1946 Indian Chief

The 1946 Chief became the companies only model after the war

New for that year were girder-style forks adapted from Indian's radical 841

A matching frame and engine example owned by just four enthusiasts in its 73-year history

Supplied with its original main dealer panniers

Comes with a NOVA reference number ready to begin the UK registration process

One of the finest Indian motorcycles available in the UK

The now-legendary V-twin 1946 Indian Chief motorcycle emerged as Indian's flagship model after World War II, and the popular design relegated the American company's four-cylinder and smaller V-twin models to history. The engine remained a 74 cubic inch flathead and the tank graphics were unchanged. The biggest change was the introduction of girder-style forks adapted from Indian's radical 841 model that had been designed for desert use by the U.S. military during the war. These new forks provided a full five inches of wheel travel versus the meager two inches allowed by the previous leaf-spring design. Though the rear still featured the same plunger-type suspension, spring rates were softened. These changes resulted in an even smoother ride than before, a notable selling feature of the postwar models. As always, Indian Red was the most popular colour choice.

This 1946 Indian Chief was purchased from its original owner at Barrie automotive flea market in Ontario, Canada, by the late Samuel H.High III. Samuel was well regarded in the motorcycle community winning numerous awards on the show circuit with this Indian Chief and there are two plaques mounted on the bike, Senior National first prize and the ultimate Grand National winner. However, after 30 happy years, the time had come to part with his beloved Indian and it was offered for sale at Hershey in 2003. In the owner's file, there is a document signed by Samuel transferring ownership to the next keeper.

Those lucky buyers were Tony along with his close friend Tim who was listed as the registered keeper. Tony owned one of the best tooling companies in Canada and had a dream of taking the ‘46 Indian across Canada