1947 Indian Chief - Barn find

1947 Indian Chief.
This motorcycle was discovered hiding in a garage. It is numbers matching frame and motor.I spent a number of years trying to purchase this motorcycle. The original owner had passed away and his family wasn't ready to sell. Finally the call came that they were ready to see the bike get back on the road instead of deteriorate. There were many interested parties but they picked me to sell it to because they believed I would honor their late husband and father's wish to get this bike back in the wind so be loved by another owner.
The story I got was that the bike was purchased new, ode back and forth to work for some time, hen was rear ended in a slow speed collision. At that time the rear fender and the chain guard got damaged. Without the means to repair it, he owner borrowed an Indian Scout from his uncle and rode that for years, nding up purchasing it by making payments.
In 1971, e decided to get the Chief back on the road. He purchased an original paint 1948 chief rear fender in red, nd had it painted to match. The chain guard, ll she could remember came from Canada, ut couldn't verify if it was a reproduction or an original sheet metal item.
The belt guard was taken off by the original owner because he thought it was "custom" and showed some of the machines mechanicals, hich he liked. I could not find a belt guard that matched the patina or look of this bike so I have not put one on. There are many reproductions and NOS belt guards out there, ut I just did not want to take away from the awesome patina this motorcycle has.
In 1971 he also did a number of things to get the bike road ready, uch as change the tires and fluids, nd took the bike on a ride to a motorcycle show. He got 1st place at that show. He then took his wife out to a drive in movie on the bike and then parked it yet again, n 1971 as he had health issues that prevented him from riding it.
This was the condition I purchased the bike in, arked in 1971. All the fluids had been drained from the bike and it was covered by layer after layer of blankets.
Once I got the bike in my possession, started to journey to get it road worthy. With help and tips from some industry experts such as Mike at Kiwi Indian, he process began.
The oil was changed with fresh fluids in the crank case.The oil pump timing was set.Oil pumped through the motor to make sure it was properly lubricated before it was initially fired.Ignition timing was set.NOS distributor rotor was installed.New spark plugs.Replaced the intake seals with NOS seals.Set the valves tappets to correct clearance.Cleaned the linkert carb.Adjusted the carb to run properlyReplaced the battery with a new 6v in a replica indian battery case.Replaced some of the ratty wiring with replica cloth wire for safety.Replaced the chain.Check and set the brakesChecked all the lights, inkages to operate correctly.Pulled the clutch and soaked it in oil to free up the clutch platesReplaced the kick starter return spring with an NOS spring.Plus more I'm sure I'm forgetting!
Once ready, he got 2 prime kicks, nd on the first kick with the ignition on, he fired right up! The clutch works well and shifts through all 3 gears as it should. The only thing this bike would need to see a lot of miles would be tires. I did not replace the tires because I didn't know the next phase in this bikes life. The tires on the bike however do hold air and are well enough for a short trip.
The mileage on the odometer reads 165 miles and 12 of the miles were put on by me. I was told that the original odometer stopped working during the time when it was stored between 1947 and 1971 and was rebuilt. At the time it was rebuilt it has just shy of 3000 miles on it. When it was rebuilt the odometer was reset back to 0 by request of the original owner, o he could track the new birth of his beloved motorcycle. This was a very well card for motorcycle and is remarkably complete for the age.
Any questions please send me a message.
Buyer is responsible for pickup or any shipping costs and arrangements.
Own a beautiful piece of history!

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