The Indian Chief doesn’t need much introduction. It’s one of the all-time icons of motorcycling. The model was first introduced in 1921, amid one of Indian’s many rough patches. With sales down 30 percent, the brand decided that luxury was the path to success. On Labor Day (kind of late in the season to be rolling out a new model, if you think of it), the Chief was born. Driven by a 61-cubic-inch (998cc) engine, it promised a face-melting 20 horsepower.
Twenty-six years later, when this example rolled off the production line, the world was a different place and the Chief a different beast. Though, Indian was once again struggling. The company had switched leadership and was really only staying afloat thanks to post-WWII consumer demand for anything with wheels and an engine. The Chief’s engine was antiquated, however, with the company not having had the time/money to invest during the war years. For 1947, the Chief received the iconic war bonnet light on its front fender, along with improved suspension. Engine capacity was now 74 cu. In. (1212 cc), and peak power output was up to about 40 hp. But the engine’s side-valve technology had been around since Labor Day 1921.
Although Indian sold 11,849 Chiefs in 1947 (according to Indian Motorcycle: America’s First Motorcycle Company, by Darwin Holstrom), company leaders were convinced that its antiquated design meant it had to go. Confusingly, the bike was renamed the “348” in 1948, ostensibly because a numeral seemed more ‘modern’ than the Chief name. The bike was dropped from Indian’s line-up entirely in 1949, but when an attempt to offer Indians driven by single-cylinder and parallel twin engines flopped, the V-twin Chief was rushed back into production late in 1950. Still with side-valve technology but with a slight boost in capacity (80 cu. in., or 1300 cc), it wasn’t enough to save the company. Indian went belly up roughly two years later.
In other words, this machine offers a kind of time capsule. It is something from a tiny moment in time ─ a single year ─ in which Indian seemed like it might be able to buck its downward trend. The bike has been “totally refurbished” according to its seller, with a few non-original but period-appropriate bits, such as its pedals and headlights.
The rebuilt engine has only 900 miles on the clock. With a buy it now price of $32,000, you can find this 1947 Indian Chief for sale in Alexander, Arkansas here on eBay.