Royal Enfield is preparing to launch its first middle-weight roadster, the Shotgun, and the bike has been spotted testing with a new headlight visor ahead of the launch. It appears to be a detachable unit held together by two clamps on either side.
It has the same matte black finish as the rest of the body but appears much smaller. It would have been preferable if Royal Enfield had gone with an integrated unit like the Harley-Davidson Street 750. The visor simply does not fit with the overall design of the headlights.
We believe the visor would be added as either a new variant of the Shotgun or as an optional accessory. The bike gets regular RVMs rather than the bar-end ones seen previously. The test mule has dual-tone alloy wheels with an overlapping flower petal-like design.
Royal Enfield is currently developing three new cruisers based on the platforms and powertrains of the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. Among them are the Super Meteor, Thunderbird X 650, and the recently spotted Shotgun. While all three are cruisers, their designs distinguish them. The Shotgun was inspired by the SG650 concept shown at last year's EICMA show. It has a front headlight design similar to the Scram 411 and USD forks up front.
The driver and passenger seats are independent and pinned to the chassis. The bike has traditional mudguards and a limited number of body panels. The twin-pod instrument console from the Meteor 350 was used. The front rake angle appears to be excessive, and this will be a difficult bike to flick in city traffic. On the test mule, the teardrop-shaped tank and crash guard appears to be quite large.