I guess we all have our Interceptor stories, here's mine.

I was 18 years old when I bought my 65 Interceptor in 1973, ending a year of pestering the previous owner. The bike was sadly neglected, had not run in about 3 years, and was left outside and uncovered in northern New Hampshire (USA).

I paid $100 for it and had to chip it out of about 6 inches of ice in order to take it home. The engine was thoroughly frozen and took several weeks to free up. I was newly married and my wife made no secret about how she felt about this rusty piece of junk I hauled home. The $100 was quite a bit for us at the time and she could not see the possibilities.

I admired the red, white and blue MV Augusta and promptly painted the Enfield to match. Looking back, it was a truely ugly sight, but I felt it was very beautiful. I never succeeded in getting the bike running and parked it out of the way in the garage. I subsequently joined the Navy and carried the bike around in pieces for 25 years.

I have now been in the service about 27 years and about 3 years ago began a complete restoration. I powdercoated all black parts, new seat, fenders, bars, rims and stainless spokes, pistons, rings, lower and big end bearings, wiring harness, levers, all bearings and seals, and cables. I had the tank, chain guard and battery box covers painted red. The bike fired up on the third kick and so far has been quite dependable.

The only unsolved problem so far is a good oil leak from the transmission, I am sure it is due to "the crack" and will require replacement. So, I have owned the bike for nearly 30 years and have only put about 1200 miles on it. It has travelled to many different states and duty stations and is finally free once more to hit the pavement. I live about 1 hour from Sam Avellino's shop in Revere Massachusetts and spent a great deal of money there during restoration. (click for larger picture)

I brought my engine number down one day and Sam looked it up in old sales records. He
found that the bike was imported by his dad back in 1965 and sold to a New Hampshire dealer. Sam's dad kept the records in pencil in spiral wound notebooks. Quite a discovery.

I have owned may BSA/Triumph/Nortons and one Matchless. The Interceptor is a pure joy to look at and I never tire of admiring the engine and classic lines.

Regards, "Kevin" Eliot-Maine-USA