New. member from Ohio

[jlammers]

Hello from west-central Ohio. I never owned a motorcycle before coming into this 46 Chief survivor bike. Heard rumors of it being stashed away in a local shed but never laid eyes on it. It finally was brought out and put up for sale so I bought it. Family I bought it from owned it since 1957. Rode it until the early 1970's then was parked until a month ago. It's a pretty complete bike with just a few bits missing. I have a lot to learn but am having a ton of fun so far!

[pisten-bully]

WOW! She's a beaut, nice score! ...persistence paid off! Hate to ask, but how are the tanks? Appear to be original so I hope the Chief was put away dry!

[JoJo357]

Welcome Jim. Very nice 1st time bullseye~she's a beauty! With You having never owned a motorcycle, it won't even matter to you that your Indian is the unconventional right shift and left throttle. Enjoy your new find & have Fun!

*P.s. Just my thoughts Jim, but personally, I would not restore an original motorcycle. A clean~up, maintenance//overhaul & m.i.a. parts, and she'll turn some heads lickety~quick!

*M.A.D.*

[DEEBS47Chief1991]

Here's a 2nd vote for leaving the patina. Just do a mechanical restoration (tires/tubes, battery, lube, carb clean, valve adjustment, ignition, bearings) and ride it. Super cool bike!

[DEEBS47Chief1991]

From the pictures, it looks like its only missing the tail light glass, amp meter, battery, horn, & shift knob


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[ammorest]

Jim: Great score!! I agree with Jo-Jo and Deebs about not restoring it. You will find a lot of good people willing to help you with their knowledge. I would suggest you join an AMCA chapter near you and attend the swap meets. You just missed a big one at Wauseon, Ohio. Another one coming up is at Davenport, Iowa at the end of this month. It's not an AMCA meet but is big and worth attending.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Dave

[PaulCDF]

Welcome Jim! Beautiful bike!!!! Here is a shameless plug for the Ohio Chapters hopefully one is near you

#17 Lake Erie Chapter
Cleveland, OH 44101
Contact
Billy Balcer
President
billy@strangebirdmfg.com
More Info
Web Site: www.LakeErieAMCA.org

#20 Ohio Valley Chapter
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Contact
Mary Wheat
President
(812) 239-6324
punkyream@yahoo.com

#72 Buckeye Chapter
Louisville, OH 44641
Contact
Dave Kosita
(330) 284-3209
buckeyeamca@gmail.com
More Info

(This info an more readily available AMCA home page)

Welcome

PS Check out Kiwi Indians website Mike Tomas has many Tech videos about Indians maintainece, starting, riding ect

[1939wl]

Welcome to the forum Jim,
Your 46 is a beauty, and I agree with what others have advised,
You will find a lot of knowledgeable support and camaraderie here !!!

[otis71]

Another “don’t restore it”. Can never go back once you do.

[ChiefTwoKicks]

Here's my thoughts... get a catalog from Greers, they're free. find a copy of the Indian Riders Handbook, these are getting hard to find. Get a factory overhaul manual, look on the web for the 'Virtual Indian" website. Read this stuff again and again until you can almost memorize it... ask for help if you have any doubt. most of all, be patient, careful and thorough. take notes and pictures when you take things apart. Its difficult to do it right if you don't know what's in front of you, or where to begin. shortcuts are not a path to success...you gat the idea !!

You said this is your first motorcycle... don't be in a hurry to get it running... these things take plenty of TLC and a proper introduction will pay off in due time. Listen carefully to the people who mentor you. They have wisdom beyond backyard common sense. Finding a local IIndian mentor is as hard as finding the parts you'll be searching for. as PaulCDF says, join an AMCA chapter.

am I coming on too hard ? I don't mean too. The stark reality is this is hobby isn't for the faint of heart. Rewards beyond your dreams. but also pot holes you can't imagine.
You've come to the right place here, Oh, if you are still of employable age, you might consider getting a second job to help support your new found passion !! ( just kidding !)

Good Luck C2K

[jlammers]

WOW! She's a beaut, nice score! ...persistence paid off! Hate to ask, but how are the tanks? Appear to be original so I hope the Chief was put away dry!

Thank you. The tanks are original. Just some light surface rust inside, nothing too major. There is still oil in the tank, have not drained that yet.

[jlammers]

I appreciate all the responses and encouragement. So far I haven't found a single person that tells me to restore this bike. About 1/2 the people say just get it running and clean it up, the other have say get it running and leave it dirty. My original thinking which you all have reinforced is to get it running and just preserve it, so that's my plan. I just spent 4 years doing a nut/bolt on a 69 COPO Camaro so I have the basic skills to do the work, just not the "motorcycle knowledge".

I've been searching for original parts that I'm missing in similar condition to the rest of the bike - NOS is too good! I've found a horn, clutch pedal pads, grips, battery frog, and a spotlight bar. Still need spotlight bar end caps, spotlights, ammeter, twilight lens and retainer ring. I'm guessing I'll buy a reproduction battery but am hoping that's the only repro part on the bike. So if anyone has some junky-looking original Indian parts, let me know!

I do have a couple of questions for the experts....the ammeter on the bike is the early style 12 o'clock needle, (it's missing the face and lens) but my speedo is the late style with the red bar. Could my bike have been built around the changeover time? serial number is 3091. Also, what tools would have come in the toolbox? I haven't been able to open mine yet, but found an Indian logo adjustable wrench and a tube repair clamp (Shraeder brand I think) in one of the saddle bags.

One other tidbit of history on this bike. My uncle who is 80 years old rode on the back of this very bike back in 1960 as a high school teenager. He told me he tried to buy this bike numerous times over a 40 year span and finally gave up. Here's a pic of him on the bike again roughly 64 years later!

[pisten-bully]

Great story!

My '46 is 300+ numbers before yours, it came with the red bar speedo and the 12:00 o'clock ammeter.

For the ammeter, my Hoyt came in a coffee can with the Chief...no glass, no bezel. Kevin Flanagan re-built mine, 110% recommend! (https://indiangauge.com)

[JoJo357]

Great update Jim. Love to see a few pictures of that COPO?

*M.A.D.*

[Skirted]

Welcome, and WOW! Awesome to see finds like this are still out there. That's quite a lovely specimen. Well done and thanks for posting!
I moved from old cars to old bikes about 12 years ago and never looked back. They take a lot less space, have way fewer parts, and the AMCA community/swap meets/and road runs are awesome.
PS - your uncle looks damn good for 80!