[The Garbone]

My first impression is No...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Royal-Enfield-n-a-n-a-Royal-Enfield-Indian-1959_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ140291602609QQsspagenameZRSSQ3aBQ3aSRCHQ3aUSQ3a101

[Cabo Cruz]

I dunno what to say to you, Gary!  You'll have to make the call...

[ace.cafe]

It depends on what the final winning bid is.

It could be a start toward a nice bike, but it does need work.
Hitchcock's would have most of the stuff you need, but it's not cheap to restore a twin, so you need to be ready to sink some cash into it.
The Indian Chiefs were either Super Meteors or Constellations, with some cosmetic changes.

They are nice bikes and can be fun projects.
If it is worth it to you, that's all that matters.
Plus, the twins are bringing more money on the collector market, so it could have a good selling value when it's done, if you decide to sell.

The twins are out of my price league, even to restore. But I like them.
I personally like the Bullet better, for it's simple charm and looks.

[geoffbaker]

Looks tempting.

But add in the price to ship (say, $800) ... and the cost of the rebuild ...

It will cost more than a new Bullet, I would bet...

but price isn't the issue; it's how much you really want that refinished bike...

[rotorwrench]

The 55 thru 60 Indian Sales Corp twins including the 59 Chief on E-pay are actually more abundant than the later Interceptors. The Indian dealer network had a farely wide range around the North American continent. They are out there but most are in the same condition as the E-pay machine. If you want a Royal Enfield based twin and you live anywhere outside a large populous area, you will most likely have to travel to buy one. I purchased my first one in the unpopulated farm country of western Kansas, but it had been moved there from Georgia just a few months earlier. It was an old 58 Trailblazer and wasn't in near as good a condition as the old Chief on the bay.

I now have more than one big twin RE Indian and a 500 Tomahawk. They are a lot of fun to ride. They have an excellent Brit bike look, sound, & feel. They aren't a particularly fast bike but they are reliable when brought back up to a decent condition and they have a lot of low end torque. Parts are a little more expensive than the other brit models but not out of reach. I can get parts from Hitchcock's in the UK nearly as fast as I can if I order parts for say a BSA or Triumph here in the USA.