First Ride: The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 middleweight cruiser
Royal Enfield’s modern 650 platform has proven its versatility time and time again on these pages. So when Royal Enfield unveiled the SG650 cruiser concept at EICMA back in 2021, our interest was piqued. Now that concept has found its way into production, in the form of the 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650.
Developed under the mantra of ‘inspired by custom, for custom,’ the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is a more aggressive riff on the Super Meteor 650 cruiser platform, with styling inspired by manga, post-apocalyptic video games, and retro cinema. But how does it ride and present in real life" To find out, we headed into Los Angeles at Royal Enfield?s invitation to test this new machine on some of California?s most iconic roads.
The Shotgun 650 shares an engine and chassis with the Meteor 650, but little else. Rake is steepened from 27.6 degrees on the Meteor to 25.3, and trail is shortened from 119.38 mm to 101.4. The result is a wheelbase that’s 35 mm shorter for nimble, responsive handling.
A floating solo seat mounts behind the gas tank, much like the concept bike, and a traditional cruiser-style flat-sided rear fender dresses the Shotgun?s tail section. The gas tank shape is something between a Honda CB750 tank and a Harley Sportster peanut unit; yes, it’s a weird crossover, but the shape presented here works very well.
Like the SG650 concept, there is a cast nacelle that wraps around the headlight and frames the Shotgun?s round gaug...
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