2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 First Look [11 Fast Facts]

December 20, 2023

There is now a fourth parallel-twin from Chennai, India—the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650. The new Shotgun joins the INT 650, the GT 650, and the also-new Super Meteor 650 atop the Royal Enfield lineup. While the bobber-style Shotgun might look similar to the Super Meteor cruiser, it is definitely its own model, so let’s investigate.

Before we get started, here’s where Eicher Motors Managing Director & CEO Siddhartha Lal places the new 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650: “The Shotgun 650 is inspired by the work of our custom community and our years of work with them. It is a retro-futuristic interpretation of what a factory custom motorcycle with thoroughbred Royal Enfield DNA would look like. A shape-shifting machine that defies categorization, both in form and in spirit, the Shotgun 650 is something absolutely new and different.” The graphic-novel-style illustrations Royal Enfield shared with us back up that vision.

The primary common component of the 650s is the nearly vertical twin-cylinder motor. We love how the air-cooled, fuel-injected motor works in the other incarnations. Smooth and torquey always makes for an enjoyable ride. A six-speed transmission makes the most out of the 46-horsepower peak, though we would like to see assist and/or slipper functions engineered into the clutch.

The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 has its own set of wheels. The Shotgun gets an 18-/17-inch wheelset. The Super Meteor cruiser has a rakish 19-/16-inch combination with the INT and GT upright standard sportbikes, using 18-inch rims. Like the Super Meteor, the Shotgun has aluminum alloy wheels rather than the wire-spoked INT/GT wheels.

The wheelbase of the Shotgun sits between the stretched-out Super Meteor and the INT/GT sport lineup. Although the Shotgun’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches shorter than the relaxed Super Meteor, it’s a healthy 2.6 inches longer than the sport 650s.

The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is also more raked out than the sporty Royal Enfield INT and GT 650s. However, the Shotgun’s rake is still aggressive at 25.3 degrees, so the bobber should have an edge in the canyons over Super Meteor.

Suspension travel on the Shotgun is a mix of the Super Meteor and the INT/GT combo. Like the Super Meteor, the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun has an inverted fork with 4.7 inches of travel. However, the twin shocks manage just 3.5 inches of travel—the same as on the INT/GT and a half-inch less than the Super Meteor. The fork is a Showa SSP-BP model, with fixed damping and spring-preload.

The Shotgun shares its brakes and tire model with the Super Meteor. There’s a single 320mm disc in the front and a large 300mm disc out back. Brembo subsidiary ByBre manufactures the calipers. Seat Zoom Cruz tires provide the interface with the pavement.

True to its bobber ethos, the Shotgun ergonomics nod toward sportiness without abandoning style. The footpegs are slightly forward, and the handlebar bend low and flat. The stylishly decisive solo seat gives the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun a purposeful look. Passenger footpegs are standard, though the pillion for the person riding shotgun is optional.

Keeping with the bobber styling, the Shotgun 650 has a smaller fuel tank than the Super Meteor. The Shotgun’s tank holds 3.6 gallons, about a half-gallon less than the Super Meteor, which also does double-duty as a cruiser-tourer. The black exhaust system with the peashooter mufflers is a classic look. The LED headlight’s nacelle is a nod to modernity without compromising the retro cool.

10. Royal Enfield will have a wide range of accessories available for the Shotgun. Check out the clever “exploded view” image to get an idea of how owners can outfit the Shotgun with RE goodies.

We will be getting a 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 soon, so watch for a review next month. In the meantime, we don’t have a price for the Shotgun yet. Four colors are available, each with a graphic treatment unique to that color.

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