Royal Enfield: Made Like a Gun but not made to carry one

A shotgun is not the easiest thing to carry on a Royal Enfield.

Royal Enfield rider Leigh Murphy did the unusual, taking a Royal Enfield on the challenging Tail of the Dragon, twisty U.S. 129 between Deals Gap, N.C. and Tennessee.

That was in 2011. More recently she did the unusual by riding home from a gun show with a 12-gauge shotgun across her back.

"It's me antagonizing my stuffy yuppie neighbors," she wrote in a light-hearted email accompanying the photo. But the shotgun was not purely for show.

"Well, I did learn to shoot a .38 after there was an uptick in crime in my neighborhood," she said.

"This is a 12-gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster I got at a gun show before I went through the hassle of getting the .38 since there was no waiting period required and I could do cash and carry.

"The problem was that I rode to the gun show on my bike and wasn't sure how to get it home. The police officer on duty told me it wasn't against the law — but probably not a good idea — to just strap it across my back and tote it home that way.

"I can say I had NO tailgating problems the entire trip home with it.

"I called and told my fried Dana Johnson about it and she met me when I got home and snapped this pic...

"I really should get out to a range and get used to the kick but there are not many (legal) places to practice around here that will allow shotguns."

Royal Enfield's sidecar is world's smallest theater

This tidy "theater" is a motorcycle sidecar.

The Smallest Theatre in the World — seating capacity two — is said to be a large, boxy sidecar of a Royal Enfield motorcycle. The mobile theatrical venue tours with The Grand Theatre of Lemmings, a none too grand group of English comedians willing to do anything for a giggle.

Thus their completely inappropriate choice for this summer's touring production: "King Kong."

The theater on wheels is usually photographed from the passenger side, blocking the view of the motorcycle, but a photo on the Smallest Theatre's Facebook page shows a relatively recent Royal Enfield motorcycle. It is described as the theater's new "side kick." So presumably it is the sidecar tug now in use.

Cast members aboard Royal Enfield.

The Smallest Theatre in the World itself dates to the 1970s; reviving it recently meant stripping wallpaper so moldy it brought tears to the eye.

In the course of restoration it was discovered that some long ago cast or audience member had scribbled a message inside: "No Smoking This Side of Theatre."

The theater's website explains that "The Lemmings are now working in partnership with Chelmsford City Council Arts team to rehabilitate the 'Smallest Theatre in the World,' an extraordinary piece of street theater history and testimony to the madcap inventiveness of British street arts and its creator Marcel Steiner."

A 2003 article in The Guardian provides these details about Steiner, now deceased, and his sidecar theater:

"Marcel Steiner, a veteran of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, was touring with Ken Campbell's Road Show, when he bought a battered Panther motorbike, with a gigantic sidecar. 'That sidecar is ridiculous!' exclaimed Ken, or Bob, or Jim (authorship of the joke is disputed), 'you could build a theatre in that sidecar.'

"Before he ran away to join a circus, Steiner trained as a toolmaker, and is fondly remembered as a man who could make anything. He duly made the theatre, complete with box office, stage door, Sistine Chapel frescoed ceiling, red plush curtains, and one surprisingly comfortable red cushioned seat.

"He toured the world with it for 30 years, boasting that it was the only theatre which sold 100 percent of the tickets for every performance. When it burned to the ground at the Edinburgh Festival, donations poured in and he rebuilt it in 24 hours."

This circa 1980 video of the Smallest Theatre in performance is not to be missed:

Why do people sell low mileage Royal Enfields?

Royal Enfields remind us what motorcycles were like when we were young.

Reader William Carey wrote to pose an interesting question:

"I seem to recall there was a thread regarding the number of relatively new Royal Enfields for sale with less than 2,000 miles. What I would like to read about or know about is why it seems there are so many for sale like that. What changes a buyer's mind after they buy it to the extent they no longer want it?"

I might be the wrong person to ask: I've had my Bullet for 12 years and 40,000 miles. But let's think about it.

First, I don't know for sure that a greater percentage of newish used Royal Enfields are available with low mileage than any other brand.

"How many total miles have you ridden your street motorcycle(s) in the past 12 months?" That's one question the Oregon Department of Transportation asked 835 motorcycle riders in a 2012 survey.

The mean number of miles Oregon motorcyclists claimed to ride: 3,708 miles a year. Thirty-four percent claimed to ride 1,000 miles or less a year.

That's going to create a lot of "relatively new" low mileage motorcycles of all brands.

I won't deny that Royal Enfields may be special. For instance, note this CraigsList ad in Charlotte, N.C. for a 2008 Bullet with 5,000 miles. The seller wrote:

"Purchased for my father at a local auction so that he could relive his childhood — he got over it fairly quickly."

Maybe that's it!

Royal Enfield in the U.S. is definitely a retro product, with powerful classic appeal. I think it's apparent that guys my age (63) who want to be reminded of motorcycles from the 1950s are slowing down. We don't ride as much as we used to; low mileage results.

And the aging population will affect every brand. In a 2010 study, J.D. Power and Associates reported that:

"The population of motorcycle buyers is aging, with the average rider age increasing from 40 to 49 years since 2001 — an indication that many owners may soon exit the market. Additionally, the percentage of first-time buyers has declined for a second consecutive year, making it more critical now than ever for manufacturers to focus on attracting new customers."

Royal Enfield is doing that. Its new models are improved in performance and ease of maintenance (same classic looks) and come in an ever wider array of models. Classic looks can appeal to young as well as older riders. And new excitement is coming, too, with the Continental GT cafe racer.

Royal Enfield Bullet rides off to war in comic book

A Royal Enfield military motorcycle stars in an online comic book adventure.

There's a second installment of Royal Enfield's "graphic novel" (a virtual comic book) on the company's website.

The exciting story line highlights the Bullet's military origins with a patriotic story featuring a courageous young lieutenant in the Indian army. Of course, the company's motorcycle is the real star. It's a clever marketing device, aimed at young customers.

It also delights old comic fans such as myself. No one likes war, but this adventure story is a guilty pleasure for me.

The graphic novel is well done, earning praise from the Powering Brands blog. They write:

"The concept and excellent action-comic artwork have enough drama to keep the reader interested though the story is still work-in-progress. It would be interesting to see how it culminates. This is a cool idea to keep users hooked."

Each installment ends with "Watch this space for more..." So, hopefully we will see future installments.

Royal Enfield C5s performed with Texas Shriners

Eyes left! What are these Royal Enfield C5s doing in a parade ground line-up?

A sharp looking row of Royal Enfield C5 Bullets caught my eye in an ad on CraigsList in Richardson, Texas. The ad asked $5,500 for a 2011 C5 but the picture told me there must be more to the story.

"I’m a member of the Moslah Shrine Motor Corps of Fort Worth, Texas; the guys in the funny hats; the Shriners," seller Dan Hill replied to my inquiry.

"In addition to raising awareness for our 23 non-profit children’s hospitals around the country as you may have heard we also like to have fun. We have 13 Shrine temples in Texas and each year we get together the first weekend in June and compete against each other.

"My unit was founded in 1959 and we compete in motorcycle precision drill and agility competitions against other Shriners. The unit originally rode 1958 Cushman Eagle scooters, but for the last 30 years the team has been riding 1981 Kawasaki KZ440s. The unit bought 24 matched bikes in 1981 and after 30 years many still have less than 5,000 miles.

Shriners perform precision drill on Royal Enfield C5s.

"We decided to try out a new bike last year and bought four 2011 Royal Enfield C5 Classics in Royal Maroon. We chose the Royal Enfield because it fit the displacement requirements of our competition class. We liked the fuel injection, the rear drum brake, and they are simply gorgeous bikes. We chose the color Royal Maroon because it so closely matched our traditional headgear (see photo).

Red C5s match Moslah Motor Corps colors.

"The bikes are beautiful and got a lot of attention, but we found the lack of folding foot pegs, the curve and positioning of the rear brake pedal, and the low exhaust clearance to be a hindrance in our precision drill maneuvers. In order to run our usual drills we had to run slower speeds due to the lean angle limitations, and make our tightest turns counter clockwise due to the ground limiting our pedal travel while trail braking.

"While the Royal Enfields were a big hit in parades and straight visual appeal they unfortunately didn't suit our needs."

If you've seen the Shriners perform in parades you know they do their maneuvers in seemingly impossibly small spaces, sometimes within inches of crowds overflowing from the sidewalks. Obviously, this is a game of inches.

You probably don't need quite this level of maneuverability.

Group found that counter clockwise turns allowed more lean.

Want to buy one of the Shriner's Royal Enfields? Dan advises that "in the original picture my bike is the second from the left. The bikes are individually owned and we have two left; the other is the bike on the far right."

Second from left and far right are still available.

Royal Enfield Interceptor's numbers didn't tell full story

The eBay Buy It Now price came down when questions arose.

How much do the serial numbers on a valuable old motorcycle matter? A Royal Enfield Interceptor recently offered for sale on eBay in California, with an initial Buy It Now price of $12,000, was not correctly identified, thought some experienced Interceptor owners and restorers on the Royal Enfield Interceptor Yahoo group.

Unsatisfied with the original explanation offered by the seller, at least one group member attempted to contact the seller to tell him that the ad was incorrect.

In the end, the seller ended the auction early "because the item is no longer available."

The seller had advertised the motorcycle as"a 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor Mark 1A." Group members asserted that the motorcycle appeared to have earlier model motor, although perhaps in a Mark IA frame.

A Mark IA Interceptor would be more sought after and valuable than earlier models.

Grace's Guide explains that:

"The Series 1A Interceptor was introduced in 1967 with two sub models GP7 and TT7. The major change was the introduction of coil ignition, eliminating the magneto. The U.S. models received a new chrome tank, a new seat, instrument mounts, handlebar, fenders etc. All S1A interceptors had twin Mark 1 Amal carburetors. The breather system was modified to eliminate most of the oil leak problem that plagued the Royal Enfield twins since the 1950s."

The eBay seller stated in his ad that "This is a super example of this bike. Those in the know realize that once in a while a nice Mark 1B comes up, but never a 1A."

Why, then, for instance, did its motor have a magneto, a feature supposedly eliminated in the Mark IA? If the motor is not a Mark IA motor, how could this be a Mark IA Interceptor?

Inaccurate descriptions by sincere but uninformed sellers are not unusual on eBay. But this seller cited the motor and fame numbers of the motorcycle to back up his claim.

He quoted a letter from the Royal Enfield Owners Club in the UK identifying motor and frame number 644 as a Mark IA. The club possesses the factory records. But while the number 644 was assigned by the factory to a Mark IA, that doesn't strictly prove that this motorcycle is it. Numbers can be incorrectly stamped at the factory or altered at the factory, or later, although this usually leaves tell tale signs.

None of the original pictures in the eBay ad showed any number.

The seller added this note to his ad on May 13:

"I have received several emails from Enfield owners who question the provenance of this bike...

"Here, the frame and engine number is 644. I have an official letter from the The Royal Enfield Owners Club — as most know, the holder of what is left of all the old Enfield production records. This letter states that frame and engine number 644 'were assigned to an Interceptor Mk.1A. The machine was built to Road Sport specifications and was originally finished in red and chrome. It was dispatched from the factory on 3rd January 1967 to Shores (dealer on east coast) in the USA.'

"So, you have here, a Mk.1A with alloy headstock. Made in 1967 right at the end of the series. My guess made in Redditch, from stocks."

The seller suggested that any variations in the motorcycle could be accounted for by the "death throes" of the Royal Enfield company, along with the rest of the British motorcycle industry. "That is why by 1967 and onward, no two Brit bikes are exactly alike. This is well known."

Some members of the Interceptor Yahoo group still found this hard to accept, regardless of the numbers,  since the motor shows features generally thought to have been changed or abandoned for Mark IA production. Some identified it as possibly built in 1965.

While concerned that the ad might result in a sale to an innocent buyer unaware of these questions, several on the Interceptor Yahoo group expressed sympathy for the seller, who stated that he has spent more than his own asking price buying and restoring the motorcycle.

Appreciated just for itself it is a very pretty motorcycle. The seller pointed this out in an additional note added on May 16:

"I am not swearing on a stack of Bibles that this is a genuine Mark 1A bike... Does it have this part on it or this part on it; all I can say is take a look at a nice Royal Enfield."

He also lowered the Buy It Now price to $10,900 and posted pictures of the clear "644" numbers on frame and motor. The motor number pictured, however, also included the letters "YB," which typically identify earlier motors — not the Mark IA.

In the Burton Bike Bits registry of Mark IA Royal Enfield Interceptors, YB-644 is the only one listed with "YB" instead of "IA" as a prefix. On the other hand, the registry of Mark I Interceptors shows that "YB" is typically followed by five digits, not three.

There must be more to this story. One theory offered on the Yahoo group: perhaps the long ago dealer replaced a blown engine with a spare, under warranty, and stamped the unmarked cases to match the frame.

Help! 1958 Royal Enfield needs point breaker arm

Can you help track down this part?

Last year Dennis Morgan, of Junction City, Ore., was the lucky buyer of a peculiar Royal Enfield product: an Indian Lance motorcycle built by Royal Enfield in 1958, with only 1,361 miles showing.

Now he needs a small part for his like new 55-year-old motorcycle.

Needed is a point breaker arm (the points are manufactured by Miller, he writes). Dennis has tried Hitchcocks in England with no luck. Is there someone else out there who can help? Contact Dennis at griffin303@q.com

The Indian Lance dates from 1955-1960, when the Indian nameplate was owned by Brockhouse Engineering of England. They imported nearly all the Royal Enfiled models to the United States to be sold as Indians.

One especially interesting model of the day was the Royal Enfield Ensign, a descendant of the Flying Flea that had been air-dropped to British troops during World War II. The Ensign looked much more substantial than the Flea. Telehydraulic front suspension replaced the Flea's girder forks sprung with rubber bands.

Indian renamed the Ensign "Lance" for the U.S.

The Lance was a 148cc two-stroke, with only three gears in the transmission.

1958 Indian Lance.

Old Empire Motorcycles alters the look of Royal Enfield

The "Fox" is a new Royal Enfield custom from Old Empire Motorcycles.

This photograph is a teaser: a first look at the "Fox," a Royal Enfield-based custom from the creative minds at Old Empire Motorcycles in Norfolk, England.

OEM's Alec Sharp provided it. He promised that the Fox be true to the company's standards and, what's more, will be "the first to incorporate parts which we are hoping to make separately and even staged kits to turn your standard Enfield into something with similar lines."

I very much liked Old Empire Motorcycles' original, Royal Enfield based "Pup," a light and lithe looking little bobber.

Lately, OEM has received much attention for their "EFI," built around a Royal Enfield G5 for a customer who wanted a "chunky" motorcycle. He certainly got it.

The EFI: The word is "imposing."

In photographs, the EFI looks as light and lithe as the Chrysler building. Many approved. I was just stunned, surprised to see a modified Harley Davidson tank, forward riding position, chubby tires and radically minimal fenders.

Then, looking through the photo gallery of the EFI offered by the BikeEXIF site, I spotted a remarkable shot that showed a human next to the EFI. Chunky, yes, but it also looks pocket sized, for while its tires and wheels are wider than stock, they are also smaller in diameter.

But wait! At human scale it looks as handy as a Swiss Army Knife.

At this comforting scale, the EFI strikes me as a more pleasing prospect: sold, self-assured, every hair in place, yet formidable. More Superman than Incredible Hulk.

OEM's motto is "...handmade motorcycles, parts and attire. Inspired by life to make a stand for what Great Britain has forever stood for: Excellence in innovation, quality and style."

I can't wait to see the rest of the Fox. What can we learn from the teaser picture? Well, I think I see the iconic nacelle still in place.

Royal Enfield chopper has been around the block twice

This chopped 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor  has a story to tell.

The "best of the best" Royal Enfield chopper featured here recently has even more to it than meets the eye. Its owner, Keith, ought to know. He has owned it twice. Here's his story:

"I am the owner of the Enfield chopper featured above. First, I would like to say Thank You for liking my ol' bike enough to show her off on your blog. Second, if anyone has a few minutes, I would like to bore you all with the story of my history with this fantastic machine

" The thing that makes it at all interesting is that I have owned her twice! That's right! Twice.

"I originally purchased her from an older gentleman in Cooperstown, N.Y. about 12 or 13 years ago. He too loved this bike, but had become a little too 'worse for wear' to be riding a hard tail. He said he purchased the bike in the early '80s, as it still is, from a friend of his who was a mechanic/chopper builder, and who was responsible for making this beauty back around the mid '70s.

"So when I got her, I brought her home and she shared the garage with my '63 Triumph Bonneville 650 and '67 GTO. And I rode them both equally for about two or three years. But always seemed to have problems with that Bonneville and kept having to bring it back to the local Triumph Guy to get tweaked; but he must not have been a very good mechanic, because just like a Trident I brought there many times in the past, he still just couldn't get it right. He had no problems charging top dollar though.

"Anyway, frustrated with British Iron in general because of it, I decided to sell both bikes and get a Harley. So I did. I even sold the '67 Goat to get a '69. Well, that was that. Or so I thought.

"But only after about a year or so, I started thinking about the old Enfield chopper. I thought: 'It ran great!' 'Started right up!' 'Was sooo powerful!' 'Was a total blast to ride!' 'Why did I sell it?' And I didn't have a good answer!

"Now I was sorry I sold it, and I wanted it back! And I have Never wanted anything back that I had sold before. So the search was on. I searched and I searched. I made calls all over the place. For about three or four years I looked everywhere. To no avail. It was gone. Period.

"Then one day in June of 2006, I just so happened to look on eBay as I often do, just to poke around and see what's out there. I usually only go through a page or two before logging off, mostly because I have a short attention span and get bored.

"But not that day. For some reason, I pressed on. And there, halfway down the middle of the third page, my eyes were instantly drawn to this tiny pic. Could it be? Nooooo! Clicked on the ad. Yessss! There it was in all its glory!

"I yelled to my wife 'It'ssss Baaaaaaaack!' Because I knew I was winning that auction no matter what.

"It turns out, it was only three hours away the whole time, down it Brooklyn, N.Y. So, I made the trek down there from Albany and brought her Home. And swore I'd never sell her again.

"Well, fast forward to present day. And now, I'm that older gentleman, who realizes he's getting a little too 'worse for wear' to be riding a hard tail. So here she is again: searching for that person who will care for her as much as I have for many years to come.

"Thanks for reading my story. Anyone interested in purchasing this great old piece of history, Call Keith at  (518)469-6978 and please leave a message. I can't always answer my phone because of my work. And feel free to make an offer. She has to go, and deserves to be ridden."

Royal Enfield Interceptor makes Mariah Carey #Beautiful

Mariah Carey and this Royal Enfield Interceptor are both beautiful.

A beautiful Royal Enfield Interceptor co-stars in Mariah Carey's music video for her new song "#Beautiful." The motorcycle is best viewed with the video stopped, since the real focus is on the beauty of Mariah Carey.

Carey is constantly in motion, but having the motorcycle between her legs seems to have limited her to only a few moves, which she repeats over and over. She tosses her long hair about a lot — an actual motorcycle ride would have tied it into knots.

I'm not a qualified music or video critic, but I agree with this YouTube comment from Alybutterfly80:

"Maybe it's too focused on the body of Mariah: yes, she looks gorgeous, but in my opinion it's all too repetitive and in the video there aren't a story or a small plot..."

The gorgeous Interceptor got attention from the Royal Enfield Yahoo Interceptor group, and this bright suggestion from member Craig Hostetter:

"Invite Mariah to the Interceptor Rally!"

The best comment, though, came from member Bobby B:

"I will stand by my likes for a bike with long legs, big jugs and a nice sound. Mariah is OK too."

Here's the video:

U.S. is biggest but Royal Enfield eyes other export markets

The U.S. is Royal Enfield's largest export market, at about 600 motorcycles, The Times of India reports.

It quotes Siddhartha Lal, chief of Eicher Motors Ltd., parent company of Royal Enfield in India.

The article states that Royal Enfield exported 3,500 motorcycles out of a total combined sales of 113,000 last fiscal year. Obviously, the company would like to increase overseas sales.

"We have absolutely tremendous global ambitions Lal says in the accompanying Times of India video.

A note to Americans watching the video: "Lakh" is a common term for 100,000 in India.

"With our new plant in Oragadam near Chennai we have the possibility of scaling up our total production to 500,000 units a year, so we have no dearth of capacity," Lal is quoted in The Times article.

He said the company would even consider local production if a market such as Brazil required it.

"There are interesting mid-size motorcycle markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America — countries which are a bit like India," he said.

His comments suggest that he's thinking of growth in places Royal Enfield's 500cc Bullets would serve well, not the expressway strewn North America and European markets.

Royal Enfield and sidecar help solve Deaths in Paradise

BBC comedy-drama "Death in Paradise" includes a Royal Enfield and sidecar.

A Royal Enfield motorcycle and sidecar outfit are key players in the BBC television series "Death in Paradise." One-quarter drama, three-quarters comedy, the show pits an oh-so-British police detective against crime on a Caribbean isle.

His police force drives a Royal Enfield with Watsonian Squire sidecar the sidecar maker happily notes. (A different motorcycle and sidecar appear in the opening episode, however.)

Conditions on the island (the show is filmed on Guadeloupe) are meant to be backward, perhaps explaining the sidecar outfit.

But nothing really demands much explanation in a detective series that relies on sunny beaches and a pretty girl as eye candy for shivering Brits. The show is such "cliche-ridden nonsense" that The Guardian's critic  demanded to know "how on earth does this get so many viewers?"

"It's no coincidence that both series (American translation: seasons) of 'Death In Paradise' have aired during winter, when sniffling viewers are dreaming of warmer climes. But surely that doesn't mean we'll watch any old rubbish as long as the sun's shining?" the critic asked.

Watsonian Squire sidecar and Royal Enfield in "Death in Paradise."

Oh yeah? The Guardian was immediately on the receiving end of critical comments from readers.

"Above all else, it is very funny — unlike most things on the BBC," writes MetalDad. "If the reviewer has not noticed any of these things, then perhaps he should consider another line of work..?"

Wrote Softarse: "When the rain and wind are lashing at your window and you can't afford the central heating on all day, and you just found out you have eaten a horse would you rather watch angry, shouty Eastenders or a no-brainer, sunshine detective show? mmmm, Horse rump!!"

"Death in Paradise" is available on my local PBS station here in Florida and several episodes are available online. I found it entertaining.

Check out the trailer:

This Royal Enfield Military looks ready to salute

Battle Green Royal Enfield C5 looks ready to serve.

Here's a tough looking Battle Green Royal Enfield Military. What makes it look so GI? Owner Derek Kunzman explained:

"I have been working on a 2011 Military for a couple years now in between military deployments (I'm a Navy pilot in Washington state).

"I've turned the pilot lights into turn signals, and added turn signals on the back plate, for a low profile look.

Button turn signals at the rear clean up the look.

"I replaced the tail light with an LED and the pilot lights as well. I tried and tried to find amber lights that size in halogen, as I'm not a huge fan of LEDs on the older rigs. However that was pretty much my only option for the look I desired.

"I got them on there and I must say I love them; I don't think they take away from the old school appeal of the bike at all. Just waiting on my amber pilot light lenses from India to complete the front blinker set up.

Signaling for a turn with the pilot lights.

"Then just normal stuff: D&D exhaust, 7-inch headlight, pillion seat, and some trials tires to round out the look!

"The handling is fine with the tires. No marked difference. I do want to put a bigger tire up front now as that rear tire dwarfs the front (4.0 vs 3.0)! In time, I will put a 3.5 of the same tire up there.

Tires are aggressive looking.

"I am flying EA-18 Growlers (Super Hornet variant) out of Whidbey Island right now. Up until last year was on the EA-6B — a very old school jet from the Vietnam era; flew that on and off the USS Enterprise for two deployments. I love the classics!"

Very rare, very original VAX Interceptor roars back to life

This classic VAX Interceptor now looks the way it should.

The original owner bought this 1960 VAX Interceptor "S" in Los Angeles in 1960. He rode 3,000 miles, then parked it, in 1964, with half a tank of gas in it. It sat in a shed with something dripping on it. Until now.

Forty-eight years after this very rare 700cc Royal Enfield Interceptor was parked, it's roaring back to life in a stirring YouTube video posted by the new owner, a Californian named Jeff who purchased it from the family of the original owner.

Not only does it sound great, the VAX Interceptor (so called for the unique letters "VAX" stamped on the motor) now looks fantastic. Jeff and his son Mason (who shot the video) removed half a century of grime and grease to reveal what may be the most original example of a VAX in existence.

They had help. Says Jeff, “Tony Markus at Gas Tank Lining rescued the original tank using remarkable new techniques." Hitchcocks, Burtons and Jeff’s friends on Yahoo's Royal Enfield Interceptor group provided invaluable information and advice on the restoration.

The mighty Interceptor looks surprisingly crisp and clean.

Jeff, a stickler for research, shared his research into the history of VAX Interceptors in July  25 and July 27  2012 posts featuring his bike. Most of us think of Interceptors as the last and mightiest Royal Enfields, introduced in 1962 with 750cc (actually 736cc) motors. That's only partly true.

In 1960, Royal Enfield combined their most powerful 700cc (actually 692cc) motor with their best high performance parts to create a new, experimental offroad hotrod designed to meet the demand for powerful scramblers in the U.S.  They called it the “Interceptor.”

"No lights, No mufflers and No speedo. The largest and most powerful vertical Twin in the World," boasted one ad.

However, in creating this "super-potent competition model with snarling power and acceleration,” Royal Enfield soon found that they had produced a beast that only a highly skilled, musclebound rider could tame in the dirt.

With quick-detach lights, the Interceptor could take you anywhere.

Accordingly, Royal Enfield scrambled to introduce a road going “Sports” trim package, with detachable headlight, speedometer, tail light and other modifications, hoping that this new version of the 700cc Interceptor “S” would be more appealing to riders who wished to easily switch between road and off road configuration as the need arose.

Although factory records indicate that no more than 170 VAX Interceptors were manufactured, the VAX Interceptor was no failure. Rather it paved the way for the larger displacement Interceptors to come. Interceptors remain the pinnacle achieved by Royal Enfield before it went out of business in Britain in 1970.

Even sitting still the motor appears to ripple with power.

The few VAX Interceptors made probably lived hard lives, and only a handful are known to survive today.  We know of no museum holding a VAX Interceptor in its collection. While most examples in private collections have been pieced together using parts from various Interceptors, Jeff’s bike is the only complete, unmodified, running VAX we’ve seen.

"It is unmolested, with the original frame, engine and transmission verified by the REOC, and with the original tank, bars, exhaust, toolbox, rims, shocks, speedo, magneto and so on — all parts present and accounted for, with the exception of the toolbox covers. Conveniently, I particularly like the look of the VAX in its scrambler configuration, sans toolbox, as advertised and sold in 1960,” Jeff said.

Period ad showed the 700cc Interceptor without toolboxes.

Jeff plans to keep his VAX as original it can be and still fulfill its mission of providing two-wheeled excitement.

"Interceptors shouldn’t be trailer queens. These bikes were built to ride, and I’ll ride this one, hard,  just as I ride every bike in my collection. She’ll be keeping her hard earned battle scars like the small dents and scratches in the silencers, and I won’t be polishing her hubs or getting her into concourse shape. We’ve just cleaned her up and made repairs where necessary. We had to use some extreme measures to clean 50 years worth of grease, oil and dirt off of the bike, but underneath that gunk, the paint on the frame is in great condition, as is most of the bike."

It does look great. But to appreciate this motorcycle you have to watch (and hear) it in motion. Check out the video.

Trifield is a Royal Enfield with 865cc Triumph twin

The Royal Enfield Bullet looks great a with modern parallel twin motor.

Should Royal Enfield build a twin and, if so, should the new motor be a V-twin or a parallel twin (like the Interceptor)?

Well, ask the man who built one. In this case I don't mean Aniket Vardhan, who combined two Royal Enfield singles to build his V-Twin Musket.

Let's ask John Dawes, a Brit who lives in Spain and whose "Trifield" is featured in Sump Magazine.

It's a Royal Enfield motorcycle with a parallel twin Triumph Speedmaster motor. That's 865cc (60 horsepower!) in a finished and fueled motorcycle that weighs 100 pounds less than the Triumph.

The Speedmaster's unusual 270-degree crank positions its parallel pistons in such a way that they produce a lopping pattern of power pulses akin to those of a V-twin.

"It's a blast to ride," John commented recently on my item asking what kind of twin Royal Enfield should build.

"I say definitely a parallel twin with an offset crank is best; then you can draw on Enfield's history and keep the V-twin guys happy too!" he wrote.

Check out the Sump Magazine article for details on how John performed the neat looking transplant.