super Meteor, but it does have a taller seat at 795 mm. I found it easily manageable, but it is relatively tall, considering its Bobber styling.

The twin-cylinder engine offers smooth and accessible torque right from the get-go, so commuting is a doddle. That parallel twin is very relaxed in its behaviour, so there’s no need to rev it hard at all. The clutch was a two-finger jobbie. The shifts are a little clunky down low but smooth out nicely as the speed rises, and when you’re knocking it back down through the gears, the engine braking is very smooth.

Getting out onto the freeway, the Shotgun is up to speed in no time at all, with plenty of acceleration available, so you’ll easily outpace the general cager here, with some extra oomph to spare if you really want to get away. It’s a pure naked, so wind protection is very limited. But that’s a great excuse to add the accessory fly-screen.

Out in the medium-pace twisties, the bike shines, with easy-going handling that requires little thought or deliberate input. Pick your line, look where you’re going, and enjoy the engine performance, which offers a good punch in the mid-range for a LAMS 650. It’s not class-leading, as in typical Royal Enfield form; it’s always rather conservative on power but very solid all the same.

The Showa forks and dual rear shocks are a little more sportily sprung than the Super Meteor. So you’re giving up some plushness in the ride, but you’re getting a bit more support if you want to bang on a bit. The feel of the ride around town was pretty impressive. Obviously, the pace was slow, but with the pre-load on those shocks at the mid-setting, speed bumps were easily handled, and the bike was very composed over potholes and bumps.

That composed handling carried on into the twisties. The forks did not dive dramatically under brakes, but keep in mind we’re not using a dual-disc setup here. The firmer and sportier suspension later became evident, with the bike occasionally kicking me up out of the seat over very harsh bumps. Being fair, at 75 kg, I found the Super Meteor amazingly plush. But I’d be into the Shotgun if you’re into more sporty riding.

For the price and category, the Shotgun’s responsive and accurate handling is more than up to the job and well-matched to the suspenders.

Getting more aggressive in the twisties and carrying more lean-angle will soon find its ground-clearance limits fairly quickly. You can use a bit of body-English to mitigate this by maybe leaning in harder while keeping the bike more upright, but that’s of limited use if you’re really pushing hard. If that’s your thing, I reckon you’d be better off on an Interceptor or Continental GT 650.

By the same token, I can’t see the Shotgun replacing the Continental or Interceptor for the more sporty riders. But the Shotgun will appeal to those after a sportier cruiser-style machine with big Bobber overtones. The 650 naked bikes look a little dated compared to these new offerings, especially on the suspension front, with the latest RE 650s running Showa USD forks.

The Shotgun is a well-balanced machine, and its weight is hardly noticeable once you’re rolling. It doesn’t feel too rear-orientated, and even paddling the bike around, you can easily get your feet down, which is very confidence-inspiring for newer riders. That 795 mm seat-height worked perfectly for me, and I’m 180 cm tall with an average 32-inch inseam. But Like I said earlier, considering its Bobber styling, the seat could be lower to the ground. And it is carrying a significant amount of padding as well. If you’re on the shorter side, seeing if you can get that shaved down might be worth considering if you have your heart set on the Shotgun. After all, this is exactly the type of bike you’re meant to customise and make your own.

Revisiting the brakes, they are a single 320 mm front rotor with a two-piston caliper, matched by a large 300 mm rotor on the rear, which is also mated to a two-pot caliper. That rear proved fairly easy to lock up, noticeably kicking in the ABS when I was being particularly ham-footed. This is easily avoidable in the good weather we had, but you’d be grateful for the ABS in the cold and wet. The feel of the front stoppers is better, although we’re not talking crazy bite or power, just a good amount of stopping power and easy modulation. Overall, the brakes did the job well in a manner that didn’t really have me thinking about them all that much.

I relied more heavily on engine braking at times, with a little rear brake, which worked a treat coming to a rapid stop, as little else was needed. And that engine is so smooth on the decel; it’s really fun to knock down through the gearbox to get a bit more note from the exhausts…

As already mentioned, reaching higher speeds is easy. With some aggressive throttle and shifts, you’ll be at 100 km/h in no time. You’ll also comfortably cruise there, with heaps left to overtake, which is quite a contrast to the 350 Royal Enfields.

The Shotgun shone in the narrow back-road twisties. Sure, we weren’t doing insane speeds, but the easy-going handling and punchy twin offered up plenty of fun stringing those corners together, and that really is what the Shotgun is about – easy-going fun.

The other standout was less a riding characteristic and more about the Shotgun’s appearance. I thought it looked exceptional—from the nacelled headlight, the dual pipes, the cantilever single seat, the specially moulded blacked-out engine cases, and the eye-catching paint, this bike is seriously cool.

It’s certainly a looker and will stand out even in a showroom full of gleaming Royal Enfields – and all in an affordable, beginner-friendly, 650 cc package.

For the more experienced rider, the bike also certainly delivers if you’re happy with 35 kW, and there’s a ridiculous amount of potential for mods here to truly individualise the bike. There’ll be a whole extra aspect to the Shotgun for the modders out there.

It is possible that a set of higher-spec shocks may be worth the investment, but this is a great package off the showroom floor and certainly a head-turner based on the reactions I saw to the bikes. Lots of people took photos, lots of turned heads, and who doesn’t want that in a bike?

For more information head to the Royal Enfield Australia website:
https://royalenfield.com.au/model/shotgun-650/

2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun Specifications

2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun Gallery

Images by Tom Fossati and Matty Hayman