1948 Chief Auction in Missouri

[Skirted]

Not being an Indian guy, what do you guys in the know think this bike is worth, as is? How about after a mechanical restoration?
Just curious about the reality of what it could become after getting it road worthy. I did look on Hagerty valuation tool for rough #'s

What does it cost to rebuild the engine/tranny? I know its a guess.........

Value is in the eye of the beholder. If ROI is any concern $12.5 - $13k in my opinion if buyer can do most of the work themselves. The story is nice and all but unless there are photos and/or documentation to back it up, its just a story. I reckon that bike has ben ridden more than 17k miles I think. Like a lot more. But if ROI is of no concern then yea it'd be a wonderful project for sure. Of course if it was original paint....... but doesn't look like it. Unless one has a stock pile of good parts I say easy $10k to make it a safe reliable rider with no money spent on cosmetics.

[bstevens479]

Years ago I bought a 1948 Chief from the estate of the original owner. The bike lived it's entire life in the same area, even had the original bill of sale, way cool. However could never prove that it was original paint, talked to many of his friends & relatives, some said untouched & a few thought it had been repainted in the 50's. I ride my bikes & this bike a maximum of 5 miles a year, I was afraid of hurting or crashing it. I sold it to a collector who wanted a static display. Trailered it to Oley to meet with buyer, he had a surprised look when I rode thru the gates to his spot, he didn't care if it ran.

[JoJo357]

It's almost impossible to tell whether the '48 Indian is OP from just a few pictures. But even if it was not an OP motorcycle, and a repaint was done a long time ago~big deal, nobody rides the paint. This Chief still has plenty of Moxie! As far as the story & description goes, at some point you just have to go by your genuine feelings and have some trust in them. Either way, someone is going to get a very decent Indian.

*M.A.D.*

[EricOlson]

Looks like the final price was $18,500, and I assume that is not including the buyer premium. At one place on the site it says the buyer premium is 15%, but at another it says 18%. Either way, I hope the new owner enjoys this bike. As said before, if the new owner is on here please let us know what the future holds for it.