At an event organised by The Bike Shed, Royal Enfield unveiled a purpose-built dragster based on the 650cc twins, expected later this year. Featuring a long, low-slung design, the Lock Stock shares its engine and fuel tank with the Continental GT 650. These seem to be the only parts shared with the standard bike – the frame, cycle parts and body panels all differ from the Continental GT.
The face of the motorcycle is formed by a neat-looking LED ring housed in what appears to be a carbon-fibre front screen. The front mudguard extends quite far forward and closely hugs the tyre. Two bulbous belly pan units are present on either side of the bike, and these house its large exhaust exits.
The bike's frame has been worked on by renowned chassis specialists Harris Performance, and it is a hardtail, which means it doesn’t feature any rear suspension whatsoever. The wheelbase is significantly longer than the Continental GT, which is certainly an attempt to aid its straightline stability. Major upgrades to the cycle parts include an upside-down fork from Ohlins and six-spoke alloy wheels. It also gets a single (but huge) disc brake at the front being bitten by a four-piston Brembo caliper, while the rear gets a conventional-looking disc brake set-up. Tyre dimensions are also larger than those of the standard motorcycle. The handlebar faces downwards at both ends at an extreme, almost vertical angle, and a steering damper is present on the left side of the motorcycle.
Propulsion comes from the 648cc parallel-twin engine seen on the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. In stock form, this motor puts out 48hp at 7,100rpm and 52Nm of torque at 4,000rpm when mated to a six-speed gearbox. However, for this application, the engine has been worked on by the America S&S Cycles. The displacement has been bumped up to 865cc, and the engine now features nitrous injection as well.
Its long wheelbase, hardtail rear and (possible) nitrous upgrade mean that this bike should make for a fitting dragster. All these elements also combine to form a striking and purposeful-looking motorcycle. Royal Enfield has cleverly timed the reveal of the Lock Stock as it helps keep the anticipation for the 650 twins buzzing while the crowd waits for their launch in the coming months.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
