Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners

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Vax Interceptor. (Tue Sep 2, 2003)

Hi Amigos, as most of you probably noticed there is a very rough RE big twin for sale on ebay. The vendor is uncertain of its pedigree, he doesnt know if it is a '60 or a series1, or for that matter if it is even an Interceptor.

I was curious myself and so I looked at the advert pictures I have of the twins of the period and I was unable to tell from them what it was either, there not being really enough of it left to make a good call, seems it could be any period 700 twin, unless its serial # prefix VAX is strictly an Interceptor designation.

I know that the first Interceptors were the scrambler model of the Constellation, first released in 1960, and were 700cc's and were (I think)called VAX Interceptors, but I was wondering if the VAX prefix was a blanket 700 designation or just Inteceptor?

Seems to me if this is an Interceptor its a very rare one, might pay for someone to pick it up..pretty much just an engine and frame but its a good start.. Does anyone know for sure? Gregg?

Bob

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Engine number AGZ 2855. (Tue Sep 2, 2003)

Hi
Someone known as "Bulldog" in Canada (Prince George B.C.) writes:

Would you please help me find out what year and model this Royal;
Enfield Engine number AGZ 2855, but cant seem to find frame number.
Please gaive a call or send me an email. Also gas tank has removable emblem on the side of it. Hope to hear from you.

REgards
Royal

Royal,

The spare, 1967 MkIA Interceptor I have is engine #AGZ 2947. Since this
is only 92 away from what Bulldog has I would think it would be safe to
say he has a 67 Interceptor.

The number on the left side of the frame/fork head will be a 3 digit number and should match the number punched under the left cylinder barrel, which will be preceeded by "MkIA".

Rick

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An interceptor called "Bethoven". (Thu 4 Sep, 2003)

Hi Music lovers,
Eva and I bought our Royal Enfield Interceptor Series II in 1976. After several restaurations we finally found the man, Ackes MC in Sjöbo Sweden, who made it sing like it was supposed to.

He restored it in 1989, and it sings load and clear since then. Our fellows at the MotorBike club in Saix (France) calls the bike "Bethoven" because it's nice music, but of course they are wrong. The bike is not a male like Bethoven but a beautiful female...

Le Bez, Tarn, , France

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Inherited an Interceptor (Tue Sep 9, 2003)

My dad has had this old Royal Enfield bike since the early 70's. I believe its an 67 or 68 interceptor 750cc. I have no pics or serial #'s at the moment, but I have been really itching to get this bike back on the road.

She still runs and drives pretty good. She just needs some paint work, chrome, polishing and a tune up. Some new tyres and brakes would be nice too. I'll get some pictures and serial numbers as soon as I can so maybe I can get this thing identified.

That bike was built to ride... not rot in a garage. I'll have her on the road as soon as I can. :)

Shawn Henry
Dallas Texas, USA

PS: It's missing the RE badges on the gas tank, anyone know where I can find
some? Also, might need some sources on a clutch and brake pads... Thanks.

Shawn,

Unfortunate you didn't post this two weeks ago, because I was in Dallas on
business and could have dropped by to ID it for you.

All the parts you need are readily available. You could try Hitchcock's in the UK, or Avellino's in Revere, Mass. Hitchcock's is on the web, whereas Avellino's deals by phone or mail.

Surprised you say it needs new brake shoes: they rarely need replacing unless they have high mileage on them and have not been maintained. The clutch is most always a sore spot, because so few people know how to adjust them properly.

.. gREgg

Damn! Oh well, maybe we will meet some other time. :)

Honestly I don't know about the brake shoes, I was just figuring that would be a good tune up item. Actually after looking through the archives I am interested in doing the disk brake conversion. I originally wanted to keep the bike 100% original but my father has already done some modifications when he was younger (put a harly rear fender and seat on). I think he had a hard time sourcing parts even back in the day... or he was just too broke to buy new ones. ;)

So, with that in mind I think i'll do a few updates to the bike to better suit it for street duty.

I love that old bike and would love to start riding it. I am concerned about the oiling issue and will keep reading the boards for updates.

Thanks,
Shawn

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Poll results for RE_Interceptor - Choice of Oil (Wed Sep 10, 2003)

The following RE_Interceptor poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:

POLL QUESTION: what grade and brand of motor oil do
you use in your 750 ? comments welcomed

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- castrol 20w 50 , 9 votes, 56.25%
- other, 7 votes, 43.75%

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Oiling issue. Elecric oil pump. New idea? (Wed Sep 10, 2003)

I am intrigued with the idea of the electric oil pump. Since it's a "piggy back" setup if the pump dies, your engine won't die immediately, which is nice. However, the tubing does look like it won't last.

Has anyone thought of using steel braided line with AN fittings? Sure, it will cost a bit more to do, but should last forever. I think -4 AN should be plenty large and there are many various fittings.

The only thing I can't figure out from the pictures is how the oil line is actually tapped into the top end...?

Has anyone verified that the electric oil pump does indeed improve top end oiling? If so, I will try to implement the electric oil pump and steel braided hose onto our Interceptor.

Shawn

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Mystery interceptor??? (Thu Sep 11, 2003)

I am trying to figure out what year our interceptor is (or if it even is one?). I pulled the numbers off the frame and tried to match it up with some previous information I found here:

>Engine Prefix: VAX, YB, YC, and YE - Interceptor Mk. 1
>1A - Interceptor Mk 1A
>1B - Interceptor Mk 2
>1BX - Rickman

Our codes are as follows:

Frame: 70719
Crank case front: AGT371
Crank case left: YA15402

We also have a spare engine code: YB16644

Maybe my judgement is flawed, but from the codes it appears to be an earlier MK1 bike. The funny thing is it does not have a dry sump oil system. It's clearly a MK2 style wet sump setup. Please take a look at these pics and help me figure out what this thing is:

http://fire.knalb.org/~ntn/shawn/interceptor/

Thanks, Shawn Henry

Shawn,
K2F magnito is Series 1. Alloy fork crown looks in the picture to be similar to the one the MK1A used. It also appears to have the double acting oil pump as used on the Series 1 and 1A wet sump engines.

Can you post pictures of the left side rear and front and rear wheels? with that we should be able tell if it's (mostly) a Series 1 or 1A for sure. Oh Ya! We do have a winter project here! Don't we!

Have fun!
Don in Niagara

I have a 66 with eng YB15981
Bobby B

Dear me, poor old bike. From the pics I can tell you that the bike is almost certainly a Mk.1 Interceptor. It has a dry sump, and those rusty fork stantions are Enfield, not Norton. Have a look on the main site www.ozemate/interceptor and under 'art' you can see my Mk.II to see the differences.

The front brake looks like the Enfield 7" which is not really adequate in today's traffic!
Good luck,
Dave

Shawn,

Well, one thing for certain is the your engine is a dry sump MKI Interceptor . The wet sump Series II design has the same cylinders and heads, but the crankcase is completely different. Your other engine is slightly newer and similar to a Series 1A, but is still a MK1.

The use of a magneto further confirms the MK1 origin, because the Series 1A used a points unit with coil ignition.

Looks like your bike is built from a mix and match of numerous different years. I would wager the engine in the frame is a 1964 or 65. However, what's left of the original running gear on the frame looks like 1967 / 68. Enough of the front end is visible to be sure of that. I run a 1968 Inter on the road, and find it a very practical bike ... and yes, even the brakes are up to the task.

I would certainly take the 7" Enfield SLS brake over the 8" Norton TLS, which can be a most horrible thing to get even close to right. The best thing you can do to the Norton TLS brake is to replace the brake plate complete, with the one from the 1968/ 69 BSA-Triumph brake into the Norton hub ... I've done a few of these conversions, and it works wonders.

The other demon tweak is to replace the Enfield front wheel (this works on all models) with the entire 1968/ 69 Triumph/BSA wheel. You have to machine the brake plate stop lugs off the fork sliders, and machine the axle down to fit the Enfield axle clamps. I did the first of these back in 1970 to my MK1 Inter, and I can assure you the results are well worth it.

If the pictures showed more detail, I could be more certain as to whether the frame is correct. It looks like a Series 1A Inter frame because of the detail at the back by which the tabs on the frame have been used to attach a home made battery bracket. The exhaust pipes are most certainly MK1, as is the tank.

The chrome panels and badges for the tank are missing. All the lighting is incorrect, as is the aftermarket rear fender. The rust on the front fork tubes looks terminal. You'll need new ones, along with new seals. The forks are missing all the tinware as well as the gaiters.

Someone has fitted inlet manifolds from a Norton Commando to your bike. These make no sense at all ... remove them, and bolt the carbs to the heads the way they should be (remembering to add the phenolic spacers).

What should you do? Unless you want to spend a lot of money, don't think about returning it to stock. Concentrate on getting it running first, in order to assess what work it will need. Build it as a Series 1A, since I'm sure that's what the original bike was, but retain the MK1 engine, at least for now. You can get a lot of the cycle parts and tinware to finish it off as a Series 1A, and they are a lot less expensive than the tool boxes etc for the MK1.

From what I can see, you should be able to clean it up, change the oil, and if the magneto is functional, you could have it running in a couple of days. If it seems to run well, you may wish to defer an engine strip till you have the rest of the bike in order.

By all means, change the oil a number of times after running it for a while, in order to clean out the engine ... and be sure to clean the oil filter each time.

Good luck,

... gREgg

Shawn,
For your information, my Series 1 was registered as a 1966, with Engine # YB16746. Gearbox # AGZ 2207. This gearbox number is also found on the right front of the engine case.

The frame is stamped 70809 on the headstock. When I bought it it was dead stock original, even down to the Dunlop K70s, with 7000 miles on the odometer.
Don't I wish it was still mine!
Have fun!
REgards,
Don

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Broken Oil Seal - Engine wanted. (Sat Sep 20,2003)

Hullo Royal!
I hope you are now well on the mend. Speaking of mend, my Series II has just broken a piston. The engine stopped so violently (small end rammed through the barrel into the exhaust camshaft tunnel) that the crankshaft fractured!

Anyone got a spare engine, or crankshaft, or rods (the rod held but is knocked about) that they would be willing to part with?
I enclose a picture of the bike at Montlhery in 2002, before I rebuilt the engine and fitted new pistons..... Perhaps the pic might go on the web site. See what you think.
Cheers for now,
Dave

Dave

Sorry to hear about that sad modification. I have a couple of good sound rods, that I won't be using. Maybe you have something I would like ?

Best regards
Ole

Hullo Ole,
Many thanks for the offer. I have few spares but if you have a suggestion I might know of something. Otherwise perhaps I can offer you money! I need one rod for certain.

I would like to buy an engine or at least the bottom half but no offers so far. A new crank can be bought from Burton Bike Bits if all else fails.

Cheers,
Dave

Dave,

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. This is the second Series II engine that I've heard of failing in that manner. The other one that failed was so badly destroyed that there was not much left to salvage aside from a few studs. Even the crankcases were smashed.

Before going too far with rebuilding, I would advise you to determine the exact cause of the failure. In the case of the other engine I'm describing, the thing failed because the feed seal in the timing cover came adrift, and was promptly eaten by the pump worm. The loss of oil pressure, and the fact that he was doing an insanely high rate of speed led to an instant destruction.

You're in good company though: I know of two BSA A65s that had similar, terminal endings. One was offered to me for free, but there was absolutely nothing that could be salvaged. It had blown up so badly that even all the studs were bent! Needless to say, there was very little left to do a failure analysis on. With the second A65 (which I ended up rebuilding), the timing pinion had split in half, and jammed the half-speed pinion.

The engine came to a skidding halt, and trashed the crank and much of the timing side. What a mess, but fortunately I was able to reclaim the crankcases.Get in there and find out the root cause ...it may have been something as simple as the feed seal popping out of the timing cover.

Be sure when you fit a new seal, ... you must NOT use the common garden type lip seal that one gets at a bearing shop: you must use the correct, high pressure type (Norton Commandos have this same weak spot, and though an incorrect seal is prone to failure, their seal is held in place with a circlip so you can see
it after it has failed).

I have a pair of good, used rods and NOS rod bolts I'd be willing to swap for something if you're interested. I may have some other bits of use to you as well.

... gREgg

Dave: sorry to hear about your motor going out for lunch. My series11 could have double dated with your's. Last week, I finally completed a cosmetic resoration of my 70, and finally got the clutch right.I've never really pushed the bike in the 18 years or so of ownership because of the clutch , but now I figured that I could .

After a couple of hours of playing around on local roads, I took it for a short flat out run on the highway to the beach before making a u turn and heading for home.As soon as I slowed down, I could hear that all was not well. . I shut down and pushed the bike about 2 miles to home .

Upon inspection, I found the same problem that Gregg had written to you about . He hit it right on the head. The oil seal in the timing cover came undone ,and ended up on the engine side of the crank worm drive for the oil pump. On it"s way
over the worm gear, it left part of the seal spring in the pump worm and some
more in the crankcase.

The sudden loss of oil pressure did a job on the left big end bearing,. There are 2 cracks in the rod near the big end, so I guess I can thank God that I shut down when I did. I'm about to heat the case now to remove the crank bearing from the left case. Then I'll be able to see how much damage was done to the journal. Does anyone know where I can get undersized shell bearings? Hitchcocks only lists standard size. I hope the crank is still salvageable.

I had recently replaced the crank seal with one from Hitchcocks, and I'm sure that it was snug when it went in. Now I'm not too sure which way to go with the next replacement seal . Does anyone know the availability of a high pressure seal as Gregg mentions? I'll also look into machining a slot for a retaining clip in the timing cover.[ If there is enough room] I guess I was better off with a weak clutch.
Good luck on your rebuild,.
Dennis

Dennis:
Really bad luck. It seems to be the Achilles heel of the Series II. I have an
answer:
1. Mark the seal housing at the outer edge of the seal;
2. Drill the housing using a model-maker's drill (a Dremel is fine) in four places large enough to take stainless steel wire (piano or guitar strings are
good) and then fit the seal.
3. Pass two wires through two nearby holes on each side so that they don't obstruct the flow, and twist the ends to the sides where they are safe. <br>

The seal now can NEVER come loose again, and to replace is easy, just untwist
the wires and repeat.

Alan Hitchcock is selling con-rods machined from original castings. Be warned;
if your old rods have a scallop machined at the small end then ask to have one
the same, as the amount of metal so removed may otherwise affect balance. You
will then need to remove casting marks and polish. Price is £120 + posting.

Big-end shells: you can use MG 1800 shells, readily available in all oversizes. You must hone the rod eye 0.005" (5 thousands of an inch) and then file down the tags on the shells to fit the RE rod, but they are otherwise quite satisfactory (and cheap).
Hope all this is some help,
Cheers, Dave

Dave, thanks for the information and the quick reply. I'm relieved to hear tht MG shells will work. The safety wire modification is a great idea to retain the seal. It will be a lot easier than machining the cover for a circlip. Good luck on your own rebuild.
Thanks again

Dennis

Great info guys. Is it just the series II that is affected by this problem. Mine is a 66 in progress of restoring. Thanks Bobby B

Kevin Lemire posed this same question to me in a private email, which I answered thusly:

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The Interceptors prior to the Series II have a completely different oil feed system to the crank, which is not susceptible to the problem I described.

The Series 1 and 1A have a long quill in the oil feed plug, with a neoprene bung on it ... this slips into the end of the crank.

By contrast, the Series II has no oil feed plug, and instead has an oil seal pressed into the timing cover (in the same manner as a Norton Commando engine). The end of the Series II crank has an extension on it that engages with the seal in this oil seal ... as you can see, a completely different system from the older bikes, like the 1965. It is this seal in the timing cover that has a propensity for coming adrift.

I too have converted the quill style oil feed plug in my Series 1A to the 'Hitchcock style', and no problems as yet. ,..

gREgg

Guys, good info re MG 1800. It's cross reference information like this that's oh so useful. Whether it's electric, oil seals or valves and pistons, etc. All to end up in our knowledgebase on the web site if you share around.

Incidentally, Kickan used Leyland 1978cc for her Big-end shells (that's all there's on the invoice from the mech. workshop where it was fitted)
Royal

Another example from the knowledge base, for the oil seal problem, Ole has contributed another approach using a Norton Oil Seam and circlip with a picture of necessary modification at

http://www.ozemate.com/interceptor/kboil.htm#alt18
REgards
Royal

The nylon quill that I put in my 66 Series 1 about 10-12 years ago, to replace the prone to fail cork bung on the feed, I got from a chap in England named Mike Quarrie. Is this the same one that Alan sells? If so, they last, because although I sold the bike 3 years ago it showed little or no wear at that time. I know because it was one of the things I checked out before the sale to be sure everything was going to be OK.

Does anyone know if that same nylon oil feed will work on the Madras bullets? I met a guy recently that picked up a 1995 Bullet and he's excited about using the bike this fall. He had to get a new cork for the OEM setup.
REgards,
Don in Niagara

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Looking for another projectbike. (Sat Sep 20,2003)

Well, its that time of year again...... I am looking for another projectbike, anyone know where to find an interceptor, that at least is mostly there?

thanks all.

Doc

I have a '65 Interceptor that isn't running. Bought it as a project- don't have the time. Will be putting it on Ebay this weekend along with a '59 Indian that is in super shape. $2000 for the Interceptor, no title. $3500 for the Indian.

The Indian was a wall decoration in a bar in San Francisco, has extremely low mileage- it's close to new in condition, approx. 2K mi.!
Glenn

 

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If the interceptor is brought to India. (Tue Sep 25, 2003)

Shashank
from Pune, Maharashtra, India writes:

I got news for you.....If the interceptor is brought in India, it will be the fastest motorcycle here!:). The fastest we got here are the Yamaha RD350's, which can do a maximum speed of 160-170kph. Actually, production of the RD350s was stopped in the 88-90's. Other bikes available are strictly commuter motorcycles with only some of them being a bit classier then the others, forming a class of their own. They are nevertheless, commuter motorcycles

Except the Royal Enfield Motorcycles. Out here, they are the most powerful machines avialable(barring the RD350 2-strokers). People look at them, admire them at a traffic signals. Its great to own a Royal Enfield. Its an expensive bike to own, and gives half as much mileage as what the other bikes offer, that's the reason why most people don't own one.

But owning a Royal Enfield denotes power. People stop by your side, ask you questions on the bike, how much it cost, etc. People don't even have the slightest idea that this very bike is viewed as being a vintage bike abroad.
The situation is exactly the opposite here. Its on the wish list of a sizeble number of kids.

There are also a number of Royal Enfield groups, which meet every week, discuss problems, and ride together. Their colletive bullet beats are addictive.

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Info on big-end bearing shells. (Tue Sep 30, 2003)

Hi Royal,
Some further info on big-end shells; the Glacier number is AEB 4512 (std, .020 etc.). The con-rod had to be honed 0.005" which is no bad thing as after all these years the rod eye is maybe not round anymore! Also the locating tang on the shells has to be filed down to fit the RE rod, a 5 minute job.
Cheers,
Dave H

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