Post Listing Update: This Chief did not meet reserve despite 51 bids up to $28,600.
As noted in yesterday’s incredible Indian collection, the Chief was the only pre-war model that Indian continued to build after World War II had ended. In fact, in ’48, it was only model Indian offered at all. The seller of this acquired it 6 years ago with the belief that it had a newly rebuilt motor. 65 miles into his ownership, the motor went bad, and the seller has since gone through the entire bike to make sure it’s been done right.
For more information on the ’48 Chief, check out this story on Motorcycle Classics. This example (VIN: 19496466966) has 800 miles on it since the seller brought it back to life. The motor was rebuilt by Mike Tomas of Kiwi Indian and the cosmetics look fantastic. The electrical system has been upgraded to 12V and the seller added an electrical starter as well as a hand-formed stainless steel replica exhaust. As the bike had been sitting for the last 6 months, he just installed a new battery and had the bike serviced.
It’s not a perfect survivor but it’s a labor of love that will make for a great rider. Find this Chief for sale in Costa Mesa, California with bidding up to $27,100 and the reserve not yet met or a BIN of $33,500