[daddy/david]

new member tryn hard,just picked up a 1969 750 interceptor many questions    better    on bikes than computors  any thoughts

[REpozer]

Welcome, Whats the question?

[ace.cafe]

Great bike!
Probably the cream of the crop for Royal Enfield twins.

[hutch]

Very nice bikes. I own a 1967 MK1A. It is in the photo gallery. Only 759 of my model were built, and I am very proud of that bike. Yours is the newer model with the new point cover and wet sump oiling. I am not that mechanicaly familiar with your model, but they are very nice bikes.   Hutch

[Kevin Mahoney]

Do people generally prefer the early twin or the Series 11 engine?

[ace.cafe]

The Interceptor Series II has been called "the finest British Twin ever built".

It's equal in power to the Norton 750 Commando. Approximately 60bhp at 6750 rpm. Nice and fast.
One test article showed 1/4-mile performance in the mid-13 sec range.
Cranks were static and dynamic balanced, and it is often named as the smoothest British Twin.
It features the wet-sump crankcase, which eliminates the scavenge pump and the previously rearward positioned oil tank like the other REs had..
Has a points and coil ignition, instead of a magneto. No magneto woes.
It has the Norton Roadholder forks, which were one of the benchmarks of the era.
Dual-leading shoe front brakes.
Fine handling for the time period, even though it was a bit tall.

The Series 1A was a bit rarer, and wasn't much less in power, and was still a very nice Interceptor. It was the dry sump model, as were the previous RE twins, and had the magneto(which some prefer).
I don't think you could go wrong either way.

The creme-de-la-creme of the Series II Interceptors were the Rickman Interceptors built in 1970. Only 200 made, and are legendary. Also expensive and very collectible now. They were actually made by Rickman after the RE factory shut the doors, and Rickman bought the last 200 Series II engines and put them into Rickman frames and bodywork.
Awesome!

The Series II Interceptor probably really was the pinnacle of the British vertical twin development..

That said, there are alot of people who prefer the older 50s styling of the Constellation and Super Meteor and Meteor twins. They are very nice bikes too, and popular now.
But if one is looking for the top stage of the evolutionary path of that engine, it sits in a Series II.

[hutch]

The Interceptor Series II has been called "the finest British Twin ever built".

It's equal in power to the Norton 750 Commando. Approximately 60bhp at 6750 rpm. Nice and fast.
One test article showed 1/4-mile performance in the mid-13 sec range.
Cranks were static and dynamic balanced, and it is often named as the smoothest British Twin.
It features the wet-sump crankcase, which eliminates the scavenge pump and the previously rearward positioned oil tank like the other REs had..
Has a points and coil ignition, instead of a magneto. No magneto woes.
It has the Norton Roadholder forks, which were one of the benchmarks of the era.
Dual-leading shoe front brakes.
Fine handling for the time period, even though it was a bit tall.

The Series 1A was a bit rarer, and wasn't much less in power, and was still a very nice Interceptor. It was the dry sump model, as were the previous RE twins, and had the magneto(which some prefer).
I don't think you could go wrong either way.

The creme-de-la-creme of the Series II Interceptors were the Rickman Interceptors built in 1970. Only 200 made, and are legendary. Also expensive and very collectible now. They were actually made by Rickman after the RE factory shut the doors, and Rickman bought the last 200 Series II engines and put them into Rickman frames and bodywork.
Awesome!

The Series II Interceptor probably really was the pinnacle of the British vertical twin development..

That said, there are alot of people who prefer the older 50s styling of the Constellation and Super Meteor and Meteor twins. They are very nice bikes too, and popular now.
But if one is looking for the top stage of the evolutionary path of that engine, it sits in a Series II.

Ace, the 1967 MKIA came from the factory with coils and points, 60HP and mid 13 quarter mile times just like the series II motors, but kept the familiar side covers of the older twins and was not wet sump. I did not like the new right side point cover on the Series II motor. It made the motor look more like a Triumph instead of a Royal Enfield. When I bought mine they had a 69 Series II setting right next to the MKIA.... I bought and the 67 just because it looked like a Royal Enfield twin motor had looked since the first 500 twin came out. I waited for 39 years to find a 67 Interceptor. That look was burned into my mind. I just didn't care for the new look of the Series II motor even though they were good bikes. I have a book called 'THE MIGHTY INTERCEPTOR' and it tells the whole history of the bikes right down to when every minor
 change was made. It also has road tests for every year they were made. CycleMagazine said that the bike they got with the Series II motor was slower than the earlier model and that the bike was not as good as the old ones. I think they said the 64 was the fastest. All of the 750 Interceptor motors were balanced as you explained. Cycle Magazine might have just got a lemon series II bike. It happens. My 67 still does high 13's with 17,000 miles on it at 98mph. Not bad for an "antique" I love that bike.   Hutch

[ace.cafe]

I had no intention to slight your 67 Mk1A at all.
That's a beautiful bike.

In fact, I'd feel very pleased to be able to own any Interceptor.

[hutch]

I had no intention to slight your 67 Mk1A at all.
That's a beautiful bike.

In fact, I'd feel very pleased to be able to own any Interceptor.

I realize you were not putting down my 67 Ace. I just wanted to let everyone know that the 67 had coils and points from the factory and what the Cycle Magazine said about the test ride of the 69 Series II that they road tested in 69. They are all nice bikes, but the 52Hp  1964 Interceptors with the painted tanks were found to be the fastest for all the years that they tested brand new. The chrome tank models were available with the MKIA motor from 1967 to1968 1/2 for a total of 759 built. The SeriesII wet sump models continued until 1970, with a lot of them being built. A few proto type 800cc motors were built, but nobody seems to know what happened to them. One of those motors would be a real find.    Hutch