Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Launch Impending: Check The MUST Know Details Before Launch

It’ll likely feature the same lovely 648cc parallel-twin mill from Royal Enfield’s 650cc lineup

• The 650cc engine has earlier been seen on the Interceptor 650, Continental GT 650 and the Super Meteor 650
• In terms of styling, the Shotgun 650 will be be a stripped down version of the Super Meteor 650
• The bike will pack the same semi-digital console that we’ve previously seen on the Super Meteor 650

Bobbers are fun bikes and there are no two ways to it. India’s most affordable bobber, the Jawa 42 Bobber, is incredibly fun to ride and very engaging, given its peppy engine and dynamic handling. And if this genre of motorcycles has caught your fancy too, we are sure you would have had your eyes on the upcoming Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 for quite a while now. Test mules of the bike have been for quite a while now. 

And now that the bike nears its official launch, we’re sure a lot of you would be eager to know more about it. So here are five things about the Shotgun 650 that you absolutely must know: 

Design & Styling That Stands Out!

The Shotgun 650 will adopt authentic bobber styling. It’ll essentially be the Super Meteor 650, but a more stripped down version of the same. So while it will be the same low slung bike with relatively less wheel travel at both ends, some non essential things will be gotten rid of. So it’ll only have a single seat configuration and will also likely sport smaller fenders. Even the headlight seems to be the same LED one that we’ve previously seen on its cruiser sibling, the Super Meteor 650.

But the bike will also likely sport a different, wider handlebar to suit its bobber personality, which should ideally make the bike a lot more bratty than the Super Meteor 650. The wide handlebar and extremely torquey nature should make the bike a lot more flickable in the city and should even ideally give it better handling when taken out on a twisty road for some cornering fun. That said, the low cornering clearance also means you will scrape the footpegs quite early. 

Engine & Mechanicals To Watch out 

The Shotgun 650 will sport the same 648cc parallel-twin engine that we’ve previously seen on bikes like the Super Meteor 650, Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650. And given that the engine doesn’t have a different tuning in any of the bikes, we expect Royal Enfield to keep it the same way in the Shotgun 650 as well. What works is the fact that it’s an extremely flexible engine so while it suits the roadsters and the cruiser, it will suit the bobber as well. 

With a healthy 47PS and a solid 52.3Nm on tap, the engine is a super torquey one and we expect it to be a lot of fun on the bobber as well. For once, it’ll actually suit the bike’s nature the best way. In fact, in terms of acceleration, the engine is almost on par with wild bikes like the 2024 KTM 390 Duke, which is saying something because the Duke’s performance has set benchmarks, both in its segment and multiple segments above it.   

Features With Modern Retro Mix

The Shotgun 650 will likely feature the same sem-digital instrument console that we’ve previously seen on Royal Enfield’s other cruiser, the Meteor 350. It has an analogue speedometer, general telltale lights and a small LCD inset that shows the fuel level, gear position indicator, a clock and a fair bit more. That said, the LCD readings’ font is quite small so reading them on the go will be quite hard. The rider will have to scoot down in order to read it and it can get a bit irritating. 

And again, Royal Enfield is unlikely to change the console in any way. While some brands make changes to their features for every bike (despite platform sharing), Royal Enfield is highly unlikely to do that. 

Firm Suspension & Brake Setup

Even in terms of hardware, the Shotgun 650 will be largely the same as the Super Meteor 650. And inverted fork and dual shock absorbers will handle suspension duties. In fact, we expect the dual shocks to be just as stiff as the ones on the Super Meteor 650, given the extremely low wheel travel that the bike has at the rear. 

 Expected Price & Launch

We expect Royal Enfield to price the Shotgun 650 at around Rs 3.25 lakh, ex-showroom. That means it will sit below the likes of the Continental GT 650 and the Super Meteor 650, but above its third 650cc sibling, the Interceptor 650. Royal Enfield should ideally launch the bike in India around March next year.