Floyd Clymer's Royal Enfield with an Italian accent

1970 Clymer Indian had a Royal Enfield heart in an Italjet body.

One of Floyd Clymer's Royal-Enfield-powered Indian 750s went to auction March 15 in Arizona.

According to the Mecum Auctions website, this was one of the Clymer Indians built with Italjet designed frame and bodywork around the Royal Enfield Interceptor Series 2 motor. It was created in 1970, the year the colorful Clymer died at 74.

Salesman, promoter, motorcycle racer, book and magazine publisher (and briefly an inmate at Leavenworth prison), Clymer was involved in repeated attempts over the years to resuscitate the Indian brand name.

Clymer's British/Italian Indian 750cc street scrambler is said to be lighter and better braked than the Royal Enfield Interceptors of the time.

The auction website estimated it would go for $40,000 to $50,000. This turned out to be accurate. It was reported sold, at $44,000.

Indian and Enfield shared credit on the gas tank.

His sudden death left the Clymer Indian without a future, and a supply of Royal Enfield Interceptor motors he'd ordered. Some went to Rickman, where they would hit the streets in Rickman frames.

The Clymer Indian in the auction was from the Arizona collection of motorcycle dealer and collector Buddy Stubbs.

Stubbs is a motorcycle legend himself. Born in 1939 to the owners of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Decatur, Ill. he supposedly grew up amid motorcycles, as the family residence was in the store front Harley dealership.

Taught to ride at 10, he was a victorious motorcycle racer by 21.

What's that finned thing where the oil filler cap should be?
That houses the oil filter in a Royal Enfield Interceptor Series 2 motor.
The actual oil filler opening is on the left side of these motors.

The website says he would go on to ride for scenes in Hollywood movies, television shows and commercials. Opened in 1966, his Phoenix, Ariz. Harley-Davidson dealership includes a museum of his vintage motorcycles.

Some of these are now going to auction because "I just have too many," he says.

You can view the other motorcycles he offered March 15 at this link.

Royal Enfield Interceptor offered a lot in 1968

The 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor as advertised in Modern Cycle magazine.

Modern Cycle magazine tested the Royal Enfield Interceptor in its November, 1968 edition. My daughter Erin gave me a copy of the magazine as a gift.

I would have been 18 when it was published and the magazine brought back a lot of memories. It was based in Canoga Park, Calif., near my home in the San Fernando Valley, and it reflects the Southern California ambiance of the time.

"The Mini-Bike Boom" was one article. The makers must have sold a lot of these boxy midgets with their pull-start industrial motors and fat tires (lights and fenders cost extra, of course). Kids in my high school were even making their own mini bike frames in Metal Shop. But where could you ride them?

At the time, I thought the mini bike craze was a distraction — because all I wanted was a Royal Enfield Interceptor.

What everyone else wanted, apparently, was a dirt bike, because these machines, with their ungainly fork-mounted front  fenders, filled much of the rest of the magazine.

Again, I wasn't interested and I was a bit concerned that these raspy chainsaws on wheels were the future of motorcycling. How would the stylish Interceptor fare in a world of mud and mayhem? Were motorcycles to become exclusively the toys of teenagers instead of proper transport for gentlemen?

Not that I was a gentleman. I was a teenager. But I had aspirations. If I ever earned enough money to buy one would the Interceptor still be around to buy? (Answer: As it turned out, no.)

Photos of a young Lee Purcell posing with her Montesa motorcycle supplied the cover and a modeling layout inside. She would go on to act in movies and television. Modern Cycle's fuzzy black and white photos were a bit awkward, however, with a bit too much of the motorcycle and too little of Lee.

If you wanted to see a pretty girl posed on a motorcycle you needed to go to the color center spread of an unnamed  blonde in red sprawled across a BSA Rocket 3. You don't even notice the motorcycle in the ad.

Modern Cycle's center spread was provided by BSA. Find the motorcycle.

The Interceptor the magazine tested didn't seemed to excite it nearly so much.

The motor looked "antiquated." The Amal Concentric carburetors were "goofy." The Interceptor's throttle had to be blipped at stop lights "to make sure it would keep running." The frame looked "almost inadequate." The author never seemed to grasp that the oil tank is not separate, but is part of the motor.

But the brakes were good enough, the finish was better than par and there was "gobs of power." The article concluded with praise that, somehow, still sounded faint:

"In summing up all we can really say about the Royal Enfield Interceptor is that it's one of the best motorcycles we've ever ridden."

A half-page ad for the Royal Enfield Interceptor was on Page 51. It promised "Sharpest look... Most power... Best performance."

And then there was this: "With the devaluation of the English pound, the new 1968 1/2 750cc Royal Enfield Interceptor is in the same range as BSA and Triumph... positively the most motorcycle for your dollar."

That statement simultaneously makes perfect sense and is perfectly meaningless, as all three would be affected similarly.

Did anyone buy a Royal Enfield Interceptor in 1968 because it was a good value? Not likely.

As for me, I needed my money for college. I would be walking, not riding, to class.

One man, two sibling Royal Enfield Interceptors

Russ Hudson was lucky to find this proud Royal Enfield Interceptor.
And then he found another one.

In January, 2014, Northern California motorcycle enthusiast Russ Hudson turned to the members of the Royal Enfield Forum on BritBike.com for help.

He had just purchased a Royal Enfield Interceptor on an impulse. Russ was not even sure what year Interceptor it was.

"I saw a CraigsList ad for a BSA Trident and a 'Royal Enfield' and went to take a look, excited about a possible Rocket 3. Went to the guy's house (out in the woods by Mount Lassen here in Northern California, in a town called Viola) and lo and behold there is an original 69 Rocket 3!

"Next to it was the Interceptor, covered in sawdust. I was thrilled about the BSA and bought it immediately, loaded it up and hauled it home. That night I kept thinking about that poor Royal Enfield still sitting up there in the shed. The next day I drove back up there and bought it."

A squirrel had used the Interceptor to store stolen dog food.

The tires were flat, and a squirrel had hidden dog food in one of the mufflers. But it wasn't long before Russ found himself the envy of forum members.

The "Shell Mtrs" license frame is something special.

His Interceptor showed low mileage. It also sported a "Shell Motors, Lynwood" license plate frame, identifying it as having passed through the storied California dealership of Shell Thuet, motorcycle racing tuner and sponsor.

Odometer reading: "Can't think of any reason this isn't correct, " Russ said.

Inside the frame was an original black and yellow California license plate. Even the old Lucas battery is "a museum piece," member Chris Overton commented.

The old battery evokes memories.

Russ began putting his Interceptor right, with the help of advice from forum members.

Then, in June, 2016, Russ was back with news no one could have predicted:

"Hey guys, I got a lead on an Interceptor out in the woods maybe 60 miles from my house, so I went out and picked it up on Saturday. Got it home, and would you believe that the frame number is consecutive to the Interceptor I bought a few years ago?

"The Interceptor from a couple years ago is frame number 73155, and this one from last weekend is 73156. Is this as crazy as I think it is?"

Russ's second Interceptor find has the next-in-line frame number.

Members theorized that the original dealer had received consecutive machines. But that requires the further coincidence of two rare Interceptors ending up close to Russ.

"I don't know why I've found two of these bikes around here, I'm a long way from Shell Motors," Russ told the forum.

"This latest Interceptor has a BSA angle as well," Russ told me.

"I have a client who I learned had a 1966 BSA Hornet (he was the original owner, and an old hippy). I wanted the bike bad but he wasn't ready to sell. He told me that I had first chance when he decided to sell it. I called him every year around Christmas for five years or so see if he was ready to sell. The last time I called he told me regretfully that he had given the Hornet to his nephew.

"He came to my office and saw all of my Interceptor ads on the wall. He then went to work on one of his hippy friends who he remembered had a Royal Enfield. He got the OK to give me the friend's number, and a couple months later I called and went up to see it.

"There it was as shown in the pictures in one of the outbuildings at this neo-hippy commune outside of Hayfork, Calif. A thousand dollars later it was in the truck. Took it home, checked the numbers and that's the story!"

What are the odds? Regardless of the numbers, "you must be doing something right to get a lead on another Interceptor," Chris Overton commented on the forum.

Royal Enfield Interceptor Group gets down to brass tacks

Is this the last roll of correct vintage Royal Enfield seat cover material?

India's Royal Enfield is widely believed to be about to announce a new parallel twin motorcycle that will revive memories of the iconic Interceptor, produced by Royal Enfield in England in the 1960s.

If and when it does, I will be watching for reaction from the denizens of the Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners Group on Yahoo.

These are the guys who have devoted time and treasure to restoring and maintaining their beloved but balky 50-year-old Interceptors and other Royal Enfield twins.

Their judgement of any "New Interceptor" could vary from a hearty "Nice Try!" to a disappointed "No Thanks."

Whatever the reaction, it will be fun eavesdropping on the conversation.

I don't own a Royal Enfield twin. But I monitor the Interceptor Group closely because these guys are so knowledgeable — and funny.

The group recently spent considerable time debating whether a particular washer goes on the motor square-side up or rounded-side up. Either way works, but which is correct? (Rounded side — chamfered, really — seemed to be victorious.)

Recently the old matter of seat pans reared up once again. Royal Enfield Interceptor seat pans came in different lengths — or they didn't. Seat pans are the metal trays that support the seat foam (some seat pans might have been plastic — more mystery).

Some attachment holes in some seat pans are easily explained as these would accommodate the various sizes of available gas tanks. Other holes, though, are mysterious.

It may be the case that Britain's Royal Enfield, at the end of its existence, employed the same seat pans for the mighty 750cc Interceptor that had been used on its much smaller 250cc models.

Sounds like a desperate measure. But it actually makes sense, one group member pointed out, "as the same sized riders rode both models."

So, since the frame of the larger motorcycle would be larger than the frame of the smaller anyway, it actually made sense to adjust the rest of the motorcycle to fit the seat.

That's seat of the pants thinking, if you ask me.

The seat pan discussion veered off to consideration of the gray-checked material once used to cover Royal Enfield motorcycle seats.

An exciting development! A seller in Brierley Hill, West Mids, UK believes he has found what may be the very last original roll of the material and is selling it off on eBay in one-foot lengths.

He's asking about $15 a foot, but nevermind the cost! It's correct.

UPDATE: Lest anyone think I am making any of this up, Interceptor Group member Chris Overton has subsequently removed the seats from four Royal Enfields of the 1960s, including big twins and a 250cc model, and measured them.

They are the same length, but Chris discovered a fascinating variation. In later years the seat pans have an upwards "dent" in the bottom to clear the rear fender. Earlier years use a bracket and bolts to get the clearance. Chris surmises that the dent eliminated the cost and complication of the bracket.

ADDENDUM: Re-reading this post I fear it could be interpreted as unjustified criticism from someone who, as an eavesdropper, contributes nothing of value to the group.

What I in fact mean to convey is my own sense of  appreciation for the depth of knowledge that exists among members of this group, and my wonderment at the breadth of discussions that arise.

If I have offended anyone, I beg pardon. In fact, I recommend the Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners Group to everyone interested in Royal Enfield motorcycles. It's informative and — I say this unashamedly — fun.

1970 Royal Enfield Series II Interceptor was rare

Royal Enfield Interceptor Series II: "There aren't enough to go round."

A 1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor brochure for sale on eBay in Coventry, Conn. tells us something about the standing and price this legendary motorcycle commanded back in the day.

The brochure, in apparently excellent shape, includes some handwritten notes added at the time, apparently, by the Royal Enfield dealer.

To quote from the brochure:

"Introducing the Series II Seven-Fifty Interceptor

"When it was announced that Enfield Precision Engineers Ltd. — a company famous in England for the manufacture of aircraft and guided weapon components — were to take over the complete manufacture of Royal Enfield Interceptor motorcycles instead of producing only the engine, everyone knew that something special would follow, and here it is, a completely new Stage II Interceptor.

"This machine is not mass produced but is made under toolroom conditions in a precision engineering factory where only a limited number are made each year embodying all the skill and craftsmanship for which England is famous.

"Not everyone can have one. There aren't enough to go round. That is why the owner of an Interceptor always has something special. Something the other fellow hasn't got."

Circled with a red pen are the words "There aren't enough to go round" and the price $1,575 has been hand written at the bottom.

I doubt that was the out-the-door price. But unless it is a true "low ball" offer, it's extremely competitive for a big motorcycle, even in 1970.

At the same time, Honda's CB750 four was introduced with a price of $1,495, but that would have equaled a final price $1,800 or more.

The mass produced Honda would never be rare.

Not so the Interceptor Series II.  According to Royal Enfield enthusiast Chris Overton, who has made a study of the numbers, only 1,201 complete Series II Interceptors motorcycles were recorded.

Royal Enfield Interceptor Register tracks famed motorcycles

Gary Elder's 1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor
 in a photo taken circa 1973.

The powerful and rare Royal Enfield Interceptor motorcycle only grows in fame and value as its days of glory in the Swinging '60s become ever fonder memories.

To keep track of these special motorcycles, vendor Burton Bike Bits began a Royal Enfield Interceptor Register years ago.

In 1981 Burton Bike Bits had purchased the remaining factory stock of parts originally saved from the Bradford-on-Avon factory when Royal Enfield went out of business in England in 1971. Burton's public Interceptor Register was handy for research, and has recently been improved and updated.

Now the Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners Group has added its own Interceptor Register where members can share information, stories and photos of their Interceptors.

It's not as public as the Burton Bikes Bits register; you'll need to join the Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners Group on Yahoo  (easily done) to keep updated. But there's more there and the goal is to follow each machine into the future as owners and future owners restore and update components.

This Interceptor Register is the handiwork of member Gary Elder, of Ontario, Canada, who titles himself PMR ("Person Maintaining the Register"). He first posted the REIOG Interceptor Register in March, 2014. His introduction to the register gives plenty of credit to other Interceptor enthusiasts who contributed inspiration, information, help, suggestions and concerns.

The resulting register is very detailed, including a "Condition Code" describing a motorcycle's present state, how close to "stock" it is, how close to operational it us and what sort of use it sees. There is a separate photo gallery keyed to each machine's register number.

Information on the register is "for the pursuit of the Interceptor hobby," and commercial use of the data is prohibited. Concern for owners' privacy has been key, with data made public or not depending on the preference of each owner.

Here's a "sample" view of the register (stripped down by Gary to include only his own Interceptor).

I counted 23 motorcycles on the actual register, all with additional Detail Pages and many with photos. Among them is Gary's own 1970 S2 Interceptor, Condition Code W2P5 — meaning "Under restoration, mostly stock, partly assembled, not used."

Are there other Interceptor owners out there who want to be listed in the registry?

"Anyone else that wants to put their machine data into the register, please just send me an email (at) g_elder@rogers.com and we'll get the ball rolling," Gary writes.

800cc Royal Enfield took the Interceptor to the max

Prototype Royal Enfield 800cc parallel twin motor.
(Allan Hitchcock Photo)

Royal Enfield's powerful and fast 800cc twin-cylinder motor, tested in 1969 at speeds up to 128 mph, would have been a magnificent follow-up to the then new 750cc Series II Interceptor. But the 800c motor never went into production. Instead, the factory in Britain closed.

The 1969 tests were run by factory rider Richard Stevens. The test bike now belongs to British racer Steve Linsdell. Allan Hitchcock of Hitchcocks Motorcycles Ltd. has put another prototype 800cc motor into the frame of a Royal Enfield twin.

It is a fascinating footnote to Royal Enfield history. It's one that Royal Enfield enthusiast Chris Overton, of Canada, has studied. Chris was kind enough to allow me to share an email with some of what he has learned:

"The 800 had a number of features to deal with the issues developing as the 700 twin was developed to its limits. The rocker tips had swivels so a flat surface contacted the valve tips, overcoming the limitations on valve train geometry imposed by keeping the engine height within reason (22 inches is tall!).

"Previous 700 and 750 twins have difficulty with the valve stem tips becoming pocketed from point contact with the rockers. This allowed the rocker to transmit lateral forces to the valve with wear consequences to valve stems and guides. The 800 could then have thinner valve stems for better flow through the ports.

"Another weak link was the clutch, designed decades earlier for smaller engines. The splined clutch resulted (and, although never put into production Series II Interceptors, it was available for retrofit). Ignition was electronic, with an early Boyer-Bransden system.

"I have had several conversations with Richard Stevens, the factory test rider who put so many miles on the prototype, and a visit with Steve Linsdell when I went to his shop in Flitwick, UK to see the 800.

"It is notable that both repeatedly use the terms 'quick' and 'right' when describing the 800’s performance. Both riders are using English understatement in the extreme. When questioned on the details, it seems both felt everything in the engine design came together. There were no issues such as 'peaky' power bands or temperamental tuning. Power delivery was strong and consistent — 128 mph from the 800 is consistent with 115 mph with a 750.

"There is more to winning than peak horsepower and max speed. Two experienced racers felt the 800 was especially quick because the engine was right.

"Richard can hardly contain himself when describing the 128 mph first test run of the 800. The Triumph team were at the MIRA track too and could not help but notice the 800’s performance, and potential for more. Richard struggles to maintain his polite, understated ways, and beams describing what I take to be surprise and competitive concern from the heavyweight competitor."

Chris concluded this way:

"The 800 would have been a contender, and Enfield could have done alright with it. If another 800 engine should turn up, I have a spare frame here...."

800cc Royal Enfield Interceptor prototype rides again

Allan Hitchcock's 800cc Royal Enfield.
(Allan Hitchcock Photo)

A prototype Royal Enfield 800cc twin-cylinder motor in a cafe style motorcycle certainly fires the imagination.

Factory tested in 1969 — at 128 mph — the 800cc motor was a development of the already impressive 736cc Series II Interceptor with its wet-sump lubrication, but with noticeably larger barrels.

What if Royal Enfield had gone ahead with production of such a motorcycle in 1970?

And what if such a motorcycle were produced today?

Allan Hitchcock of Hitchcocks Motorcycles Ltd. in the UK has one of the very few 800cc prototype motors. He has it installed in the frame of a Royal Enfield twin, and styled to match the motorcycle of 1969.

Hitchcocks displays the bike at events in the UK. I asked Allan to tell me more about it. He was kind enough to email this reply:

"The 800 engine arrived as some parts amongst a huge hoard of bits from the Royal Enfield dealer in Bristol in 1991. After many weeks/months of sorting through the parts I noticed that there were some odd shaped barrels and it was only the long skirts that gave them away as Enfield. This got me thinking and then checked some of the crankcases and one set of the Series II cases were different to standard along with some heads etc.

"At this stage I realized what it was and put them to one corner and forgot about them for some time. It wasn’t until some years later that one of our long time customers offered to put it together just to keep it together. All the key parts were there so it was just the task of putting the motor in a suitable chassis. (It is not actually an Interceptor frame but a late twin — looks the same, but the frame number gives the game away.)

"At this time no attempt had been made to get her running and I nearly parted company with it when the National Motorcycle Museum were after a Series II Interceptor. At the time, I had the 800 and also the very first Series II (engine number and frame number 1000 first registered to the Enfield factory October 27, 1967) and one had to go — and they chose No. 1000.

"It was not for another 10 years before it was actually attempted to get it running. This brings us up to 2013 and during the summer had her running for the first time. It has only covered a few hundred miles since as Hitchcocks Motorcycles takes up all my work and play time.

"From what you read they had a large number of advance orders (Ed: one source says 400 of them) for the 800 but it is immaterial as it was all too late to save the factory.

"Whether it was ready or developed enough, I do not know, but would suggest that there were no extreme changes between this and the already proved 736cc. It would not have needed too much proving.

"We have talked about reproducing a twin engine for many many years. The heart says make it the Series II, the business approach calls for the earlier engine as it will breathe some fresh air into the parts availability for the 500/700/736 twins. But we are a long way off this as it requires a massive investment in both time and money."

Started in Redditch, England, the ancestral home of Royal Enfield, in 1984, Hitchcocks has grown into the key supplier of parts for the English made Royal Enfields as well as for Royal Enfields from India. Hitchcocks gathers up old bikes and supplies of parts, sources reproduction parts and even manufactures new and improved parts.

Their catalog and very helpful parts books can be seen online.

Allan wrote:

"Next project will be a Clymer Enfield. I recently picked up a basket case with engine number IB1001X; the factory ledgers have this as a prototype engine sent to Tartorini in Italy. Hopefully this will not take over 20 years to get up and running!"

A Royal Enfield cafe racer with an 800cc twin

An 800cc, twin-cylinder Royal Enfield in Continental GT trim.
(Alan Hitchcock photo)

"They've gone and done it!" I thought. "Royal Enfield has answered public demand for a big-twin Continental GT that will easily do the ton!"

I about fell off my bar stool in December when I opened Jorge Pullin's My Royal Enfields blog to see a picture of a Royal Enfield cafe racer with a parallel twin motor in the livery of the new, single-cylinder Continental GT cafe racer.

But — oops — Royal Enfield of India hasn't done it.

Royal Enfield of England did it — in 1969 — and now Alan Hitchcock of the UK's Hitchcocks Motorcycles has done it again.

Hitchcocks combined a prototype 800cc Royal Enfield Interceptor motor from 1969 with an Interceptor frame of the same vintage, added red bodywork, and fooled me completely.

The story appeared in the Classic Bike Guide magazine of September, 2013, but Jorge spotted a summary of it in the current edition of The Gun, official publication of the Royal Enfield Owners Club of the UK.

Scurrying to my copy of The Gun, I read that the 800cc Interceptor prototype was an update of the 736cc Series II Royal Enfield Interceptor of the day. It did 128 mph on the test track in 1969 but Royal Enfield in Britain would close in 1970, putting an end to development.

The Mark III in 1976.

The authoritative Burton Bike Bits website tells a bit more about the 800cc prototype, dubbed the Mark III. Only one complete bike was made before production ceased, and it was purchased by racer Steve Linsdell in 1975. A picture of it in 1976 shows it looking very much like today's Continental GT.

According to The Gun, Hitchcocks found the additional original 800cc motor it used in its Mark III recreation in a parts lot purchased from the closing L&D Motors of Bristol.

What a treasure

And what a potential inspiration for Royal Enfield of India?

Probably not. But how can you say for sure that it can never happen when it already did — a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Take a Retro Tour on a rare Rickman Metisse

Retro Tours takes you for a ride on their Rickman Metisse.

As if owning a dozen Royal Enfield motorcycles of his own wasn't enough, a reader named Brian recently rented a ride on a Royal Enfield powered Rickman Metisse.

"Last weekend I went out to Kennett Square, Pa. to take part in this guy Joel's Retro Tours," Brian wrote. "The main reason I went there was because he has a Rickman Interceptor (to ride)... I couldn't pass up the chance to ride it!

Metisse is powerful, fast and rare.

"Joel Samick and his wife Lynn are super nice folks... By the way the Rickman was super cool!"

Back in 1970, after Royal Enfield went out of business in Britain, the Rickman Metisse was the happy result of a few left over Royal Enfield Interceptor motors being tucked into a light, modern frame. They are fast, rare and valuable.

Rickman was marketed "for the Connoisseur."

The Retro Tours website provides specifics:

"Although the bars clip onto the fork tubes, they reach way up and back, producing an upright, feet-forward riding position. Weird, but hey, it’s British. Besides, the damn thing works.

Touring on a Rickman Metisse.

"Riding it is exciting, with the all-up weight of 375 pounds being lunged forward by the torquey motor. The suspension is firm but top-notch, and steering is impeccable. The frame is gorgeous, with nickel plating and perfect hand-formed gas welds, but its real beauty lies in the way this thing handles. Lockheed brakes haul everything down RIGHT NOW, with terrific feel and sensitivity. Alloy rims carrying Dunlop K81s help keep things planted. The engine dominates with its big, thudding power curve. Even with handlebar end weights to quell vibration, a few hours in the saddle will still let you know how a real man feels on a real machine."

Retro Tours offers the Metisse and a wide variety of other 1970s-era motorcycles (riders swap mounts in the course of a tour but one of them is your "baby").

Insurance, overnight accommodations and breakfast is $75 a day. Other meals, gas, oil and tolls are extra "and you may be asked to assist with repairs." Here is the fee schedule.

They assume you'll be flying into Philadelphia, Pa. or Wilmington, Del. The bikes aren't the only attraction of these multi-day tours. According to one recent ride report the website:

"The pleasure of sharing our passion for riding classic motorcycles and the freedom of the open back roads makes every Retro Tour special. Yes, it’s about the machines but it’s also about the people and the shared experience: camaraderie."

The final Retro Tour of this year is Nov. 9-10. You can view the schedule of rides here. The 2014 schedule should be out the second week in December and the first scheduled ride of the season is generally in the end of April.

A side note: Brian's own collection of Royal Enfields includes another rare motorcycle: a sharp looking Royal Enfield Turbo Twin. I featured this very motorcycle when it was for sale in 2009.

Brian, who lives in Central New Jersey, wrote that he has put about 4,000 miles on the Turbo Twin and competes on it in the MotoGiro event in the Northeast. He used to take his classic Continental GT but prefers the Turbo Twin.

"The Turbo Twin is very comfortable and runs flawlessly," he writes.

Brian and his Turbo Twin at MotoGiro.

Royal Enfield Interceptor chopper is odd; but is it obscene?

This running Royal Enfield Interceptor became a chopper project.

A 1969 Royal Enfield Interceptor chopper for sale on eBay in Sterling Heights, Mich. ignited a discussion on the Interceptor Yahoo group.

The topic was entitled, tellingly, "This is just so sad."

"Really a shame that the project got this far," the author of the discussion commented about the radically stripped and altered chopper, with a crude looking strut disabling its rear suspension.

"The motor (and) trans(mission) is all there is worth saving," commented another member.

This is a group almost entirely devoted to saving and restoring the iconic Royal Enfield Interceptors, the fastest (and final) Royal Enfields produced in England before the firm went out of business in 1970. Horror at the damage intentionally done to what had been a running Interceptor is certainly understandable.

Many a dollar and bruised knuckle has gone into members' efforts to authentically restore Interceptors to their glory.

But surprising support for the chopper's unknown creator came from "Royal," the Yahoo groups' moderator.

He made it clear his opinions were meant "in general, not on this particular chopper custom."

He also acknowledged that "After all that, the main purpose of this web site and group to me, remains to restore Interceptors to as close as possible manufacturers spec, design and finish and get them back there on the roads.

"I think we can accept that preferences and tastes differ. If someone wants a rigid instead of a featherbed customization or if someone wants a raked front end, then that doesn't make them less customizers than the guys who prefer clip ons, featherbed and fibre glass tanks, even if many of us don't agree with their choice.

"It does not necessarily make them less of an Interceptor owner. A bit of tolerance goes a long way. Or should we make a list of acceptable Interceptor engine uses, what frames, cross brands, engine and chassis modifications are kosher? I dare anyone to prepare a tick list everyone would subscribe to. Subjectively dismissing builds might create unnecessary issues.

"I know nothing about this chopper bike for instance. But I doubt the starting point of the build was a pristine original bike or even a complete one, not totally composted.

"If there were an Interceptor chopper owner with a completed well polished chopper customization in this group I wouldn't want to alienate him or her, but would hope they would be welcome here and benefit from what the group has to give as well as for them to contribute."

All well and good. "But doing a cafe project is one thing, adding a few aftermarket items to increase reliability or a bit of bling is understandable; but mutilating a rare beauty with that unsafe extended front end and goofy tin work is sad," a member replied. "Unfortunately it was the thing to do in the post 'Easy Rider' '70s."

Full disclosure: I referred to the long forks as "obscene" in an email to one member. So my attitude is clear. Nevertheless, I fantasize about finding a cheap chopper project with a working Interceptor motor. Despairing that it could ever be restored, I would do my best to tuck made-in-India Bullet bodywork around it.

It would be fantastic to go for a ride with friends who expect me to tag along at the back as usual and suddenly disappear over the horizon on my bastard "Bullet."

After the Interceptor: Rare Metisse answers some questions

Originally orange, Doug Haring's Rickman Metisse looks deadly in black.

It powered the fastest standard Royal Enfield built before the company went out of business in Britain, but the Series 2 Interceptor motor didn't bow out when Royal Enfield closed down in Redditch.

Motorcycle entrepreneur and promoter Floyd Clymer saw potential in the 750cc twin — potential untapped before Royal Enfield closed its doors amid the collapse of the motorcycle industry in Britain.

In turn, Clymer's hopes to put the mighty Royal Enfield motor into a dashing Italian frame were interrupted by his death in 1970. Few "Clymer Interceptors" were built. His remaining cache of Interceptor motors went to the Rickman Brothers, who fashioned a modern frame around the Royal Enfield twin.

The Rickman Metisse was the result, a very rare prize, with only 137 and some prototypes built according to Burton Bike Bits. Starting in 1970, production continued for less than two full years.

So I was surprised when I an item I wrote about one Metisse for sale drew this comment, from Doug Haring of Virginia:

"I have a 1972 just like this. Only 3,500 miles. Needs a little work to get going again. Fiberglass has been painted black. Other than that it's original.

Doug has since sold his Metisse but, before he did, I asked him for more information. He replied:

"The bike was my dad's and I picked it up at the airport with him... The bike was imported from Canada. It has not been ridden since the late '70s and he just gave it to me as a gift.

"As stated it needs a little refreshing but is in good shape...

"It is a complete bike but not completely together in these photos. I do have the original shocks as well as the nicer ones in the pics."

Rickman frame took the Series 2 motor into a future the Interceptor never knew.

Besides its rarity, the Metisse is valued for its improved frame and forks and light weight compared to the Royal Enfield Interceptor. The foot pegs welded to the exhaust pipes instantly identify the Rickman.

With collector interest intense, there's always attention paid when a new one emerges. Doug provided the serial numbers from his bike to Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owner's Club in the UK. The club possesses what factory records remain, but many gaps exists.

Clean design, foot pegs on exhaust pipes mark the Rickman Metisse.

As it happens, Doug was able to provide the club with even more Rickman information: a 1973 invoice for "Rickman Street Metisse Motorcycles" purchased by Chariot Cycles Ltd. of Winnipeg, Canada, importers of his father's Metisse.

The document "has just reduced the number of frames for which we had no engine number from 14 to seven, as well as accounting for 13 of the spare engines," Graham wrote Doug.

The 40-year-old typed invoice did contain a few apparent typos that leave some mysteries intact.

"Notwithstanding the typos, the information in this document is of incredible value to the Club and I am most grateful to you for sharing it with us," Graham wrote Doug. "I will be forwarding copies to our Archivist and Dating Officer."

Doug can be sure now that his father's Metisse will live on forever in the history books, a fond memory.

"When I was six years old, I remember riding to the airport with my dad to pick up the crate. We opened the crate at home and it was the coolest thing I ever saw," Doug wrote me.

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.

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.

Nearly scrapped, 1968 Interceptor is running strong

Nearly scrapped, this Royal Enfield Interceptor is now running

A 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor rescued on its way to a recycling yard is roaring back to life.

Charles Giordano paid $150 for the classic and powerful twin-cylinder motorcycle and pulled it out from under scrap in the back of a pick-up truck Feb. 20. He didn't even know what he had, just that it was a Royal Enfield.

The Interceptor as found, on Feb. 20, 2013.

Giordano owns motorcycle exhaust companies, including Von Braun Exhaust in Massachusetts. They've just posted a delightful YouTube video of the rescued Interceptor coming to life.

It Lives!

It was a near miss for this Royal Enfield, but it seems to have fallen into good hands. The short, fun video, by Bella Giordano, is well worth watching.

Restored Royal Enfield Interceptor might have one flaw

Is it just the lighting, or is that a dent on the muffler?

A sharp looking 1969 Royal Enfield Interceptor for sale on CraigsList in Colorado is advertised as the "Perfect Resto!"

In fact, the seller says, it's "Guggenheim" material.

As such, its photo was bound to get a thorough examination from the Interceptor owners and restorers on the RE Interceptor Yahoo group.

"Maybe it's the lighting, but it looks like there's a dent in the muffler, just ahead of the pillion peg," one member noted.

"No it's a dent," another member replied. And he went on:

"You can always tell when a bike has been put together by a custom car shop that doesn't really know bikes. They always forget to check the kickstarter clearance. First kick goes bang on the pipe... Nothing against car guys by the way. It's just a trend I've noticed lately."

If true, it's one of those fascinating little observations that go down as "Murphy's Law."

Royal Enfield Interceptor rescued on way to the dump

This Royal Enfield Interceptor was rescued from the scrap heap.

Wouldn't you like to be the man who rescued a 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor on its way to the scrap heap? For $150!

Charles Giordano owns two motorcycle exhaust companies, Von Braun Exhaust  and Tailgunner Moto Exhaust in West Tisbury, Mass. He knows a lot about motorcycles but still wasn't sure what he had after pulling this Royal Enfield motorcycle off the back of a truck on its way to the scrap yard.

Here's his story:

"So, I'm at the gas station reading a Barnett's Bike Craft magazine and the kid pumping gas looks through my window and sees a photo of an old Triumph.

"We start talking old bikes and he tells me his friend has a Royal Enfield in the back of his truck that he's selling for scrap metal tomorrow. I ask him if it's an old one or a new one. He's says old.

"So I give him my card and ask him to tell his buddy to call me. The kid calls, and I go to has house and sure enough: (it's) in the back of the truck with a lot of scrap on top of it and below it. I dig a bit and stand it up.

The rescued Royal Enfield.

"And there she is. Rough as a cob but there for the most part. No seat or fenders. A really beautiful engine.

"Anyway, $150 bucks later and she's in my barn and the Sherlock Holmes adventure begins. This is my favorite part of the whole motorbike thing."

The motor.

Charles wrote me with this question: "I'm trying to determine the model, year and displacement. I think Interceptor."

He thought right.

The motorcycle is a matching numbers Mk.1A, confirmed Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK) Chairman Graham Scarth. It was dispatched to Shores of Michigan on April 26, 1968. Originally it had a chrome tank with red stripe along the top.

Looks like it has some stories to tell.

Interceptor enthusiast Chris Overton added that "There were about 1,800 of the Series 1, about 1,000 Series 1A and 1,200 Series II built before the last English factory closed in 1970."

So Interceptors are rare. The one Charles rescued had a close call, indeed. It may be that the motorcycle will fit into his plans. He wrote:

"Once a year I like to build a bike myself that is interesting, different, cool. Something we can take to shows and talk to real motorcycle enthusiasts about. Something different than the same ol' Harley 'biker' stuff. (Photo of last year's bike build attached. Note the homage with mufflers to Triumph Hurricane.)

Last year's bike build: The John Henry.

"This year I was thinking of doing a Brit bike as I've always loved them but never had the chance to own or work with one. Also, I've promised my wife a bike for a long time and she has always liked the old Brit bikes too."

Series 2 Royal Enfield Interceptor returns to Britain in bits

Some assembly required. It's a 1970 Interceptor.

Mark Mumford's 1970 Series 2 Royal Enfield Interceptor currently looks more like its own "exploded drawing" than it does a motorcycle.

Mark recently told us about his (assembled and running) 1966 Series 1 Interceptor. He was musing that he would like to have a Series 2 as well and, in just the time it took for me to post the item on this blog, he bought one!

No time like the present, he decided.

"Looking back I think that it had dawned on me that I might have missed the opportunity to buy an S2 while prices were still reasonably low," Mark wrote.

The Royal Enfield Series 2 Interceptor was, if anything, wilder than the already impressive Mark I. It had a wet sump to improve oil flow in its big parallel twin motor. The Series 2 Interceptor was the last model in mass production when England's Royal Enfield stopped making motorcycles in 1970.

Many Interceptors originally went to the United States — and British enthusiasts like Mark now want them back!

"All the old U.S. dealer's stock (Shores, Avellinos, Coopers etc,) had been bought up, (mostly by Hitchcocks,  it has to be said) and bringing single bikes out of the U.S. is still a difficult business. Over here  the bikes just do not change hands; those that have them keep them!

"I did ask a few well known Interceptor enthusiasts, mostly regulars on the Interceptor Forum,  if they'd keep an eye out for me but didn't really hold much hope. The purchase of the George Collins hoard by Allan Hitchcock seemed to underline the end-of-an-era finality of it."

But Hitchcock's round-up of Interceptors in the U.S. produced results for Mark.

"When they'd had a chance to check over the mountain of disassembled bikes, the guys came up with a matching numbers project, a 1970 S2 with the extras — oil cooler, air filter, bash plate, TLS (twin leading shoe) brake etc.

"We think it went to MC Sales (the trading name of Avellinos) but although some factory records exist they get very patchy by this time. I've seen the factory build book and it's really a school exercise book written in biro (ballpoint pen) and with pencil notes in the margin!

"It'll be a big task and it'll have to wait awhile but I'm really looking forward to (restoring) it. There are two Royal Enfields that woke me to the Marque: the Trials Works Replica and the Mark 2 Interceptor and now I have both! And guess what? It's my birthday on the fifth.

"The picture was the bait that Hitchcocks laid. Some of the nice bits (air filter for instance) can't be seen and I also got a seat subframe. Tank, seat and exhaust system are all missing as are exhaust camshaft, timing gear and gauges (clocks to us!) but the hard stuff is there.

"I have a Home Market 4.5 gallon tank which will probably be more practical most of the time but a 'teardrop' would be nice!"