Five fun facts this first-sighting spy shots reveal

We know that next in queue for the Royal Enfield J-series 350cc platform is the Bullet 350 and after that there’s one more. The other was always suspected to be a bobber and be called the Shotgun 350. And luckily enough, we caught a first-sighting of the bike recently which put a face to the name. Here are five fun facts about the upcoming Shotgun 350.

1 - It’s essentially a Classic

Unlike the Hunter or the Meteor, the Shotgun 350 will not be an all new motorcycle but borrow most of its DNA from the Classic 350, and some bits from its other 350cc siblings. The youngest in the family always gets to choose from the most options anyway! That said, it does have some modern elements including all-LED indicators, and a LED tail light that seems to have been borrowed from the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650.

2- White walled tyres!

Round headlights mean -retro; white walled tyres mean - vintage, and that has its own appeal. The test mule was seen with white walled tyres. And while we expect this to be an optional extra, the thought of getting it as an optional extra is exciting.

3 - Ape hanger handlebar

Ape hangers are proper highrise cruiser bars. Royal Enfield is possibly returning to this format of handlebars after the first generation Thunderbird. The ape hangers also look uber cool on the bobber, making it a true factory custom, so it;s nice to see it come back.

4 Go Solo

Just like on the Classic 350 and the Super Meteor 650, this bobber too will have seat options - single or twin. Going by the spy shots, the pillion seat will be a ‘floating’ one, unlike the unit in the regular Classic 350.

5 Performance

We expect the engine tune to be a little more sprightly in terms of performance, possibly due to revised fueling, just like how Royal Enfield did with the other J-platform 350cc bikes. However, the overall engine displacement and output numbers will be the same as for the Meteor, Classic, and Hunter. Moreover, it’s seen sporting a blacked-out, slashed exhaust, so why not?

We think the Shotgun 350 bobber is a cool looking motorcycle as it goes back to the ethos of a factory custom, allowing customers to have a bike that looks properly modded, all from the convenience of factory-fitted parts. By the middle of 2024, the Royal Enfield Shotgun 350 may be available, with a starting price of about Rs 2.20 lakh (ex-showroom). It will compete with the Jawa Perak and 42 Bobber, both of which cost Rs. 2,09,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).