Even with production at the company’s Oragadam factory outside Chennai running flat out for six days a week, there are waiting lists everywhere for the 650cc models such as Super Meteor, Continental GT and Interceptor — as production struggles to keep up with demand. Yet Royal Enfield’s parent company Eicher Motors (albeit RE accounts for 92% of its overall turnover) just reported a huge 54.70% increase in net profit last November for the second quarter of its business year, with turnover up 17% on the back of a 13% increase in Royal Enfield sales.
The 650cc models have catapulted the Indian manufacturer into a leading role in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
This desirable problem of meeting motorcycle sales demand is expected to worsen with launch of 2024 Shotgun 650.
In U.K., base model Sheetmetal Grey color will cost £6,699 including 20% tax, while the Plasma Blue and Green Drill variants are priced at £100 more, the Premium model in Stencil White costs £6,899. In comparison, 2024 units of the Super Meteor 650 start at £6,799, and in America, it starts at US$6,999. If Royal Enfield keeps such narrow margins with U.S. pricing, you can expect something just above $7k.
At fairly low 9.5:1 compression ratio it denotes a low state of tune, most likely to ensure it runs well even on poor-quality fuel in delivering a claimed 51.6 mpg.
Rigorous testing regime conducted simultaneously in India, Europe, the USA and the UK are unique to Royal Enfield.
You will have a motorcycle that has been there and done that in the real world and not just under “test conditions”
Media test riders have praised the tremendous improvement in handling and performance over Super Meteor 650. Shotgun is a incredibly good motorcycle, providing an unexpectedly high level of performance along with an ability to be individualized as your inclination and bank balance allow.
It is a Made in India take on the breed of chameleon sportbikes conceived by Japanese manufacturers in the late ‘80s and 1990s, all of which were sold at very affordable prices, it was then up to the customer to improve on as he or she could afford to do so.
“We looked at what people were doing with our bikes post-purchase, and saw they were increasingly eager to customize and personalize them,” he says. “So we decided to create the Shotgun as the starting point for them to do that, and we’ve taken inspiration from the Custom world to create a platform that people can take forward and develop on their own.” Mark Wells, RE’s Global Head of Product Strategy & Industrial Design says it was envisioned as a blank canvas for custom bike makers.
Dakar-winning YZE850, which was a classic predecessor of the RE Shotgun, was the first bike to have a 270° crank in a parallel-twin motor.
The 650cc engines are firing all barrels, paving a blaze for glory. CEO Siddhartha Lal says he expected at the outset the 650 models would have greatest appeal to export customers. Instead, Lal and his colleagues have been pleasantly surprised, with demand in the company’s Indian home market for its twin-cylinder models far exceeding their expectations.
