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Hello friends

1K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  My Old Chief 
#1 ·
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
 
#3 ·
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
 
#4 ·
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.
 
#5 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
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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