1947 Chief in the Stable

[sirhrmechanic]

For seat and bags, there is a product called Leatherique rejuvenator oil.

Superb for old leather. Just keep rubbing it in until no more will go in. May take a few weeks. But it will bring back almost anything. http://www.leatherique.com/

Not affiliated, but have known these folks for 30 plus years and the 'hype' on their site is simply fact. Their products are superb.

FYI, I am an Indian newby as well. First Chief (38 Rigid) last fall. But been playing with rusty old Harleys and other 'stuff' for years. There are great resources here. Harry (pisten Bulley) and Skirted have been right down the road you are starting to walk and will offer you great advice!!!

I can't tell you how gorgeous your bike is. You'll have a lot to think about on your next cruise. If you can get a copy before you weigh anchor, get a copy of The Iron Redskin (ebay) and enjoy while shipboard.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Xtracho]

For seat and bags, there is a product called Leatherique rejuvenator oil.

Superb for old leather. Just keep rubbing it in until no more will go in. May take a few weeks. But it will bring back almost anything. http://www.leatherique.com/

Not affiliated, but have known these folks for 30 plus years and the 'hype' on their site is simply fact. Their products are superb.

FYI, I am an Indian newby as well. First Chief (38 Rigid) last fall. But been playing with rusty old Harleys and other 'stuff' for years. There are great resources here. Harry (pisten Bulley) and Skirted have been right down the road you are starting to walk and will offer you great advice!!!

I can't tell you how gorgeous your bike is. You'll have a lot to think about on your next cruise. If you can get a copy before you weigh anchor, get a copy of The Iron Redskin (ebay) and enjoy while shipboard.

Cheers,

Sirhr

Thanks Sirhr. Already have The Iron Redskin ordered and shipped 2 day delivery from Amazon. Great thing about this is I'll have the next few months to really bore into the material I've ordered and printed. When I return home early December I'll be ready to dive in and get started with "Bernie". Today has been spent on nothing more than getting all that reference material ordered and/or printed out. And thanks for the heads up on Leatherique. I'll be one of their customers very soon.

[bstevens479]

Hi B by itself is battery ignition M by itself is magneto ignition BM together stamped after the serial # is the higher compresion Bonneville Magneto engine so designated from 1940 -1948 check behind the coil to see if some one in the past removed the mag & converted it to batt. ign.I also agree with the others, to nice to restore, clean it up make it run & stop safely & have fun it is only original once

[Xtracho]

That's the plan...one of my cousins mentioned about "can't wait to see it in pristine condition." I stopped her right there and told her that I'm going to make sure she remains as original as possible. And that means leaving the patina of age on her. Sure, clean her up really good, knock down the bad spots and treat them, but that's about it. I'm not interested in making her into a museum quality piece. I already have enough chrome on the Goldwing and Valkyrie to fool with. I sure as hell don't need any more! LOL.

[Tom Lovejoy]

Awesome machine, good luck + have fun. While in Brazil with your computer, check out Virtual Indian website too. Not up dated very often, but ton's of good stuff for Indian fans.

[D.A.Bagin]

Every time I see another new picture of this bike I am amazed at the originality and family history behind it. You have a real gem there and hope you understand how lucky you are. To have the family history and hopefully when you get some more stories behind this bike, please share them with us. I hope to see this bike in person at a meet in the future. You have received some of the best advice from people that are the most knowledgeable in the world on this machine as far as mechanical and cosmetics. I, and I am sure others on here, breathed a sigh of relief when you let us know you plan on changing little, other than to make it safe and mechanically sound. I think with a little effort this bike will clean up and be an amazing "Museum Piece". You will be surprised what some of these modern cleaners and restoration items will do. Just be careful and try them on a spot that is not seen first to check the results. Those saddlebags are in amazing condition also. Sometimes a home-brew cleaner works wonders. Check with some on here that have gone through this process before. To me, and I am no expert, that looks like a Sea-Foam blue paint option similar as to what is on my Four, and may be the original paint on that machine. Check with others that are more knowledgeable than me.

[T. Cotten]

As Tom suggested,

The static VirtualIndian web-magazine is http://virtualindian.org/

And dynamic mailing list that spawned it is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VirtualIndian/

Good luck!

....Cotten

[bikerdds]

Mark, when you get a battery shell, get it from Chris Daniel. It is the ONLY correct, exact correct in every detail battery for this bike! An original like thgis deserves the best.

Also, did it come with a tool kit? If so post pictures. Lots of contention what a few actually look like. Marty

[Xtracho]

Again, I cannot express my gratitude to all of you for the encouraging words, advice, and guidance. It's still sinking in I think. Each time I take a look at the photos I'm in awe of the history this bike has seen. My Uncle's oldest son, Ken, rode this bike to and from college for 4 years. Actually he probably put most of the 14K miles on the speedometer.

I registered this morning for the "virtual Indian" newsgroup and bookmarked the static web site.

I'll be querying the family in the coming months for any old photos of the bike with my Uncle. Don't know about the tool kit. I'll have to ask about that. It would be more icing on the cake for sure.

when you get a battery shell, get it from Chris Daniel.

Does Mr. Daniel have a web site? Thanks!

[Skirted]

Does Mr. Daniel have a web site? Thanks!

Found this in a post from earlier this year

Chris Daniel
Precision Finishing Inc.
704-236-5410
He also now has JD/VL battery cases too.

[Xtracho]

Found this in a post from earlier this year

Chris Daniel
Precision Finishing Inc.
704-236-5410
He also now has JD/VL battery cases too.

Thanks Jason...and everyone. Bookmarked this so when I'm ready I can contact him.

[Sargehere]

As long as you're going to sea and collecting reading material, I think you'd benefit from "The Harley and Indian Wars" by Allan Girdler. It's not a technical manual, but an interesting overview narrative on the way both Harley and Indian companies developed as manufacturers and "rivals" over the decades. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Harley-Davidso.../dp/0785830170 Good luck with "Bernie!"

[sirhrmechanic]

Sarge: Agree... that is a phenomenal book! Such good context for the rivalry between two great companies. Compared to all the silly "reprint the same picture with wrong captions coffee-table junk out there on bikes... HD and Indian Wars is replete with original research, new (at least to me) information, and engaging writing. I consider it a must-read for the vintage bike person, regardless of brand loyalty. Good call!!!

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Jim]

Great looking bike! I cannot say anymore that hasn't been said here already. Good Luck in fixing it up!

[Peter Cooke]

And don't forget to take a packet of highlighters to use on all that reference material. Makes it easier to find useful bits of info again down the track.