Indian Chief 1952 for Sale / Find or Sell Motorcycles, Motorbikes & Scooters in USA

1952 Indian Chief (1952)
Indian 1952-53 Roadmaster chief 1340cc 2 cyl sv Frame # CS6187 Engine # CS6187 Prairie Green With its massive skirted fenders, locomotive-like torque, and “last-of-the-breed” heritage, the ’52 Chief is surely one of the most collectible of Indians.The now-legendary V-twin 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 Indian Chief motorcycle was similar to prewar big Indians; the engine remained a 74-cubic-inch flathead to be changed by a 80-cubic-inch in the final years.As always, “Indian Red” was a popular color choice, though others, were available.Modern telescopic forks replaced the girder front end in 1950, when the 74-cubic-inch V-twin was enlarged to 80 cubic inches.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.Though Indian had enjoyed a long and rich history, financial problems beset the company in the early 1950s.Attempts at postwar singles and vertical twins intended to compete with the machines from Europe ultimately proved unsuccessful, and their development had cost the company dearly.Despite the trouble, the V-twin Chief had seen a fair number of updates during the postwar years.In 1952, the front fender was trimmed to a thinner contour and a cowling was added on top of the forks.The Chief’s flathead V-twin was considered somewhat archaic compared to Harley-Davidson’s overhead-valve engines, but the Indian used a more modern ignition system.Whereas Harleys had a single coil that fired both plugs at the same time once per revolution (one plug firing needlessly),Indian used an automotive-type distributor that fired each plug only on its cylinder’s power stroke.This was hardly an overwhelming advantage, however. According to factory records, 700 Chiefs were built in 1952, while only 600 were completed in 1953.After that, the Chief — and Indian along with it — was relegated to history, leaving Harley-Davidson the sole surviving American motorcycle manufacturer.This 1952 Indian Chief motorcycle represents both the crowning achievement and the sorrowful end of a company that gave generations of motorcyclists some of their fondest memories.The 1952 Indian Chief motorcycle, big, heavy, bedecked with bodywork, was together with the 1953 model, the great bike on which a proud American company rode into the sunset.As one of the last Indian motorcycles, the 1952 Chief is among of the most collected bikes from the great American brand.This strong running, 1952 74-cubic-inch Indian Chief “Roadmaster” is very correct. It is very well restored and is ready to turn its face to the horizon.

2024-06-22 10:06:50

Saint Charles, Illinois, United States

87

57,999.00
1952 Indian Chief (1952)
1952 Indian Chief - Blackhawk - Roadmaster - 80 Chief This was Bob’s personal 1952 "80" Indian Chief. It was restored around 1980, has matching numbers CS6080, it's an early 1952, the first one off the assembly line was CS6001. This was restored very close to original, but there were some things dad wanted that weren't original, there's some extra chrome and it's not Indian's Seafoam Blue, it is Ford's Grabber Blue. Now for a little Indian history. When Indian was still in business, even if you were a dealer, if your parts order wasn't over a certain amount, instead of the order going directly to the factory it went to your closest distributor. There was one in California, one in Chicago and one in Philadelphia. Bob, in 1959 or 1960, bought all the old Indian parts, 1953 and earlier, from the Philadelphia East Coast Dealer Distributor, Gene Shillingford and Sons. At that time it was around 50 tons of NOS Indian parts, that's where a lot of the New Old Stock parts came from that we used on this motorcycle. Some of the other NOS parts, like the two fenders, chainguard and gastanks came from the person that purchased all of the parts from the Chicago distributor. The other NOS parts used on this bike that I know of for sure are: Handlebars Handle Grips Shift Lever Luggage Rack Speedo BSC Ignition Switch Dash Light Stoplight Switch Kicker Lever Dimmer Switch Headlight Horn Bracket Front Brake Lever Rear Defender Bumper And of course the two Fenders, Chainguard and Gastanks mentioned above Below are the original Indian parts that were used that weren't NOS but I know dad chose the closest thing to it: Dash Panel Linkert M352 Carb Petcocks Front Fender Tip Rear Bumper Generator, Band and Bracket All Engine Cases Cylinders Heads Transmission Case & Tower Rods Flywheels Horn Rear Safety Bars Brake Drums Brake Panels Wheel Hubs Original Headbolts with the Raised Letter "N" on them Primary Covers-Inner and Outer Fork Top Covers Front Fork Assemblies Rear Shock Assemblies Roadmaster Emblem on Fork Shield Aztec Indian Emblem on Fork Shield Spotlight Brackets Seat T Seatpost Assembly Chummy Seat Helper Spring Assembly Chummy Seat Spring Bracket and U Bolts (attached to motorcycle) Chummy Seat Pan Five Piece Seat Rail Assembly There's definitely more, this is what I know of for sure. It's been quite a long time since we restored this one. The main reproduction parts that were used on this motorcycle are rubber parts and decals. It also comes with a white Indian Chummy Seat, the special ordered earlier type seat pan, just like this bike came with the seatpost and seat bracket, rather than the normal bench type chummy seat that was standard. 52 and 53 Chiefs could be ordered with a solo seat or the earlier style chummy seat and they normally came with right hand throttle and left hand shift. This one was ordered with the left hand throttle, right hand shift. Right now the bike has 24,330 miles on it since the restoration. 20 of those I just put on in the last couple weeks and there's probably going to be a few more until it gets purchased! I know there was at least one top end job done on it so there isn't that many miles on the top end. Everything works and runs good and it's a STRONG runner. It does have a few little nicks and dings here and there in the paint, you can see some wear on certain parts like the saddle bag and seat. Dad rode the bike, he used the bike, it was not a trailer queen, it was used the way it was intended to be used, it was rode. So this isn't one of those "zero mile since restoration" motorcycles. And as you can see it still looks very presentable. On July 24, I took this bike back to Springfield, Massachusetts for Indian Day. I rode it up State Street to the factory for a few pics.

2016-07-28 04:57:52

Etters, Pennsylvania, United States

24

44,000.00
1952 Indian Chief (1952)
HERE WE HAVE A VERY NICE EXAMPLE OF A 1952 INDIAN CHIEF 80 CU IN MOTORCYCLE. IT HAS MATCHING NUMBERS AND A CLEAR TITLE. LOOKS TO BE VERY CORRECT, TANKS, M 350 CARB, SEAT ECT ARE ALL52. WE STARTED IT AND DROVE IT 20 MI AFTER ACQUIRING IT. IT RAN GREAT, SHIFTED SMOOTH, STOPPED WELL, THEN WE STORED IT 4 YEARS AGO.

2016-07-28 04:57:48

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, United States

6

68000
1952 Indian CHIEF (1952)
Hi we are selling a 1952 Indian Chief that is in good shape. It has 1000 miles on it since it was rebuilt and restored 25-30 years ago. Some of the chrome is not perfect but it is a solid bike all the way around.

2016-12-15 04:44:29

Fresno, California, United States

1

51000

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