HISTORY OF THE INDIAN

The year was 1939 and a 15 year old Ronald Tousignant of Montreal Quebec who at the time was working for smugglers carrying booze over the Vermont mountains into the US for 100.00 a day (50 times the minimum wage) walked into Arlington Sport in Montreal to look at the new Indians. He walked out with a Chief after paying 285.00 cash.
The bike was jet black and came with a sidecar as well as factory options in chrome on the chain guard, front end parts, the dash,air filter etc.
He would take the side car off for highway and put it on for city and winter riding.
The speed limit on the highway was 35 miles an hour.

In 1940 he let his brother take the bike out for a try and while racing down Tachereau Blvd. in a suburb of Montreal he hit some railroad tracks and went down at 70MPH.
The tanks and fenders were badly damaged. Arlington had surplus parts for the new 1940 models so they put on the 40 tanks
and fenders and off he went.

That year Ronald installed red plastic handgrips and a matching kicker pedal from Chicago motorcycle supply for $1.21 and off he went.

The bike again went down during a nasty rain storm on the way to
Val Morin on a gravel road in 1949 grinding down the side of the grip and the leaf front end needed to be welded.
He rode the machine all year through crazy weather until 1949 when he got into business and stored it ever since.

In the 50`s because he ran out of room, the sidecar was sold for $25.00 and used to deliver ice in the neighbourhood.
In 1969 he stored it in a friend's basement and it sat in a corner until I saw it in 1975 after meeting his son who rode a Triumph chopper. I just got my license and was building a chopper myself. I checked it out and remembered thinking how cool it was.

25 years and a lot of miles later we met at a funeral for the guy that was storing the bike for him .I had no idea it was the same bike that rode around my childhood neighbourhood for years and I later
saw it stored at the same riding buddies house in 1975.
The original owner told me he had it dry stored for another 14 years until storing it in an old truck on vacant land for a year until I picked it up.
The truck had been destroyed by kids, windows broke and graffiti all over it but no one had thought of breaking into the truck, thinking it was empty.
He told me it was for sale and I said "It`s Sold" when can I pick it up?

This is the dream of every Indian lovers lifetime. A 1939 matching number Chief from an original owner.
Serial number 339219 engine:CCI219
This bike was purchased from the original owner June 9th 2000.

As you can see in the "Re-Building" section, the bike was a complete rolling basket when I picked it up. I showed up with a manual
and every part was there except the horn and the sidecar.
I went to work on cleaning it up and sending the engine out for the rebuild which had compression when I picked it up.
6 months and $15,000.00 later the Chief was rolling down the highway. I kept the left hand throttle and right hand shift.
However after five hundred miles I decided on a 12 volt system and went with the small GM alternator that fits in like a glove.
Along with the electronic ignition module and the S&S Carb this baby is a first kicker every time.