INTERCEPTOR INFO

Great article by Frank Melling on the Interceptor in RC188. Nice to hear the opinions of someone who was actually there. I’ve loved these bikes since I first laid eyes on them, but for many years they were out of reach of my pocket. I contented myself with other Enfield twins, from an early Meteor through to a late Super Meteor and Constellation. In the absence of an Inter in my stable I read everything I could and learned a few things...

It is often said the Enfield twins are ‘doubled up Bullets’ but this is untrue. The bore and stroke might be the same but that’s all – they don’t share any common components although pistons can be swapped, useful for raising the comp ratio on 350 Bullets usually! The idea of commonality of components must have been tempting for a small factory like

RE, but they boldly decided to design a completely new engine.

Some ideas were really quite bold. Early 500 Twins, from which all later RE twins developed, featured all internal oilways for instance, a feature which didn’t last long at all. Introduction of the Interceptors for the American market (the name as well as the concept seems to have been the creation of US dealers) saw a whole new attitude to styling and equipment. Early UK models got the double-sided front brake from the Connie but US models always had the singleside 7” front brake, and on the 1968 model 1A the ‘cooling discs’, rubber gaiters and top yoke came from the 250 Continental GT and Turbo Twin.

There are basically three phases of Inter production; Mk1, 1A and 2 with cosmetics and production details becoming more US oriented as time went on. By the time the S2 was produced in 1969 you had to know someone with influence at the factory if you were a UK buyer! Luckily this means that you can mix and match nearly all the parts to fit any post-1956 Enfield twin and, thanks to Hitchcocks and Burton Bike Bits, parts supply is good.

I have an example of each of these models and they are surprisingly different. Not the engine so much as the cycle: my 1965 rides like a meaty Brit tourer but looks a bit staid, the 1968 1A is a hooligan machine and looks drop-dead street scrambler gorgeous… whereas the 1970 S2 is really a big tourer. But I’m lucky enough to choose! These bikes are rare, total Inter production from 1962 to 70 was only just over 4000 machines, so if you want one you’ll have to be serious.

Fortunately there is a great support network and a knowledgeable online community at groups.io/g/REInterceptor. You don’t need to own one to join in – although this isn’t for modern Inters: fine bikes but they have their own groups!

Mark Mumford, member 1513

Thanks for that, Mark. I’ve been fortunate enough to ride a couple of Series 2 Interceptors, and even tried to buy a basket case at a jumble a couple of years ago. Great machines, too. One of my first ‘real’ old bike stories was for Classic Bike magazine and pitted a Series 2 against a Matchless G15 Mk2. A great day hammering around the Derby Dales.

The time has come to part with my BSA A10 due to bits falling off me; the bike is in better condition than me. Question is: do I sell the registration number off the bike as I have had an offer on it? Or will this devalue the bike significantly? What do readers think?

David Malins

You might try advertising the bike for sale with its original number and quote the valuation for the registration; see whether anyone is prepared to pay a premium to keep them together. You never know, an earlier owner might be out there searching for this actual machine, and a Small Ad mightg do the trick…