A bike custom-made for the rider

Royal Enfield's latest, the Shotgun 650, inspired by custombuilt bikes, takes the rough with the smooth in style

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Just as the English sailed to the far ends of the planet to make the world 'England' a household name in the 18th J century, Royal Enfield seems to be on a worldwide mission, but theirs isn't one of imperialism. Royal Enfield is trying to build motorbikes for every kind of rider. And motorcyclists everywhere are celebrating.

The Indian motorcycle company now has four capable and reliable engines in its portfolio, which it uses to manufacture purpose-built motorcycles that appeal to a wide spectrum of motorcyclists.

There is the 411 engine that did duty in the previous Himalayan and continues to power the Scram 411. The new Sherpa 452cc engine takes the new Himalayan to greater heights. The J-Series 350 cc engine powers the Classic 350, the Meteor, the new Bullet and the Hunterall of which have become a style statement for motorcyclists, ranging from Gen X to Gen Z. And then there is the twin-cylinder 650cc engine, which made the motorcycling brotherhood sit up and pay attention to Royal Enfield.

The shift from the archaic 'dug-dug' to a brand new burble is the soundtrack to the story of the 123-year-old motorcycle company's rise from the red when it had been all but written off about two decades ago.

The Interceptor and Continental GT, powered by the 650cc twin-cylinder engine, took the motorcycling world by storm with their delicious hark-back-tothe-past design married to modern convenience and reliability, along with a muscular and potent engine in 2017. Then came the Super Meteor, a cruiser powered by the same engine, which has spawned clubs that regularly organize rides.

And now comes the Shotgun 650, which was first showcased as the Royal Enfield SG650 Concept at the twowheeler exhibition EICMA 2021 in Milan. It received a favourable response, was put into production, and made its India debut earlier this week.