Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 spied testing again: Everything we know about the upcoming Bobber

File image of the Royal Enfield 650 twins -- the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650

It’s no secret that the Royal Enfield 650 twins, the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650, have seen massive success not only in India, but in international markets as well. From our own test ride of the Interceptor 650, we knew how much the Indian classic bike manufacturer had evolved. It was even better when we received the Meteor 350 and the Classic 350.

But coming back to the 650 platform, Royal Enfield does not want to be content in the middle-weight segment with just two bikes. The company has been working on at least three new models, all of which have already been spotted on test rides.

The latest in the news, however, is the Shotgun 650, or at least that’s what we believe it will be called. For context, back at the 2021 EICMA Motor Show in Milan, Royal Enfield debuted a bobber concept called the SG650. We already know that RE registered the name Shotgun, hence the obvious deduction.

Styling

Now, like we’ve said before, all three of Royal Enfield’s upcoming bikes have been spied testing on the streets already and the Shotgun 650 has been spied again thanks to YouTuber Raj Kumar. Of course, the bike is still heavily clad in camouflage but there are many things immediately obvious.

Starting with styling, the Shotgun 650, like the SG650 concept, is expected to be a bobber. So, the rear pillion seat gives way to just a mudguard and tail lamp assembly. This part is covered by a big box-like structure to hide what’s really beneath it. The front section of the bike is a different story. You have pure retro styling that includes everything from the round headlamp to the teardrop tank and round rear-view mirrors. A wide flat handlebar accentuates the bobber styling of the bike.

Powertrain

Powering the bike will be the same 648cc parallel-twin engine that does duty on the Interceptor and the Continental GT. On these bikes the engine produces 47hp of maximum power and 52Nm of peak torque. Whether these numbers change on the bobber we will have to see, but they shouldn’t be too different. Gearbox duties will be handled by a 6-speed transmission.

From the spy video we also know that the Shotgun 650 will employ a beefy set of upside-down forks to handle suspension duties up front, unlike the conventional telescopic units we see on the current 650 twins. At the rear, we can expect a dual shock absorber setup. Braking seems to be a single disc at the front along with one at the rear with biting force coming from ByBre calipers. Dual-channel ABS should come as standard.

Features

The Shotgun 650 will however, in no way be just another retro bike. The headlamp in the video also showcases an LED unit and most of the lighting should also be the same. We can expect more modern features as well such as USB charging, a semi-digital instrument console and like all of Royal Enfield’s newest launches, the Tripper Navigation pod that allows for Bluetooth pairing to give you turn-by-turn navigation when on a ride.

Launch

As for the launch of the Shotgun, we don’t have a fixed date yet. However, Royal Enfield has already said that they plan to launch four bikes every year over the next seven years and the Shotgun 650 could be scheduled for the second half of this year. In terms of pricing, expect an Rs 4 lakh price tag. This will make it the costliest Royal Enfield so far.

More in the works

As mentioned earlier, Royal Enfield has been working on a number of bikes and this year’s launches seem to be pretty exciting ones. While the Shotgun 650 is scheduled for later this year, what we have first is a scrambler variant of the Himalayan called the Scram 411. Minor changes will make the Scram 411 different from the Himalayan. It will have a different instrument console, headlamp assembly and smaller wheels for better manoeuvrability.

Another big launch expected this year is a 650cc version of the Meteor, Expected to be called the Super Meteor, this will essentially be the two-seater variant of the Shotgun 650, but will feature styling slightly similar to the current Meteor.

Other launches expected from RE this year are an updated Bullet and an updated Electra. Both of these should feature the same kind of upgrades the Classic 350 saw, meaning the new ‘J’ platform engine that debuted in the Meteor 350.