New Cruiser
It was almost a year to the day I was down in Victoria testing the Super Meteor 650, well now it was time to tear around Melbourne and the surrounding countryside on Royal Enfield’s fourth model to join their 650-twin platform, the Shotgun 650.
It all commenced with a casual dinner before a presentation the following morning by Royal Enfield’s Senior Marketing Manager, Rajan Pillai, who was clearly excited to be in Australia for the official launch, ‘As a pure motorcycling brand, there are three key elements that define Royal Enfield, these being Legacy, Exploration and Customisation, something that is extremely close to our hearts”.
Along with the Shotgun’s Lead Designer, Adrian Sellers, who along with Rajan, joined the ride.
And it was also evident that Adrian was excited to hear what all the journos thought about RE’s latest cruiser, “Inspired by custom, for custom, this is how we define the Shotgun.
It is a motorcycle we intentionally avoid associating with a specific category.
We wanted to start something fresh and new”.
Once all the formalities were over, it was time to head down to the basement carpark of the Adina Hotel where we were met with the sight of ten Shotguns all waiting to be ridden on what was looking like a great day.
It was a little cold, especially once we got out of the city and up into the hills, but it was only a little fresh and wasn’t unbearable.
Our ride would first take us through the bustling city streets and lanes of Melbourne, before heading out over the Christmas Hills and down to a popular winery for lunch.
SG650 Concept
Now the Shotgun 650 comes from the original SG650 concept, which was launched in EICMA back in 2021, which received quite a lot of attention.
In fact, it was so well accepted that the big wigs at Royal Enfield decided to give the go ahead on production.
Traditionally, most concepts undergo changes before they roll into the showroom for the first time, as was the case with the Shotgun 650, with some slight modifications to the design.
Shotgun vs Super Meteor
Now although the new Shotgun 650 shares quite a lot of similarities with the Super Meteor, including the frame, gearbox, brakes, and various suspension elements, after one short ride you’ll quickly notice it’s vastly different.
Not only has it been lowered at the front and slightly raised at the back, but it’s now also running 43mm forks that are 33mm shorter than the Super Meteor along with the rear shocks which are 20mm longer.
And although the fork is shorter on the Shotgun, it still uses the same Big Piston Separate Function internals with fixed damping and spring preload, and offers the same 120mm of travel.
The shocks, on the other hand, despite being 20mm taller, offer less travel with 90mm as opposed to the versus 100mm on the Super Meteor.
Personally I found the set up on the bike I jumped on first to be perfect, without any harsh bottom-outs over the rough roads, although once I changed bikes after lunch, the setup was a little stiffer, but all it took was a single step of preload to each shock and it was much better suited to my weight.
Ergonomics
Obviously these alterations affect the Shotgun’s geometry, with a wheelbase of 1463mm and a steeper rake of 25.3-degrees compared to that of the Super Meteor which has a wheelbase of 1500mm and more sedate rake of 27.6 degrees.
The Shotgun’s riding position is more performance-oriented too, with that floating solo seat which sits you a little higher, flatter bars which have been positioned lower and further forward along with the mid-mounted footpegs.
It also features a new subframe, a redesigned teardrop tank along with that neo-modern aluminium headlight nacelle.
The final additions are the more conventional and slightly sportier wheel sizes, featuring an 18-inch front and 17- inch rear wheel, as opposed to the 19/16-inch combination on the Super Meteor.
Another interesting feature is the unique modular and removable subframe holding the passenger seat, which gives the Shotgun the versatility to switch between three modes, single seater, double seater or a hauling tourer loaded up with luggage.
And it’s as easy as turning a key and releasing the passenger seat.
As the RE design team stated, they see this bike as a blank canvas forcustomisation.
Engine
At the heart of the Shotgun 650 is the same engine found on their entire 650 range, an air and oil-cooled SOHC 648cc parallel twin with four valves per cylinder.
The 270-degree crank engine has performance figures almost identical to its stablemate and the other 650s, with 46.4 hp available at 7,250 rpm and 38.6 lb-ft of torque at 5,650 rpm.
A cable throttle naturally means you won’t find any ride modes or safety interventions like traction control, engine braking, wheelie control or the likes, which let’s face it, you don’t need on a sweet little cruiser like this.
But you do still get the basic electronics needed like ABS, LED lighting along with a USB charging port and a Tripper Navigation Pod, which simply hooks up to your phone via an app and gives you directions when needed.
The other notable difference is the weight, and even though the Shotgun tips the scales at 239kg, which is still quite heavy for a 650 cruiser, it is slightly lighter than the Super Meteor which comes in at 241kg.
You’ll also notice there’s a lot less chrome to be found on the Shotgun 650, with most of it featuring blacked out components, which I think really suits this little bobber styled cruiser.
The seat height is also higher at 795mm compared to the Super Meteor at 740mm.
Braking
Stopping power again comes courtesy of Brembo subsidiary ByBre brakes, consisting of a 320mm disc up front with a single twin-piston caliper and a 300mm disc at the rear, which also features a twin-piston caliper and twin channel Bosch ABS as standard.
The front was more progressive than the rear, and if you really want to pull up in a hurry, you’ll probably need to jump on all the anchors.
Final Say
In comparison to the Continental GT or the Interceptor, the Shotgun 650 may not feel as punchy, but if you keep your momentum up, it’s a breeze to ride, especially when the corners roll in.
And it’ll cruise comfortably all day sitting on the highway speed limit with more than enough power on tap to round up the cars and trucks.
It’s got a little thumping exhaust note too, which would sound even better with a set of louder pipes.
Now while it may be hard to pigeonhole the Shotgun 650 into a particular category, and to dominate Australia and NZ’s roads, it’ll no doubt be taking on other motorcycles like the Honda Rebel 500 or Kawasaki’s cruisers, the Eliminator and the Vulcan S.
And like always, Royal Enfield have brought the Shotgun 650 to market at a very competitive price, and when you add to that features like a three-year warranty, the Tripper Navigation Unit, a full toolkit and a standard centre-stand, you really are getting value for money.
The Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 will be available in four unique colours, Stencil White, Plasma Blue, Green Drill, and Sheetmetal Grey.
So if you’re looking to get on to a cruiser with style and substance, I strongly recommend you head to your local authorised Royal Enfield dealership and take the new Shotgun for a ride…
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