Back in the summer of 2022, it almost seemed like you couldn’t go an entire month without seeing new spy photos or video footage of the upcoming Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 out testing on public roads in India. Although it’s clear that the SG 650 will be based on the same engine as the Super Meteor 650, all the test vehicle photos and footage for the SG were floating around well before the official unveiling of the Super Meteor 650 in November 2022.
Upon our first sighting in June 2022, we noted the upside-down front fork, ByBre braking system, and twin rear shock absorbers. Later that summer, in July 2022, we had a good look at the rear end of an SG 650 test mule as it battled through traffic in Chennai. You could see the twin exhausts poking out on either side, as well as the perfectly round taillight and turn signals. The two-up saddle was also plainly visible, as were the rounded mirrors, and a dash strong reminiscent of Royal Enfield’s current lineup in 2023.
Then, things went quiet for a while, until a Rushlane reader going by the name Kshitij provided the Indian news outlet with a new SG 650 test mule video, which was shot in April 2023. In it, you can see a near-production SG 650 in traffic, as viewed from the right side of the bike only. The alloy wheels look to be similar in size to one another, if not exactly the same—which could mark a change to the 19-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels found on the stock Super Meteor 650.
The rider triangle appears to be fairly relaxed, with an easy reach to the handlebars and a midrange placement of the foot pegs. Although the two-up bench seat is visible in this latest video, as it has been in all the previous spy shots and videos, it’s expected that a version of the SG 650 with a solo saddle will also be available (or at least, that a solo saddle will be sold as an optional accessory).
The headlight unit appears to have a similar machined aluminum appearance to the one found on the Scram 411. It’s interesting to see this test mule out and about after both the Scram 411 and the Super Meteor 650 have made their public debuts, because the shared visual linguistic elements immediately become evident.
While we know what engine will power the SG 650 upon its eventual launch, we don’t yet know full details about this bike—including, of course, its launch date. Royal Enfield has been putting its Tripper Navigation on all its bikes, so there’s no reason to expect that the SG 650 will not also have it available. As for the full specifications, we’ll just have to wait, see, and keep you updated.
