The building of a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle is more than the restoration of a bike—it’s the resurrection of a dream. Rebuilding the Indian chronicles one man’s journey through the fearful expanse of midlife in a quest for peace, parts, and a happy second fatherhood. Fred Haefele was a writer who couldn’t get his book published, an arborist whose precarious livelihood might just kill him, and an expectant father for the first time in over twenty years. He was in a rut, until he purchased a box of parts not so euphemistically referred to as a “basket case” and tackled the restoration of an Indian Chief motorcycle. With limited mechanical skills, one foot in the money pit, and a colorful cast of local experts, Haefele takes us down the rocky road of restoration to the headlong, heart-thrilling rush of open highway on his gleaming midnight-blue Millennium Flyer.

Rebuilding the Indian

Engineering & Transportation

Haefele, Fred

Automotive

Riverhead Books

The building of a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle is more than the restoration of a bike—it’s the resurrection of a dream. Rebuilding the Indian chronicles one man’s journey through the fearful expanse of midlife in a quest for peace, parts, and a happy second fatherhood. Fred Haefele was a writer who couldn’t get his book published, an arborist whose precarious livelihood might just kill him, and an expectant father for the first time in over twenty years. He was in a rut, until he purchased a box of parts not so euphemistically referred to as a “basket case” and tackled the restoration of an Indian Chief motorcycle. With limited mechanical skills, one foot in the money pit, and a colorful cast of local experts, Haefele takes us down the rocky road of restoration to the headlong, heart-thrilling rush of open highway on his gleaming midnight-blue Millennium Flyer.

Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Bison Books

From working as a timber faller and a tree doctor to profiling environmental protestors and parsing through his own preoccupations with Ken Kesey, Fred Haefele has followed his curiosity into the most extraordinary corners of the place he's chosen to call home. This anthology of seventeen pieces of nonfiction gives us access not only to one of our most talented writers, it shows us the unique emotional and social topography of a region. It's an essential addition to any western bookshelf.

Extremophilia

Bangtail Press

The Essential Book of Pickup Trucks

Regional U.S.

A would-be novelist and expectant father tackles the restoration of a 1941 Indian Chief motorcycle, a daunting project that becomes an epic quest for the meaning of life, in a memoir that explores the satisfaction of creating something--be it a classic motorcycle or beautiful baby girl. 20,000 first printing.

An unsuccessful writer and arborist facing fatherhood again late in life chronicles his midlife crisis and his rejuvenation sparked by his difficult and exciting restoration of a 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle. Reprint.

Riverhead Trade

This memoir purports to be about the building of a beautiful vintage motorcycle from a cardboard box full of parts. But it is really about countless other and less tangible things: the passage of midlife, the joys and heartbreaks of fatherhood, the changing seasons, the beauty and sorrow of everyday life. As the author faces expectant fatherhood, he impulsively embarks on the quixotic project of rebuilding a 1941 Indian Chief motorcycle. The twists and turns of the project become the story of a man's rebuilding his life, redefining himself, and taking a new chance on life.

Audio Literature

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Haefele, Fred. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Haefele, Fred

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Haefele, Fred. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Rebuilding the Indian

Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir

Extremophilia

The Essential Book of Pickup Trucks

Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir

Rebuilding the Indian

Rebuilding the Indian