Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 (2023 – ) review

The low-slung Super Meteor frame gives the Shotgun a decidedly different stance to the more classic roadster proportions of the similarly engined Interceptor 650 and Continental GT and, perhaps, a slightly more American flavour. Saying that it’s hard to exactly pin down what it is, there being hints of classic British twin in the low-slung exhausts, a bobber-ish profile to the stumpy tail and lower front end than you might expect of a cruiser. Upside down Showa forks and cast wheels meanwhile add a vaguely contemporary twist, ditto the black painted engine. If that sounds a bit confusing Royal Enfield would respond by saying it’s a blank canvas for customisers, the fact it’s bolted together from metal components rather than covered in plastic trim parts making it easier to turn into whatever you want it to be.

If not full-on, feet-forward the pegs are ahead of where your feet might naturally fall, meaning a bit of flailing around in mid air when you first pull away and an annoying conflict with the side stand when you stop. These niggles aside the Shotgun’s riding position sits between an upright cruiser stance and slightly more racy stretch, the seat feeling a lot lower than the listed 785mm suggests and more accommodating of the shorter of leg than an Interceptor or Contintental GT. Once you get used to that peg position it feels very comfortable and confidence inspiring, and a perfect fit for the cruisier vibe the Shotgun seems to be going for.

While our test bike came in single-seater form Royal Enfield is keen to emphasise the Shotgun’s versatility, a simple bolt-on rack meaning you can quickly switch to a more practical arrangement if needed. Or add a pillion seat as and when required. And when it isn’t you can quickly return to the cleaner single-seat configuration you see here. A small fly screen is available as an option as well and may take some of the windblast out of faster roads but the Shotgun is still probably a bit minimal for longer distance work. It’s a good size for cruising around town, though, the upright seating position good for visibility and the relatively compact proportions confidence inspiring in traffic. Just be aware those exhausts stick out a fair bit if you’re really going for the gaps and the pegs are low enough to grind on the ground on roundabouts and in tighter low-speed turns.

Nudging right up against the 47 horsepower limit the Shotgun looks a tempting option for riders on a restricted A2 licence, opening it up to the younger, urban-dwelling hipster crowd Royal Enfield has been playing to of late. The 648cc air-cooled parallel twin is a known quantity from the other bikes it’s shared with, its 52Nm and old-school torquey delivery doing their best against the hefty 240kg kerbweight. That’s a chunk more than an Interceptor and perhaps takes the edge off performance somewhat but it seemingly sounds a bit ruder, with what feels like some extra induction noise from the airboxes you can hear (and feel) even with your earplugs in. It drives through a satisfyingly clunky six-speed gearbox living up to Royal Enfield’s ‘Made like a gun’ tagline for a pleasingly traditional and very mechanical feeling riding experience. No quickshifters, autoblippers or riding modes here, thank you very much! Performance is best described as ‘willing’, the engine picking up cleanly and happy to rev out though we’d advise measuring your overtaking ambitions according to things like gradients and headwinds where the weight can leave the Shotgun feeling a little, well, outgunned. This also comes into play when it comes to slowing it down for corners. There’s a 320mm disc and ByBre ‘budget Brembo’ caliper up there but you need a meaningful heave of the lever for it do much and even then you’ll be putting in more back brake than normal to slow things down. Just as well this is a hefty 300mm item, and seemingly more up to the job than the front!

With the cruiser/custom stance, peg position, 18-inch front wheel and limited rear suspension travel you might be fair to rein in your expectations for how the Shotgun will handle beyond urban posing. But we were pleasantly surprised. Having lived with an Interceptor 650 we felt the crude suspension really held it back, especially the forks. Given its stated purpose it’s perhaps a surprise to see more modern upside-down Showa Big Piston Separate Function Forks on the Shotgun, these paired with basic twin rear suspension units from the same. Beyond preload at the back neither has any adjustment but the forks are pretty much standard issue on a huge number of mid-level bikes and proven kit, the effect on the handling nothing less than transformational compared with the Interceptor. If hardly plush there is at least some support in the front end to stop it diving onto the bump stops under braking, giving you some confidence to lean on the front end into and through the corners while the rear does a reasonable job of soaking up the bumps given the relatively limited 90mm of travel. There’s nothing fancy going on, but it does go to show what a difference just small upgrades in componentry can make. It all contrives to make the Shotgun 650 a lot more fun along a back road than you might otherwise have credited. Sure, it’s no sports bike. But it can hustle more effectively than a cruiser has any right to and, with that charismatically old-school engine, is a fun way to get about.

Affordability is always a strong point with Royal Enfield and the fact the Shotgun costs about half as much as the Triumph Bonneville Bobber it might resemble at a glance is very much in its favour, ditto the fact it can be ridden on an A2 licence without the bother of a restrictor. Modest power means it shouldn’t gobble through chains, sprockets and other consumables though given how hard that front brake works against the heft of it you may be changing pads more often than you’d like! Experience of this engine in the Interceptor over an extended test suggests mid-50s mpg is entirely attainable and you’ll easily go 140 miles before feeling the need to top up.

You’ll have to hope mechanical simplicity counts in the Shotgun’s favour here, the trad air-cooled engine meaning less to go wrong while the minimal electronics also inspire a bit of confidence. Indeed, the only thing we did have bother with over our test was the navigation app on our phone that supposedly sends turn-by-turn directions to the discreet Tripper display on the bars. Nice idea but we couldn’t get it to work and stuck to trad navigation techniques like using road signs instead!

If not exactly ‘fix it with a hammer’ simple there is the hope Royal Enfields are hardly temperamental Italian superbikes in their needs for servicing. Saying that, though, the service intervals are a bit more trad, coming round every 4,700 miles or annually after the initial 300-mile break-in check. That should be OK for the style of bike, everyday maintenance like lubing the chain made easier for the fact it has a centre stand as standard. A three-year warranty is a welcome upgrade over the two years offered by most manufacturers as well.

Nothing snazzy here, as you’d expect. We liked the simple analogue speedo, the lack of a rev counter meaning you shift up when the seat of your pants tells you to. Which is fine. There’s basic trip info on there and a gear indicator but not a lot else, the additional Tripper console supposedly offering more but the app powering it a little flaky as previously mentioned. The overall simplicity of the controls and everything else on the Shotgun is very endearing compared with the button-heavy confusion of a lot of more modern bikes as well, this leaving you to concentrate on the riding. Given the promise of customisation the options and accessories range is relatively limited at the moment, possible upgrades including fancier wheels, bar end mirrors and a few other dress-up parts but not much else. Expect this to grow in due course, though.

Royal Enfield is going in hard on the customisable potential of the Shotgun 650 and we’ll be fascinated to see what those taking up that invitation come up with. For those who just want a cool retro to jump on and ride, meanwhile, it offers an interesting if slightly confusing medley of styles, albeit grounded in a contemporary twist on Royal Enfield’s usual combination of charismatic retro charm. It also rides a lot better than the looks suggest it might, which is a pleasant surprise. True, it’s no BMW R12. But it’s also a hell of a lot cheaper, and arguably more authentic for those craving the old-school vibe.