Forum

[Ted]

Hey gents,
I think I have a 1959 Chief, Looks exactly like the one in the member photos (Hitchcock) its blood red in color and has all the indian badges. I have had all the chrome reworked and am starting the rest of the resto. How can I positiviley identify the year and model. I read there were left over bikes and they were shipped and sold in America. The rear tire is a 4.75X16 can a 5X16 fit on the rear? this is whats on the front. Maybe I can post phots to this post but I don't know how? I really want to complete this resto and will post pics to the members phot gallery. Any Information to assist me with this project will be greatly appreciated.

[Mark M]

Ted,the most reliable way to date your bike is through the Royal Enfield Owners Club who hold all the records. Find them (and join for this service) on line. If you post your numbers here I have some data which will help confirm if it is a Chief, the REOC can add extra data like where it was sent. (If you don't want to put them here email me at mumforduk (AT) hotmail (DOT) com and I'll mail you back. (Just fill in the words in brackets in the email address, it's a spam avoider!) I don't know where you read they were leftovers, this is wrong, they were made exclusively for the Indian Sales Corporation by Royal Enfield. There were several bikes in the range (look at reindian.com for more info,) in various styles but the Chief has the most unique parts not found on any other model and as such are hardest to restore. I will check the swingarm for tyre width later, I have two Chief project bikes, neither on the road yet! REgards, Mark

[Ted]

Thanks Mark, I will get in touch with you, I appreciate the info, i can get the numbers off the engine, do i need to match the frame also? I need new rims as these are rusty does Hitchcocks sell the ones for this bike. The gent from hitchcoks said there is no shop manual for the indian and the constellation is the closest. I think the rim size is different from the constellation if so I will need the size. Are they standard? (will a harley rim work?)

[Mark M]

Ted, email me, I should have most of the info among the stuff the previous owner of my mostly complete Chief put together. There is no manual that covers the whole Chief as it was built to Indian's specification and they should have created their own manual (but didn't!) but the engine is basically a single carb Constellation so that manual works for the motor. The rest I can guide you with hopefully! If you send me the numbers (frame and engine) and also the one on top of the gearbox, it should be repeated on the front of the engine cases near the front engine plates as well.
REgards, Mark

[Norm]

Hi Mark, while we are talking Chiefs what info do you have on the gearbox because it is different than the standard Albion. We have had one arrive in Melb this week and I guess I'll be working on it shortly because it is a non runner but complete and in fairly good condition. I believe they only made about 850 of them and I saw one on a trailer as it passed me just before Christmas. Bullet couldn't go fast enough to catch up to him and find out about it

[Ted]

Mark,
I just looked at the engine and frame, The right neck had 4759 and the left had 9103.
The front of the engine had AM723 and the right side had PC 60328 not sure which numbers are for what?
I hope this helps! I sent an e-mail and hope to talk more. Thanks!
Ted from Niagara Falls NY USA

[TomLouis]

Ted,R-E Indian.com lists serial numbers for the 1959/60 Chiefs and your number falls outside his top range. Is it possible your first number is a five and not a six? If so it puts your bike at fairly late 1960. If your tool box is a period Enfield type with the battery inside you likely have a 1959; if you have a kidney shaped toolbox from a late forties Matchless, mounted on the left side with the ignition switch mounted in the corner, it is probably 1960. In late 1959 the rights to Indian were sold to AMC (Matchless AJS etc.) and there were 500 to 800 (depending on your source) R-E Chiefs sold by AMC as part of the deal. The 4759 frame number is a casting number, my 1960 Chief has this number. The 9103 is the frame number and doesn't and shouldn't match your engine number. It may be possible to fit a 500-16 tire on the rear but it is at best very difficult and on the road (no one gets flats, right?) maybe impossible. My current tires are Dunlop K127 360-16s as I have not been able to find 4.75-16s for decades.

[Mark M]

Norm, not much on the gearbox I'm afraid as I haven't yet been inside my two, all I can tell you is that the selector mechanism is the same but the gears themselves are a different heavier form and not interchangeable with either early Albions or the later post 1959 heavy form type. For spares your best bet would be to contact Allan H, he has a lot of stuff not listed. Let me know how it goes with the bike!
REgards, Mark

[Bullet Whisperer]

While on this subject, I have an oddball bottom yoke, which I thought to be for a Bullet or twin, until it was used while trying to make up a front end. It was found to put the stanchions about 1/4" or so further apart than 'normal' and we had to use another bottom yoke in order to get the stanchions to go into any top yoke we had to hand. This bottom yoke looks identical to other R.E. bottom yoke I have looked at, apart from the centres of the stanchion clamps being that little bit further apart. This does not appear to be the result of any damage or butchering. Does anyone know what I have here? Thanks, Paul.

[Mark M]

Paul, can you send me a picture to the email address in my reply at the top of this thread? I can then compare it to the Chief type I have here. REgards, Mark