I have had this strange, twisted desire to have a 1948 Indian Chief motorcycle ever since I can remember. Well today that dream came true, albeit at the cost of my '29 A (I traded). I will certainly miss the car but this bike is killer and now I have an excuse to spend even more time over at the Jockey Journal, It sure is a lot different than my newer Harley and it shares a lot of similarities to my '29 A in some ways. Anyway, here is a parting shot of my '29 and a few pics of the newest addition to my garage:
One of the rare cases were a hot rod traded for a motorcycle actually worked! Looks good, that '48 is sweeeet.
i know the dream well , i will never own one but always liked the springfield m***achusetts built motocycles ,enjoy it
Hey thanks guys. The A was really nice and a part of me wonders if this isn't the second "wish I still had it" car (the first one I want back is my '55 Chevy 2DRHDTP). But numbers don't lie and '48 Indians are not something you trip across every day. I am very happy, and in "good times" the Indian is worth a lot more. That said, they will bury me with this Indian. I have wanted one since I was knee high to a gr***hopper and now, finally, at 50 I have one ;-) PS - I still have my '38 Dodge Coupe so now the pressure is on to get it ready for GoodGuys here in Nov.
love it. and love your A too. now just trade that "new harley" of yours for another model A and you will be SET!
haha you never know, my wife calls me the "horse trader". In this economy, I have found that trading is the way to get **** done. I saw this bike and pursued the owner. It took a few weeks but we made it happen. I got the A the same way, traded a jeep for it. I just try to trade "up". I traded for my Harley too. But I love my Springer and ride it a ton. It's not going anywhere - it gets a lot better mileage than my F250 so I ride it to work most days
an excellent trade. you recieved something you've lusted over and was 'unobtainium' for something mundane and easy to find.
yep, i feel ya. i love trading. i'm the master of trades myself. always head good luck with it. nice bike, but i like the indian!
I guess I understand, and I'm happy for you. I want you to know that I've "lusted" after THAT coupe every time it pops-up in your avatar. I've always thought it to be one of the three best looking Model As on the HAMB. DD
Nice deal! Both are beautiful. another A will come along ,before an Indian. >You can buy a new HD anyday. Harley's not worth the Indian.
Hello all - I am back with an update on the '48 Indian Chief. I just got it back last week from the painter and it looks awesome. I changed the seat to a solo seat from Starklite (uses an original Indian seat pan). I also located a set of low-rise original bars that had been rechromed and installed those as well as an electronic ignition module tucked in the original distributor. Here are some pictures:
The Jalopy Journal
