need some advice part II - what to look for in the dream bike

[aralph]

I always thought, he who dies with the most toys is just dead.....

[Troll]

Maybe you can't take it with you, but it's nice to have it while you're here...remember, the one who dies with the most toys wins....

[aralph]

thanks ratman, as for those leather bags I figure I'm into this knee deep already,
might as well go all in...
you can't take it with you when your gone...

[greenbarn]

My next venture is to get some leather bags to match the seat $$$$$$$$

regards
aralph

You're absolutely right about that!  That will be sweet.

Thanks for the input.  I had figured that was the case, but it's good to know for sure.  So am I correct that ANY 2-up seat will have the correct brackets?

[CDNRatMan]

   aralph I'll be that is the sweetest ride north of Tecumseh Rd. perhaps even south too......really looks good.

[aralph]

I would definitely look for the 2up combination, this is a pricey expenditure.
Mine was set up for solo only and by the time I bought a corbin seat, brackets from Kawi, the left side
footpeg bracket and Kuryakyn foot pegs (more money if you want floorboards) I spend enough for a nice
vacation to Cuba for a week.
No trouble getting the parts, just had to pay for them.
And when I was originally looking for a Drifter this didn't see to add or take away from the value of the bike.
It was more like a selling feature...

My next venture is to get some leather bags to match the seat $$$$$$$$

regards
aralph

[CDNRatMan]

  dude adapt and overcome.....or buy it and leave it here for when you come for a visit and I'll keep it running and working for you......

[greenbarn]

I bet you would, Ratman.... That thing reads in "KMS"?  I would never know how fast I was going or how far I'd been!

[CDNRatMan]

http://northbay.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-motorcycles-street-cruisers-choppers-REDUCED-Kawasaki-Drifter-1500-W0QQAdIdZ524022281

I have never seen nor heard of this bike in town, but it is supposed to be here, GB send me the money and I'll hold it here for you at my place till we can get together and make the exchange........oh you might have to leave it here if you can not import it, but I'll look after it for you....trust me......

[DC]

Another thing to consider is whether you want to go the blackout route or chrome.  If blackout, then you be looking at 1999-2000.

There are lots of good bikes out there.  Take your time and check them out in person, if you can, or ask a member to check some things out on it, if its out of your area.

I wouldn't go with one that the motor has been bored out near the limit.  Why bother.

These are going to be getting harder to find over time.  I would say if you find THE one you want, go for it, if you otherwise wouldn't be doing the customizing to get it to that point yourself for lower cost and higher quality.

I was fortunate and found mine pretty quickly.  Only a few months of searching, both near and far.  I did let a few that I was very interested in get away, as I was evaluating everything.  If it's a good bike for sale, with the right mods, and its priced according to the market, it will not be posted for very long.  These can go quickly.  If they have quirky mods, oddball paint schemes, or are priced too high, they can languish in the market for a long time.

In the end, I'm VERY happy with my bike.  This sounds weird, but I don't know how I lived without it before.  This bike is part of me in ways I just can't describe. 

[dakuhosu]

Yep.

[CDNRatMan]

http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=25236.0

[greenbarn]

Part II of my quest for information on shopping for my Dream Bike.  Any ideas from this forum's wisdom base would be highly valued.

I know it's going to be another Drifter, I just need to decide what to shop for.   As I look through ads for bikes for sale, I try to prioritize what aspects/options/etc. are more important.  I figure you can buy the first thing that comes along, or look for a long time to find exactly what you want.  Hopefully it will be something in between. 

So here are some attributes I want to look for, and my reasoning.  I value the wisdom found on this forum - please tell me if I'm off base on any of these.  These are listed in order of "approximate" importance, but not exactly hard-and-fast.

1) cost:  I'm cheap, I don't like to pay full price.  I don't plan to pay $6000 for a $6000 bike, unless I would find EXACTLY what I want, which is highly unlikely.  I plan to paint this bike, so cosmetic conditions, color, etc, don't really matter.  A GOOD VALUE does.  Mechanical issues are not bad, unless they're un-repairable, or not easily fixed (e.g. I probably don't want to have to find a used motor)

2) Mileage:  I see a lot of low mileage drifters for sale.  As long as there are low mileage bikes, why buy a high-miles model?  My personal target is 10-15000 with 20,000 being "sort of" an upper limit.  Does this soun5) d reasonable?

3) seat configurations:  It seems that every 2-up configuration requires the illusive stock bracket.  So it seems to make sense to find a bike with either a 2-up that I want, or at least a stock 2-up for the brackets?

4) R vs. J - I think I've decided on a R version, mostly for the larger fuel tank, and I think I want chrome on this bike.  I really like the blacked out bikes, too, but I think I might go with a black 800 later...  another story.

5) Exhaust:  some of these pipes are getting hard to find.  Peacepipe, Roadhouse.   Seems like getting a sweet pipe on there would have to be a PLUS.

6) other options:  stuff like windshield, crash bar, light bar, saddle bags, etc.  These are a little more quantifiable - it's easy to figure how many dollars they will cost to add if they're not on there.

Anything else I'm missing?