I need some advise. I have a 1949 Scout 4sale. It has been completely rebuilt. Everythingn the bike is original.  The bike has sat in a lower level of a home since it was rebuilt 20 yrs ago. It has never been ridden.  It has Indian bags.

 I need to know what it is worth.

 

 

 

Hi,
   There are many variables to consider when deciding the worth of a machine from both the buyer and seller perspective.   You say your bike was rebuilt, but the buyer has no real way of knowing the level of quality of the rebuild.  Receipts, if you have any, will help document condition.  Is the bike currently running and drivable?  Running and driving helps.  Not running hurts as the bike cannot be test-driven.  After 20 years, the battery has got to be shot and the tires are likely not road-worthy.  That may or may not hurt as a potential buyer may not be looking to drive the bike every day.  A buyer with a collection may be more interested in how correct the machine is.  Some questions a buyer may ask are:  1.  Is the machine composed of original Indian parts, or reproduction parts?  Reproduction parts, if low quality, hurt a machine's worth.  2.  Does the machine come with clean and complete transferable paperwork?  Many buyers shy away from no paperwork and you may want to make sure everything is in transferable order before actually offering the machine for sale.  3.  Is the color correct and original?  Repaints, regardless of quality, may not help value.  Some buyers look for original paint as no problems can be hidden underneath the paint, such as plastic filler, etc.  4.  Does the bike run?  If you think the bike will run, get it running.  Fresh gas and oil are absolutely necessary.  Some questions the seller must ask are:  1.  How badly do I want to sell?  Know the price you want before you offer the machine for sale.  Buyers don't like to be dragged around by wishy-washy sellers.  2.  Do I know anything about a 1949 Scout?  If you do, fine.  If you don't do some research and familiarize yourself with the machine.   3.  What is the current market like for these machines?  One of the very best ways to know what is going on is to check magazines, such as Walnecks, to see what other people are asking for similar machines.  One problem with magazines is that you never know if a particular machine sells or not.  One of the best sources for current market prices is to rigorously search and follow machines on eBay Motors.  There you can follow asking prices, selling prices, and the level of interest by the bidding activity.  4.  Am I willing to handle the potential difficulties of selling the machine?  If you sell on eBay, you may not have to deal with a lot of people face-to-face.  If you sell through a newspaper or magazine or Craig's list, or other methods you can expect to meet with 10 potential buyers before a sale is made.  You must 'steel' yourself for issues of trust, method of payment, deception, and who knows what else.  The bottom line is right now the market is not particularly good for sellers because the economy is not strong.  When everything went South in 2008 many prices did also.  Antique motorcycles prices, particularly Indian, have fared somewhat better but still probably weak.  For buyers with money, some recognize the time is now to buy to there is strong activity for a particularly nice and desirable machine.  Is your machine particularly nice and desirable?  You will have to test the waters to find out.  I follow eBay closely and for a 1949 Scout, I have seen prices for complete restored machines go anywhere from $6,000.00 on the low side to $12,000.00 on the high side.  It would be extremely rare if not impossible to get more than $12,000.00.  The bike would have to be a zero mile untouched original.  My guess is that at least one of these machines a month turns up for sale.  This should give you a pretty good range of  prices the machines are going for.  In any case, it will take time.  A $6,000.00 machine will sell much faster than a $12,000.00 machine.    I hope the information helps some.  Good luck with your machine.  Sincerely, Steven Bailey baiste@sgu.edu

Per NADA the values are below. That should give you a
general idea as a starting point and then factor in all the
aforementioned equations.

1939 Jr. Scout:

Excellent $14,350
Very Good  $8,200
Good   $6,550
Fair $4,575
Poor $2,700


1939 Sport Scout:

Excellent $18,700
Very Good  $11,550
Good   $7,800
Fair $5,525
Poor $3,550


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0&l=1&w=23&p=38&f=5694&gc=AM>c=MC&m=0031&y=
1939&ml=I">http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?
LI=1-23-38-5692-0-0-
0&l=1&w=23&p=38&f=5694&gc=AM>c=MC&m=0031&y=
1939&ml=I

Hi,
   A word of caution.  Do not confuse the 1949 Scout with any Scout made before WWII, such as a 1939 Jr. Scout or Sport Scout.  The 1949 Scout and its smaller brother the Arrow are light-weight vertical models.  The Arrow was the single cylinder, while the Scout was the twin cylinder.  The 1949 Arrow and Scout models are often referred to as 'Torque' models because they were originally developed by the Torque Company which was subsequently purchased by Indian.  The 1939 Jr. Scout and Sport Scout were both V-twins, smaller brothers of the V-Twin Chiefs.  Value-wise I would say that the pre-WWII Scouts are bringing more money than the post-WWII Vertical models.  In a similarly confusing way, the Royal Enfield Chiefs of the late 50s and early 60s bring less money than the pre and post-WWII skirted fender Chiefs.  The Royal Enfield Chiefs were vertical twins whereas the earlier Chiefs, made by Indian, were V-twins.  Though both called Scouts, the pre-WWII machines are very different than the post-WWII machines with virtually no parts interchangeability.  The same is true of the immediate post-WWII Chiefs and the Chiefs that were rebadged Royal Enfields.   About the only things that would interchange are accessories like windshields, spotlights, etc.  From my observation of the Indian market, as the earlier Indians became more expensive to purchase there was a shift to the less-expensive Indians, namely the 'Torque' Arrows and Scouts and the Royal Enfield Indians.  There are enthusiasts of Indians of any type and as long as a seller is patient, flexible, and perseveres, a buyer will be found.  Good Luck.  Sincerely, Steven Bailey baiste@sgu.edu