The design of a classic Indian Chief motorcycle features long, swoopy fender lines—and lots of chrome. Those features made the Chief a legendary motorcycle, especially in the years following the Second World War. The appeal was on full display in the 1948 Indian Chief Roadmaster that sold for $35,000 on eBay recently.
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The Last Year of a Great Run
In the post-war years, soldiers returning home needed cheap reliable transportation. Many of the GIs had learned to ride motorcycles in the service—and they fueled the bike boom that followed.
In 1945, the Indian Motorcycle company, which switched hands - opens in new window or tab., struggled to keep up with demand. For 1948, a few changes were made to the frame and speedometer—and Indian added a voltage regulator - opens in new window or tab.. But the parts for these bikes mostly remained the same as the pre-war models.
During these years, Indian began adding the secondary Roadster name to the Chief, denoting the trim package. The Roadmaster package included:
- More chrome
- A side stand and center stand
- A steering dampener
- Twin spotlights
- A windshield
- Saddlebags
During these years, Indian offered a right-, or left-hand throttle. Only around 3,000 Chiefs were built for 1948, down from about 12,000 in 1947. The 1948 Indian Chief Roadmaster that sold on eBay last week was part of that coveted, limited run. You might consider it the last of a breed.
Things changed in 1949. Indian suspended the production of the Chief line to focus on smaller, more lightweight models, much to the chagrin of customers who preferred the larger Chief models. The company revived the Chief again in 1950. But alas, by 1953, Indian Motorcycle ended all production.
Ready to Be Restored, With Parts Included
The Chief Roadmaster that sold featured a 1,212cc (73.6 cubic-inch) air-cooled, 42-degree side-valve V-twin engine. It provides about 40 horsepower and a top speed near 85 miles per hour.
The three-speed, hand-shift transmission puts power to the rear wheel via chain drive. The seat height is 31.5 inches with the Chum-Me seat. The bike weighs around 550 pounds.
The eBay Chief Roadmaster is a matching-numbers - opens in new window or tab. bike with a clean title. At the time of purchase, the odometer showed 41,481 miles. The sale happened fast despite the seller noting that the bike is currently not running. The Chief is missing a piston due to damage, and the engine needs to be rebuilt. Yet, it comes with all its original plus new pieces. The red oxide primer still looks terrific.
The $35,000 sales included those parts, all the bike’s service records, provenance documents, and other historical documents. It’s not often that a classic motorcycle comes with a complete set of original records—contributing to its desirability.
This particular 1948 Indian Chief Roadmaster is no longer available. But fortunately, eBay has a robust set of Indian Motorcycles for sale—going back as early as 1929 and as recent as a dozen or so 2021 models.
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