Royal Enfield sets its sights on the affordable middleweight cruiser segment in the US and it’s doing it with the 2024 Shotgun 650 ($6,899). Occupying an important space that is currently devoid of competition from American motorcycle manufacturers like Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle, the Shotgun 650 takes a page out of the Honda playbook in the awesome Rebel 500, with a twist. Engineered in England and manufactured at its Indian factory, the Shotgun 650 proves Royal Enfield’s rapidly improving streetbike engineering. Here are the top five features of Royal Enfield’s cruiser.
- This 648cc parallel-twin engine. It has loads of character, it sounds cool, and it makes right around 41 hp at the tire.
- The Showa inverted fork and twin shocks—this bike rides really nice on the street. It also does surprisingly well in the canyons.
- We love the aesthetics of this motorcycle. It has a nice, bright LED headlight and the proportions are spot on. This is a good-looking motorcycle.
- It’s dang comfortable! You wouldn’t believe how cozy this bike is for riding around town.
- For a price of around $7,000, this streetbike represents excellent value in the class. We also love its much improved paint and fit and finish.
We’ll see you in the next episode.
