Alongside the launch of the new Himalayan, Royal Enfield showcased a surprise new motorcycle at Motoverse 2023 that turned out to be the new Shotgun 650. The motorcycle you see in these images is sort of a factory custom; 25 units will be made each priced at Rs 4.25 lakh (ex-showroom). These 25 units will only be available to the people that are at the MotoVerse festival. It features things like a very intricate paint job that's done by hand, which won't make it over to the production bike, but it does preview what the production-spec Shotgun will be like.
It shares its 648cc parallel-twin engine and main frame with the Super Meteor 650, but the rest of the motorcycle has been significantly revised. The engine itself is in a different state of tune to account for the change in weight and the new pea-shooter style exhausts. Output figures haven’t been revealed yet but expect them to be in the same ballpark as the 47hp/52.3Nm made by other Royal Enfield 650s.
And since the wheel sizes and weight distribution have changed, the suspension has also been revised. The production version of the Shotgun will be offered with a pillion seat, which can be removed by undoing four bolts to make it a solo seater like the bike you see here. Design-wise, the Shotgun is more of a roadster with its chopped fenders and bar-end mirrors than the Super Meteor’s retro cruiser-style design.
The main difference compared to the Super Meteor 650 is in terms of ergonomics – here on the Shotgun you have mid-mounted foot pegs and a flatter handlebar. Since this is a factory custom build, it does come across as rather premium, with excellent finish levels all across. Bits like the brackets for the rider's foot pegs are exceptionally well finished and good looking.
Features is an area where not much has changed – like the Super Meteor, you still get an LED headlight and tail-light, the same semi-digital instrumentation and the Tripper navigation pod.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
