Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 (2024) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule for the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, a relaxed standard motorcycle based on the same 650 twin cylinder platform as the Interceptor 650 and the Super Meteor 650.
The Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is a modern light / middleweight “cruiser” with a relaxed, upright riding position and mid-mounted controls. Like the other bikes in the 650 line, the Shotgun 650 is powered by an air/oil-cooled parallel-twin 648cc single overhead camshaft engine with a mild 9.5:1 compression ratio. It makes a very modest power of 35 kW (47 hp) at 7250 rpm, and 52 Nm (39 lb-ft) of torque at 5650 rpm. Power goes to the ground via a 6-speed transmission and a chain drive.
The main differentiating factor of the Shotgun 650 is the relaxed, bobber-styled riding position, which places the knees at a comfortable bend without being too foot-forward.
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Service Intervals for the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650
Overall, the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 has 4666 mile / 7500 km or annual service intervals. This is per the UK and Europe manuals (see the references below).
Note: In other parts of the world, the 650 twins have 3000 mile / 5000 km or 6-monthly service intervals. This is presumably the case for the Shotgun 650. However, most of the world hasn’t seen the Shotgun 650 yet.
At every service, you need to change the oil and filter, check and adjust the valve clearances, and check or replace the spark plugs. There’s also a host of other checks that you should do at every service.
The above comes from the manual for the Shotgun 650 in the UK and Continental Europe, where the service intervals are typically wider. In the rest of the world, the service intervals are 3000 miles / 6000 km or every 6 months.
The valve clearance check is not difficult on the 650 twins (they have screw and locknut-type adjusters), but it’s still an annoyance to do so often — for many riders this will come up around once a year.
Change the spark plugs every 9320 miles / 15000 km.
For more detail, see the service schedule below.
What you need to service the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650
Servicing your Shotgun 650 is quite easy. It’s an air-cooled twin with an exposed engine and a chain drive. Also, luckily, it’s easy to lift the tank to get at the important bits (like doing a valve service).
| Part | Royal Enfield Super Shotgun 650 Spec |
|---|---|
| Engine oil | The manual calls for SAE 10W-50 API SL (or higher) or JASO MA2-rated fully synthetic oil, e.g. ELF MOTO4 Tech 10W-50 or Castrol Power 1 10W-50. |
| Oil filter | Royal Enfield wants you to order the filter from their website, but you can use a Mobil 1 M1-104A. |
| Spark plug | Bosch UR5CC (0.7-0.8mm gap) per the manual. This is equivalent to the NGK CR8E. |
| Air filter | You need to clean the air filter periodically but replace it when you change the oil — or more often if you ride it in the dirt. Use K&N air filter RO-6518 or DNA air filter R-RE65N18-01. |
| Brake fluid | The manual calls for DOT 4 brake fluid, e.g. Castrol DOT 4. |
| Fork oil | The manual specs SS-47G fork oil. For a refill of both fork legs you’ll need about 1.1L. |
| Chain | Use a chain lubricant like Motul chain paste periodically to keep the chain fresh. |
| Grease | Use lithium soap-based grease for general greasing (bearings, swing-arm, kickstand etc.) |
Maintenance schedule for the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, taken from the manual and restructured for simplicity.
There are three separate parts:
- Regular service every 600 miles / 1000 km (or every major ride), and
- The longer-term maintenance schedule
- Annual service checklist
Regular service
Do the following checks on your Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 every 600 mi / 1000 km (or more often, as needed).
| Component | Regular service |
|---|---|
| Engine oil | Check oil level and top up if necessary (Castrol Power 1 10W-50) |
| Clutch cable | Check clutch cable free play. Adjust if necessary (Manual recommends 9-12mm clutch cable free play) |
| Hand levers | Check hand levers pivot point for smoothness. Lubricate if necessary (Lithium soap-based grease) |
| Drive chain | Clean, lubricate, and adjust chain Manual recommends 20-30mm free play / cable tension (see below) |
Maintenance schedule
The recommended schedule is based on ordinary riding conditions. The manual takes pains to state that if you ride it more severely (e.g., in a dusty environment) you’ll have to service your Shotgun 650 more often.
For maintenance after the end of the table, continue with the same frequency as observed in the schedule (adjusting for how intensely you use your bike).
Note: the original schedule is based on km, with mileage converted as an afterthought (e.g. 7500 km is converted to 4660 miles). Because this is needlessly specific, the miles have been rounded in the schedule below.
Notes: The manual recommends checking the valve clearances every 12 months, and changing the spark plugs every 24 months, both regardless of mileage. This is different to every other modern motorcycle. Proceed as you think is prudent.
| Kms x 1000 | 0.5 | 7.5 | 15 | 22.5 | 30 | 37.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles x 1000 | 0.3 | 4.7 | 9.3 | 14 | 18.6 | 23.3 | Every |
| Inspection checklist (see below) — Perform all items | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine Oil — Change (Castrol Power 1 10W-50) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Engine Oil Filter Element — Change (M1-104A) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year |
| Inlet / Exhaust valve clearances — Inspect / Adjust | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year (See note above) |
| Spark plugs — Inspect / (R)eplace | ✓ | ✓ | R | ✓ | R | ✓ | Replace every 2 years |
| Air filter — Replace (Clean at first service) | C | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Clean/replace often if ridden in dusty conditions |
| Brake fluid — Replace | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Rear wheel cush rubbers — Inspect / Replace | ✓ | ||||||
| Front fork oil — Replace (Not specified in UK/Europe manual) | 36000 miles / 60000 kms or when any work carried out |
Inspection checklist
Below is the regular inspection checklist to perform on the Shotgun 650. Perform these checks according to the schedule above.
| Annual service checklist — Shotgun 650 |
|---|
| Throttle cable — Inspect / Adjust free play |
| Brake pads and discs, front & rear — Inspect wear |
| Brake fluid level, front and rear — Inspect level |
| Rear brake pedal and gear change pedal pivot — Check free movement, lubrication level |
| Brake hose and banjo bolt front and rear — Inspect for leaks / condition |
| Spark plug HT leads — Inspect condition and for cracks |
| Rubber hoses, air filter to throttle body and inlet manifold to adaptor — Inspect |
| Vent pipe under air filter box — Inspect |
| Front fork — Inspect for oil leaks and pitting |
| Steering / headstock bearing — Inspect for play |
| Battery terminals — Inspect condition, apply petroleum jelly, tighten terminals and earth wire |
| Tyre wear pattern front and rear — Inspect |
| Side stand, centre stand pivots — Lubricate |
| Rider and pillion footrest pivot — Lubricate |
| All mounting fasteners — Inspect for tightness |
| Secondary air injection hose (if fitted) — Inspect |
| Evaporative emission equipment rubber hoses (if fitted) — Inspect |
Chain Maintenance on the Shotgun 650
Royal Enfield recommends regularly checking and adjusting chain maintenance (see above, part of the regular everyday checks). This is important on all chain-driven motorcycles.
Keep the chain well-lubricated and clean, using a well-recommended and affordable chain lube like Motul Chain Paste or Motul Chain Lubricant. You should check this before every major ride. The Shotgun 650 has a centre stand, making chain maintenance very easy.
When cleaning the chain, also check the tension using the below steps.
- Put the motorcycle on a flat surface, on its side stand, with the gear in neutral.
- Measure the chain free play at the loosest part of the bottom section of the chain. Free play is the total deflection of the chain when pushing it up and down.
Target free play: 20-30 mm (0.8-1.2 in)
You need to measure free play at a few points of the chain, to make sure you capture the loosest one. Do this by moving the wheel around while it’s on its centre stand.
If the chain is too loose, or too tight, you need to adjust it. Here’s the procedure.
- Loosen the axle nut of the rear wheel axle.
- Use a 6mm Allen key (in the tool kit) to adjust the chain adjusters on the left and right.
- Make sure you adjust them evenly on the left and right, to keep the chain aligned.
- When the free play is between 20-30 mm, tighten the axle nut (Tighten to 100 Nm / 74 lb-ft).
- Re-check the free play.
- Tighten the lock nuts down to 10 Nm / 7 lb-ft.
About the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650
The Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is an eye-catching motorcycle based on the 650 twin platform — the same as the super popular Interceptor 650, Continental GT 650, and the Super Meteor 650.
The Shotgun 650 is built on the same steel backbone chassis of the Super Meteor 650, but has different wheels (with 18/17 inch tires front and rear) and an altogether different stance and feel.
Like the Super Meteor 650, the Shotgun 650 is billed as a cruiser. It’s not a super relaxed cruiser with forward controls like the Meteor, but rather something more like the Honda Rebel 500, with a relaxed rider triangle and a somewhat lazy engine.
The engine in the Shotgun 650 is a 648 cc air/oil-cooled, transverse parallel-twin engine, with a single overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. It has plenty of character thanks to its 270 degree crankshaft and a lumpy but quiet rumble.
With its compression ratio of 9.5:1, the Shotgun 650 is perfectly happy running on regular (non-premium) fuel, producing around 35 kW / 47 hp at 7250 rpm — comfortably within learner motorcycle limits anywhere around the world (Australia, NZ, Europe, or the UK).
The Shotgun 650’s engine makes 38 lb-ft / 52 Nm of torque at 5650 rpm (this spec varies slightly by market). It’s an amount of torque that won’t have you unwillingling lofting the front wheel into the air, but it’s enough for passes on the highway at decent speeds.
Unlike other, bigger V-twin powered cruisers, Shotgun 650 has a chain final drive and a six-speed transmission. The clutch actually is slip/assist, which means that you’re forgiven for being a bit clumsy with the throttle during gear changes up or down.
The shifter is a standard kind — not heel-and-toe, like you’ll find in its Super Meteor stablemate.
The Shotgun 650 may be a bare-bones, simple cruiser with a smallish engine, but it’s no lightweight. With a kerb weight of 240 kg / 530 lb, it’s a little hefty to handle when it’s off, particularly if you’re on an incline… though at least the wide handlebars give you plenty of leverage.
The tank has a useable capacity of 11.9L, which really limits how far you’d go on it — an average ride will yield about 200 km or 140 miles if you run it dry. But the Shotgun isn’t a bike designed for long-range touring.
Similar to the Super Meteor, the Shotgun 650 has a non-adjustable (but high spec) 43mm Showa SF-BPF inverted fork, and dual shocks at the rear with preload adjustment. They’re fine, but you still feel the bike’s weight as it goes over bumps. And you’ll scrape the pegs relatively easily, even just from taking off into a turn.
There’s a single disc at the front and the same at the rear, with 2-piston sliding calipers on each end. It’s not high-end kit, but it is adequate for the task.
One nice piece of standard kit on the Shotgun 650 is the display, a mixed analogue / digital gauge with a TFT companion display with integrated navigation and smartphone connectivity. It’s a little different from the full TFT seen for example on the Himalayan 450.
So what sets the Shotgun 650 apart? It’s the middle ground it strikes between being a cruiser and a roadster. The foot position and handlebars incline you to be a bit more aggressive (as well as inclining you to be a bit more forward, literally!), while not exactly making you stay in a racing crouch. The wheel size and rake/trail make for a quicker-to-turn bike than the Super Meteor, too.
Ultimately, you’re most likely to choose the Shotgun 650 over its pears for a mix of how it looks and feels to sit on in the showroom. The good news is that there’s now something for everyone — except adventurers, so far.
Reference — Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Owner’s Manual
You can see screenshots from the maintenance schedule for the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 from the owner’s manual below.
You can always download manuals from Royal Enfield here, but they require an email address. For now, only the manual for the UK is available. When the rest of world manuals are available, this page will be updated.
