in third gear through traffic and still access a punchy response at a twist of the wrist. The exhaust note deserves special mention. It’ s deep, rich, and slightly obnoxious in all my favourite ways. It is beautiful to hear pulling away from a standstill and cruising in those lower gears, whilst not neglecting sound across the rest of the range either. It sounds far more expensive than it is, and frankly, despite the protestations of my betters, that’ s value I can get behind. The top speed sits around 140 km / h, which is more than enough for motorway riding and leaves plenty in the tank for overtaking as needed. Acceleration is more than solid for its class. The Shotgun’ s not in any way, shape or form a sports bike, but, honestly, if you’ ve traded one in for a Shotgun, it feels really peppy, especially with all that low-end torque you’ ve probably gained in the process. It’ s a fun engine.
CHASSIS, ERGO’ S AND SUSPENSION The Shotgun rides on 120mm Showa forks up front and twin shocks with 90mm of travel at the rear. This setup gives the bike solid handling, a squat and planted feel in corners,
but as I’ ve experienced with many of the rear dual-shock bikes, comfort can take a back seat at times. The rear suspension is rather stiff and communicates much of the road’ s imperfections directly to my posterior. Great if you’ re from the council and wish to inspect the road surface with some overly sensitive buttocks. Not so great if you are nursing a sore back, and just want to get home after a long day. You certainly won’ t mistake it for a soft tourer, but it also doesn’ t shift about or bottom out unless seriously provoked. Cornering is reassuringly confident. The bike’ s geometry and long wheelbase lend it plenty of stability at speed, whilst the handlebars provided enough leverage to whip a U-ey without breaking a sweat, or wrist. The weight, a not insignificant 240kg, is noticeable at the lower speeds, but once moving, the balance is commendable. Despite being LAMS approved, beginners may find this weight daunting to start with.
KIWI RIDER 55