1948 Indian 74ci Chief

• Expert restoration by Pete Bollenbach
• Final year of the girder-forked Chief
• Used for touring the USA
• Present ownership since 2020

In 1916 Indian introduced a new 61ci (1,000cc) 'flat head' v-twin - the Powerplus - to replace the original 'F-head' type that had been around since 1907. A smaller model, the 37ci (600cc) Scout, joined the Powerplus in 1920 and then two years later the range was extended to encompass a new, Scout-based 61ci model - the Chief - the first of a famous line that would endure until 1953.

Constantly developed, the Chief had gained a new frame and forks, dry-sump lubrication and coil ignition by 1940, that year's models being notable as the first to have plunger rear suspension and the deeply valanced fenders of the quintessential Chief. With war looming, Indian increasingly turned to the production of military models, the Army version of the Chief emerging stripped of its valanced mudguards and chromework and finished in drab olive green. Indian's first significant post-war development was a change to girder forks for the 74ci (1,200cc) Chief, by then Indian's only model. In 1950 the Chief's engine was stretched to 80ci (1,320cc) and a telescopic front fork and right-hand throttle twist-grip adopted, the latter for the first time on a production Indian.

One of approximately 3,000 built in 1948, the machine offered here is a superlative example of the 'skirted fender' Chief, considered by many aficionados of the Springfield marque to be its ultimate expression. This gorgeous Chief was fully rebuilt to his expert standards by the famous Indian motorcycle collector and ASMCAS judge Pete Bollenbach in the early 1990s, and was his 'go to' bike for touring, which he did on it on numerous occasions. This Chief featured in Indian Motorcycle Illustrated (Winter 1993 edition) in an article describing a 4,000-mile Mexican tour, and again in the March 1995 edition with a full colour six-page article about the bike and its builder. This Chief also appears on Champs American Vintage Cycles collector card number '181'. Both magazines and the card are included in the sale.

The current vendor purchased the Chief at a Las Vegas motorcycle auction in January 2020 and had it shipped to the UK and registered here. He advises us that it is in full running order and totally original. Offered with a history file.
Key not required