c1963 Royal Enfield 750cc 'Interceptor' Motorcycle

Description

With a proud tradition of building motorcycles dating back to 1899, Royal Enfield continues in production to the present day thanks to the Bullets so famously made in India. The company motto of ?Made like a gun, goes like a bullet? reflects the legacy of manufacturing weapons but Royal Enfield branched into producing bicycles, motorised tricycles and quadricycles in the latter part of the 19th Century. However, early attempts at manufacturing motorcycles were set aside as Royal Enfield initially focused on automobile production, building a series of light cars. It wasn't until 1910 that Enfield began building its first serious motorcycles, beginning with a V-twin powered by a 2 ¼-hp Motoracoche engine and the range expanded rapidly prior to the First World War, which saw the supply of large numbers of motorcycles to the British armed forces. The inter-war period saw numerous new models introduced and the firm continued its racing exploits, racing at the Isle of Man TT between 1925 and 1930. Post-war, Royal Enfield's most famous model - the 350cc Bullet - became the mainstay of production but other new models continued to emerge from the Bradford-upon-Avon factory, the largest being the 750cc Interceptor of 1962. Based on the 700cc Interceptor, itself an improved Constellation, the new bike featured an air-cooled parallel twin-cylinder engine, with a stronger casing to handle the increased torque and a balanced crank to deliver lots of smooth power. On the early Series 1 models, built between 1962 and 1967, the Interceptor featured an automatic advance magneto and coil ignition. With ample reserves of performance (the Interceptor could easily top 100 mph) and plenty of chrome, the new 750 was aimed squarely at the American market but its success was sadly short-lived - production ceased at the Redditch factory in 1967 and the Bradford-upon-Avon facility just three years later. Often overlooked in the company of its rivals like Triumph's Bonnevilles, the big twin Interceptors have a loyal following today and plenty of support from specialists and clubs around the world.