I love these retro bikes, particularly the REs, not so much Triumph because I feel they are just trading on the name of real, pre 84 Triumphs which are the ones that made names like Bonneville and Trident famous. I also like Kawasaki for it's bevel drive camshaft, something different and boy would I love to pull one of these apart. I came very close to buying an RE, although the Continental GT with it's cafe racer looks drew me in, I thought an Interceptor would be a better fit and easier on my arthritic hands, elbows and neck. It had been 20 years since I'd ridden a bike and RA had invaded my body a couple of years prior, so I thought it prudent to try myself on a smaller bike first, so I bought an XV250.
First I had to buy and fit an Easy pull because my arthritic hands had trouble with the clutch lever. Once fitted I jumped on board for a squirt. Wasn't very successful, still had trouble with the clutch but getting my feet up on the forward mounted pegs also made things difficult, so I sold the thing a couple of weeks later and shelved the plans for buying an interceptor, instead buying a POS XS650. I knew I'd never be able to ride it, but it gave me time in my workshop and hence kept me busy doing what I love. I much prefer building than riding anyway, so I guess it's worked out for the best.
The price point of the Interceptor is a big plus, 10k in Oz and they got very good reviews, the Triumph twice that price. The Indians are coming out with some very interesting bikes now: BSA, Jawa, RE. The Indians have also bought out Norton, but the new Norton looks like any other modern bike so not for me.