Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners

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Series 1 / 1A and Series 2 seats are interchangable? (29 June 2003)

Does anyone know if the Series 1 / 1A and Series 2 seats are interchangable? I found a replacement seat but it's being marketed as a Series 2 seat. They've never seen any other Interceptor seat. Before I buy it and then maybe have to start modifying it to fit my 1A, I thought I'd ask the group. Anyone know??

Thanks in advance.

Rod

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Looking for a Royal Enfield interceptor 750 oldtimer (25 June 2003)

FullName: Kopf Reinhard

Message: I'm looking for a Royal Enfield interceptor 750 oldtimer and i want to built up this cycle by myself. Please send me a massage.

Year ago im still have a Bullet 350, 1949.
City: 6832 Röthis State: Vorarlberg Country: Austria

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Why use Brass(brass alloy) for valve guides. (17 June 2003)

Can anyone tell me why some British bikes used Brass (brass alloy) for their guides. I am replaceing the Exaust guide in one of my bikes because of excessive wear and incorrect installation by the party who did the restoration. I have NOS guide and also a modern cast iron alloy of the correct dimensions and is spiral cut for proper oiling. Modern automobles with alloy heads use these with great success. Has anyone else used the cast iron and if so what were the results? I am located in Southern California, the weather is hot and just right for a putt on bikes.Think I'll fire up my Interceptor ride up to Big Bear Lake where it is cooler and maybe fish.

MUCH JOY
Orlan

I'm no valve guide expert, but John Healy, who wrote the message below to the Triumph Twins listserve, is. He's also a major parts distributor to all the places we buy parts from our old
Brit bikes and has been professionally wrenching them for over 30 years. You can trust what he has to say about valve guides.
The information here is general, so it applies to RE Interceptors too, not just Triumphs. Note that he says the Triumph factory used berillium guides. I'm not sure what RE used. He makes a couple of suggestions of good U.S. suppliers.

Bob Cram

"Although one can get real good valve guides today, you can also get pretty bad ones. With a couple exceptions, bronze guides for Triumph, and other UK brands, are machined from free machining brass... not real valve guide material.

A couple exceptions come to mind: in the UK Norman Hyde sells berililum guides (the material used by the factory) and in the US Rowe USA and Precision Machine (maker of the Black Diamond valves) both sell guides made from a real valve guide material.
The reason for the pouplarity of free machining bronze guides is the ease of machining. Real valve guide material takes 4 to 5 times as long to machine and is difficult to keep the hole straight requiring additional maching after it comes off the CNC machine.

The current offering of cast iron guides suffer the same cost cutting measures as their bronze counterparts. A real cast iron valve guide should be alloyed with a small amount of nickel. With the addition of nickel they are much more difficult to machine.

They also seem to last forever. I know of only one supplier that is using a proper material in the cast iron guides and that is Rowe USA (Ed Rowe has another process he developed for his Harley guides which gives the guide wearing properties similar to a high nickel cast iron). There might be a UK supplier, but none of the ones I know about use a proper cast iron for their guides. Also cast iron with nickel has a higher coefficient of expansion that standard foundry cast iron and the guides made from this material are less prone to coming loose in the head (a common problem with Triumphs especially Bonnevilles).

Valve guides... a simple concept, but so much to know."

HI Bob
Great reply! The automotive machine shop that I use gave me almost the same information. He also has 30+ years experience. He ordered a cast iron-nickel spiral cut guide of the proper OD and ID and we cut it in the lathe to the correct length.

Although this guide is for a Velocette MSS 500 scrambler I note that my 1965 Interceptor has cast iron guides on all four valves and after 5000 miles that have been added since it has owned me, I pulled the heads to check and could not detect any signs of wear.

Thanks for the reply.
Orlan

Hi Bob & Orlan
Great to see qualified technical talk here ! Just want to add that when Mr Healy says "berililum", I would think he means Beryllium-Bronze ?
This material is great together with hard-chromed valve-stems ! It's also great with unleaded fuel !
Regards Ole

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Wanting to swap a Rickman Metisse. (15 June 2003)

I have a 1972 registered Rickman Metisse Interceptor II. I just adoe it.
BUT, most of my riding is two up. The Metisse is just TOO small, even for my 8 stone missus'.

I am seriously interested in exchanging this for a STANDARD UK or US model Interceptor. IF you are equally seious I'll gladly exchange FULL details (recent professional re-build etc.).

Rob. de la Hoy, Surrey, England.

FullName: Rocker

Message: I have a 1972 registered Rickman Metisse Interceptor II. I just adoe it.
BUT, most of my riding is two up. The Metisse is just TOO small, even for my 8 stone missus'. I am seriously interested in exchanging this for a STANDARD UK or US model Interceptor. IF you are equally seious I'll gladly exchange FULL details (recent professional re-build etc.). Rob. de la Hoy, Surrey, England.

City: Normandy, Nr. Guildford, State: Surrey, England, Country: England,
found: Classic Bike magazine article.,Model1: Rickman Metisse, ModYear1: 1971

(I'm waiting for some more details and pictures, to put in buy and sell. If you want to contact Rob, please use feedback page. Royal)

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Changes in oiling system timing covers (5 June 2003)

FullName: Rick

Message: Can anyone explaine the the changes in the oiling system in the timing covers fo the Early Interceptors through the 1A. I have 3 different covers and they all differ slightly inside with the oil galleys and screw plugs. I can't seem to find info anywhere that specifically points out which year should have what.
Thanks, Rick

(No replies, but see traffic in discussions during Aug- Sep)

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Problems w/my bike surging (2 June 2003)
FullName: Dennis

Message: thanks for your site. I've been having problems w/my bike surging and don't have a manual to help me do some adjusting.

City: Calgary, State: Alberta, Country: Canada, found: Google search, Model1: 750 series II, ModYear1: 1968, Number1: BG450

Have you checked the manual on the web site? (click the PIT, button)
Good Luck (Royal)

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