The latest iteration of Royal Enfield’s versatile 650-Twin platform is the bobber-styled Shotgun 650, a visually pleasing and easy-riding motorcycle. Built around the same smooth-powered and friendly engine found in the INT650 standard, Continental GT 650 café racer, and Super Meteor 650 cruiser, the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 carves its own niche with a solo seat, neutral riding position, and tweaked specs that find a sweet spot between cruiser and sport bike.
- Aesthetics immediately draw attention and illicit thumbs up for the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650. As with all Royal Enfields, the Shotgun 650 has plenty of personality thanks to creative styling, graphic design, colorways, and branding details. For example, the Stencil White Shotgun has a cropped 01 on its tank. It references 1901, the year Royal Enfield built its first motorcycle; yes, that’s brag-worthy.
- The Shotgun styling is inspired by the 1940s bobber movement. With the GT and INT staking out the ’60s and the Super Meteor straddling eras, the Shotgun goes post-WWII with cut fenders, a cantilevered solo seat, and a clean minimalist design. Modernity chimes in with aluminum wheels (18-/17-inch pairing), disc brakes, and an upside-down fork, so the Shotgun isn’t stuck in the past, though the attention it gets from passersby indicates they think it’s a vintage ride.
- The just-shy-of-neutral riding triangle makes the Shotgun 650 a welcoming and comfortable ride for new and veteran riders. The upright ergonomics feel immediately natural with footpegs neither forward nor back, and there’s just a hint of a lean toward the Royal Enfield branded grips perched at the ends of a wide handlebar. Although the bicycle-style seat is 31.3 inches high, it is cut narrow in the front, making it possible to completely flat-foot it at stops with my 30.5-inch inseam.
- The 648cc air-cooled vertical twin is one of the most pleasing engines I’ve ridden. The SOHC fuel-injected motor delivers its power smoothly and willingly, and its relaxed personality never hiccups. It’s easy to move off idle with ample torque, and the transmission shifts faultlessly through its six-speed gearbox. When accelerating hard, the motor stays so smooth that hitting the rev limiter is easy—especially with no tachometer on offer.
- Maneuvering the Shotgun 650 is easy, despite its 529-pound curb weight. The Shotgun feels a bit heavy when you first get on the bike and lift it off the kickstand, particularly in the front. However, it carries its weight low, and the wide handlebar provides leverage. Slow-speed parking lot or gas station situations induce no anxious moments thanks to the engine’s smoothly and predictably delivered power.
- The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 excels as a casual urban fun bike. The engine’s broad, torque-rich powerband allows you to cruise down the boulevard, turning heads without touching the gearbox as long as the stoplights stay green. Roll on or off throttle as needed; the Shotgun needs no minding. The ride is intuitive and basic, with no fancy electronics or switches.
- The mostly fixed-damping suspension on the Shotgun 650 is well-suited for its intended use. The 4.7 inches of travel from the Showa inverted fork capably handles well-worn urban/suburban streets. The period-correct twin shocks are on the firm side to prevent the rear wheel from moving completely through its 3.5 inches of travel too often. The shocks’ spring preload is five-way adjustable should you opt to fill an accessory passenger seat or if you’re pushing the GVWR.
- The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is happy to kick things up a notch. While tooling around town feels like the natural habitat for the Shotgun, the 650 responds to a healthy twist of the throttle. The 650’s upright riding position and wide handlebar lend themselves to a spirited romp. While not quick, the Shotgun gathers its momentum and holds fast to its line at speed on wide, smooth sweepers. Unfortunately, the suspension is not up to absorbing bumps at higher speeds in rough corners. Still, on a smoothly paved road, you will have fun.
- Once the asphalt tightens up and speeds comes down, the Shotgun 650 is easier to turn and feels relatively agile. The India-sourced Ceat Zoom Cruz rubber is confidence-inspiring, and the 100mm-wide front tire provides a secure front footprint. The tires corner so well that I can unexpectedly scrape the pegs on both sides through tight turns.
- ByBre calipers handle deceleration duties effectively on the Shotgun. The ByBre twin-piston caliper and single 320mm front disc have enough muscle to slow the 530-pound bike with my 115 pounds aboard, and supplementing with the 300mm rear disc will make it happen quicker. The engagement of the brake lever is initially soft, but a firm squeeze extracts the full braking power. The front tire’s healthy footprint aids in the deceleration process. Two-channel ABS is standard; while it’s not hard to trip it in the rear, it is not intrusive.
- At the right end of the analog-style speedometer, the Shotgun 650 feels absolutely planted on the freeway. Despite a slightly shorter wheelbase and steeper rake than the Super Meteor, the Shotgun is stable and secure at speed. The short-travel shocks will bounce your rear off the seat over poorly executed expansion joints—of which we have too many in Los Angeles—but the 650 doesn’t lose its composure. There is no buzziness in the accessory bar-end mirrors on our test bike, and the windblast from the Shotgun’s bobber-naked physique is minimal at freeway speeds.
- The easy handling Shotgun works well as a commuter, though its relaxed personality won’t encourage hurrying to work. The upright body position is perfect for keeping an eye on the busy traffic around you, and the engine’s broad powerband makes it easy to flow with changing conditions without getting unsettled. You can ride aggressively if you find yourself late, though the limited rear suspension doesn’t encourage fast riding over rough roads, straight or twisting.
- Although the Shotgun has a solo seat, there are built-in passenger pegs. While we haven’t seen a complete list of accessories, it’s safe to say a pillion will be available. Royal Enfield 650s have been the subject of a growing number of custom builds, and the barebones Shotgun should be an attractive platform for customizers, radical and conservative.
- The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is easily a city cruiser, casual commuter, or a great sidekick for exploring pocket neighborhoods off the main drag. It puts a smile on your face on a relaxed ride along Mulholland Drive, checking out the Angeles National Forest on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. And it’s impossible not to feel cool riding down the boulevard on the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650. Something about its solo perch, blacked-out engine, and pure-black exhaust ending is a peashooter muffler—the spare bobber styling paints a picture. I’m sure it’s making passersby envious, and the stares it evokes while waiting for a green light at Hollywood and Highland confirms that. They are wondering where I’m going and conjuring up a carefree story much grander than mine, and I am vicariously enjoying their Shotgun fantasy.
Photography by Don Williams
RIDING STYLE
2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Specs
ENGINE
- Type: Parallel twin
- Displacement: 648cc
- Bore x stroke: 78 x 67.8mm
- Maximum power: 46 horsepower @ 7250 rpm
- Maximum torque: 39 ft-lbs @ 5650 rpm
- Compression ratio: 9.5:1
- Cooling: Air and oil
- Valvetrain: SOHC; 4 vpc
- Fueling: EFI
- Transmission: 6-speed
- Clutch: Web multiplate
- Final drive: Chain
CHASSIS
- Frame: Steel-tube spine, double cradle
- Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable Showa SSP-BP 43mm inverted fork; 4.7 inches
- Rear suspension; travel: Spring-preload adjustable shocks; 3.5 inches
- Wheels: Aluminum alloy
- Tires: Ceat Zoom Cruz
- Front tire: 100/90 x 18
- Rear tire: 150/70 x 17
- Front brake: 320mm disc w/ ByBre twin-piston floating caliper
- Rear brake: 300mm disc w/ ByBre twin-piston floating caliper
- ABS: 2-channel
DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES
- Wheelbase: 57.7 inches
- Rake: 25.3 degrees
- Trail: 4.0 inches
- Seat height: 31.3 inches
- Fuel tank capacity: 3.6 gallons
- Estimated fuel consumption: 52 mpg
- Curb weight: 529 pounds
COLORS
- Stencil White
- Plasma Blue
- Green Drill
- Sheetmetal Gray
2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Price: $TBA MSRP
