Ooh. Shotgun. Angas.
Angas is the correct term for it. The Shotgun 650 is the latest addition to Royal Enfield’s family of twins, and it’s just made its way to the Philippine market. During the launch, Motociclista Scatola (MSI) had us try out the bikes along Marilaque, and it was a fun quick outing with the bike.
Looks good, eh?
It really does. It’s got that signature RE styling with the classic design, and it looks good. It looks similar to the Super Meteor 650, but this one appeals to me more as a not-so-tito rider. It trades the chrome bits for blacked-out metal like the exhausts. It looks less classy without the pinstripe, but the colorways do look more hip and lively. Think Scram 411, but with fewer color options.
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Hmm. Tell us about those colors.
Okay, so there are four in total. There’s the top-of-the-line Stencil White (P445,000) which I’m seen riding in the photos, there’s Drill Green and Plasma Blue (P439,000) at the middle of the range, and there’s the base Sheet Metal Grey (P429,000). Royal Enfield is marketing the Shotgun 650 as a blank canvas for customization, and these base colors do look quite nice to accessorize. If you check out the photos from our launch story, you’ll see one with the full get-up. Bar-end side mirrors, crash guards, auxiliary lights, a small windshield on the front cowl—the works. And it looks really good.
Okay, we’re done with the looks. What’s the engine on the Shotgun 650?
As mentioned, it’s part of Royal Enfield’s family of 650 twins. This is powered by a 648cc air- and oil-cooled parallel-twin pushing out 46.4hp at 7,250rpm and 52.3Nm at 5,650rpm and is mated to a six-speed manual. I recently rode the Super Meteor 650, and I find it performs exactly the same as that one, if we’re talking strictly about engine output. For the short stretch that we rode through in Marilaque, it’s got more than enough power. And I’m sure on the highway, this will cruise easily as well.
What’s it like to ride?
I thought you’d never ask. If you can see me in the photo right above, it looks like I’m having a lot of fun, and that’s because I was. There were just enough bends and corners through our short test-ride route for me (and my fellow riders, I’m sure) to know that this is a very fun bike. It doesn’t have forward footpegs like the Super Meteor 650, so you’ll have a less relaxed riding position but will have more control of the bike. It reminds me a lot of the Honda Rebel 500 in this regard, whereas the Super Meteor was more Rebel 1100.
I thought the Super Meteor 650 was already fun to fling around corners—this one’s just much better and feels a lot more agile. It’s still really heavy, of course. 240kg is no slouch to ride around. But the bottom-heavy build of the bike makes it feel very planted when you’re on the road.
So, what’s the verdict? Would you get one?
Now, now—let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I haven’t ridden it enough to make such a bold statement, but that being said I have to say that this might be my favorite RE to ride to date. It’s for the not-so-tito rider not just in terms of design but also in terms of riding dynamics, and that’s why it feels like a fit for me.
Then again, I’m more of an adventure- or naked-bike kind of guy, so I’ll need a lot of convincing before I get myself a cruiser. But if I had to pick an RE off the top of my head right now, it might have to be this.
