US-based S&S Cycle Inc. which is known for its aftermarket performance enhancing parts for the classic brands Harley Davidson and Indian Motorcycles has started rolling out products for Royal Enfield as well. As of now, the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are the only Royal Enfields that receive S&S Cycle’s upgrade kits.
According to S&S Cycle’s company’s official website, two configurations of its Big Bore Kit for the RE 650 Twins will be launched soon. Customers can choose to re-bore their motorcycle’s engine to either 750 cc or 865 cc. The technical details are not readily available as of now but the kit will feature comprehensive engine upgrades including larger cylinders and pistons in addition to new head gasket.
In its stock condition, the 648 cc parallel twin engine is tuned to deliver 47 bhp and 52 Nm of torque. In its 865 cc avatar, the S&S Cycle’s Big Bore Kit is estimated to bump the power output to around 70 bhp with proportional increase in torque output.
The aftermarket performance specialist clearly states that the Big Bore kits for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are strictly for the purpose of competition or track side use only and are not road-legal (in the US).
Even in India, such a drastic performance modification and deviation from stock specification is illegal but most motorcycles get away with it since expansion in displacement is not plainly evident. The significant increase in output figures should result is corresponding improvement in performance as well. We hope S&S Cycle releases the technical specifications of its performance kits soon.
In addition the Big Bore Kit, S&S also sells an array of performance components for the RE Twins such as DynoJet Power Commander, high-compression ratio (11:1) piston kit, custom stainless muffler kit (two types of which one is road legal and one is track-only), performance clutch kit, high-flow air filter, high performance camshaft, and handlebar adjuster kit.
The S&S Cycle 865 cc Big Bore Kit for Royal Enfield 650 Twins is priced at USD 634.95 (around INR 44,000) while the 750 cc kit is priced at USD 630.95 (around INR 43,769).
Priced at INR 2.5 lakh for Interceptor 650 and INR 2.65 lakhs for Continental GT 650, the duo offers excellent value for money. So, a good number of owners would be tempted to opt for S&S performance kits which are also priced well.
