hello friends
Long time reader but this is my first post.
Lately I have been fascinated with older Indian motorcycles. I have been riding other bikes for last 30 years .
I am wondering how difficult it would be to restore one. I am not a mechanic but I do repairs here and there and have fairly good understanding.
Found one in parts on Craigslist but I am not sure if I should take this on. Also I am not sure what value something like this holds. 1949 Indian
WOW! What a fun puzzle that would be. I'd be tempted to buy that if I lived closer. Really have no idea of value. After restoration you can never get your money out of it. Has to be or become a passion. You will be good friends with KIWI Indian for parts replacement. Maybe contact them for estimated value? DY
That was the first and also the worst year for the vertical twin Indians. Lots of problems due to poor quality control. Not insurmountable being as this bike is a basket case and needs to be completely reassembled. There should be some sources for help and parts out there. Good luck.
Looks to be a very nice project... someone cared enough to lay everything out nicely and it looks pretty clean. I believe I've seen similar offered at $6000. A wild swing at value might look like $10,000. Fairly large unknowns need to be factored into this sort of project... can become difficult and expensive even for some of the seemingly minor stuff. I think some recent sales of more popular models fully restored might range $20,000 to $30,000 or higher depending on rarity and quality.
Visited the sale. It was missing entire tranny , fuel tank, clutch parts , speedo, headlight and quite a few bits. Figured I will scavenging for parts more than I anticipated.
I guess I will run into a match one day
Visited the sale. It was missing entire tranny , fuel tank, clutch parts , speedo, headlight and quite a few bits. Figured I will scavenging for parts more than I anticipated.
I guess I will run into a match one day
I would be concerned about finding parts, getting how-to information, and availability and cost of engine/transmission overhaul service for vertical twin Indians which never sold in great numbers. I also wonder about the market value of a restored vertical twin Indian if you should want to sell it. Do your homework about these things before jumping into a restoration project. Services such as tank repair, frame straightening, re-chroming, wheel and suspension, painting and electrical can also be expensive.
If I were thinking about investing in and restoring an old motorcycle, I would prefer to restore a running, titled, Indian Chief or Scout preferable late 40's to early 50's.
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