Why the Drifter?

[lurker66]

Why a Drifter?  Because it's Cool and smooth and not hard to ride for a beginner like me.

[jmbo]

The Drifter is a great looking bike and pretty reliable on good roads, but I took mine on a 1 in 4 (25%) single track mountain road that had plenty of very tight hairpin bends..Look on Google maps and get directions from Abergwesyn to Tregaron in Wales, it doesn't show how steep it is but believe me, it is the hardest road I have ridden ..some of those hairpins are shorter than the Drifter and the drop beside the track is one that I wouldn't be able to walk away from..My Honda Shadow VT700 would have made easy work of it at less than half the weight and a lot shorter.

John.

I have to agree with John. While the Drifter handles pretty good for its size (better than a Harley in my estimation) it's not a road course bike. Heck, I can wax my Drifter in the twisties on any day on my old '74 Triumph 750.  I'd grind my running boards to nubbins if I tried the same thing on my '99er but on the other hand when I'm on my Drifter I no longer worry that on a windy day the slip stream from every semi truck of mini van will blow me into a corn field. It depends on how and where you ride.  For me the Drifter suits me needs just fine.

[DrifteRizzo]

My first ride was a Honda Nighthawk 550, picked it up in high school and rode it till I found a shadow Vt700c in college, spent 20 yrs with that bike (in fact its still in the garage).  When the time came to up size I looked long and hard for an Indian that I could resurrect (lord knows I couldn't fund a running one), and I came across the Drifter.  Oddly enough I had looked at one back in '02 at my local dealer but never made the connection that it was in fact a Kawasaki, I never even asked the price thinking it was out of my league.  After a few years of searching, and wearing down the other half on the idea, I finally found my Drifter 1500 about 3 hrs north of my house.  I've been smitten ever since.  It's only been about a year, but I can't imagine riding anything else.

[John Hopkins]

The Drifter is a great looking bike and pretty reliable on good roads, but I took mine on a 1 in 4 (25%) single track mountain road that had plenty of very tight hairpin bends..Look on Google maps and get directions from Abergwesyn to Tregaron in Wales, it doesn't show how steep it is but believe me, it is the hardest road I have ridden ..some of those hairpins are shorter than the Drifter and the drop beside the track is one that I wouldn't be able to walk away from..My Honda Shadow VT700 would have made easy work of it at less than half the weight and a lot shorter.

John.

[LarryInSeattle]

Interesting thread!  I had my Shadow ACE for several years and liked the look of it but started yearning for something bigger and settled on getting a Vulcan Nomad and had struck up a good deal on one at a dealer in Decatur IL.  Just so happened they had taken a Drifter in on trade and it was in their showroom. (first one I had actually seen up close before)  I sure did like it and thought about getting it in place of the Nomad but figured that I would never be able to explain to my wife how I ended up buying a bike with more miles and older than what I was trading in, plus I really wanted the amenities offered on the Nomad.  Fast forward a couple years and thoroughly enjoying the Nomad but having seen just a few more Drifters out there and loving the classic look I started just casually looking for my around town bike    Popped on Craigslist one day and there she was a scant 30 miles away and at a price I could afford.  That was last October so I have had limited seat time at this point but looking forward to some longer trips on it.

I had an 05 Nomad once up a time too.  I only got 35 miles to the gallon on premium.

[greenbarn]

+1 on that - a "must do" mod on the 800, IMO.

[CDNRatMan]

  racingfan101 if you do the sprocket swap after a couple of long trips you will be even more impressed......

[racinfan101]

Interesting thread!  I had my Shadow ACE for several years and liked the look of it but started yearning for something bigger and settled on getting a Vulcan Nomad and had struck up a good deal on one at a dealer in Decatur IL.  Just so happened they had taken a Drifter in on trade and it was in their showroom. (first one I had actually seen up close before)  I sure did like it and thought about getting it in place of the Nomad but figured that I would never be able to explain to my wife how I ended up buying a bike with more miles and older than what I was trading in, plus I really wanted the amenities offered on the Nomad.  Fast forward a couple years and thoroughly enjoying the Nomad but having seen just a few more Drifters out there and loving the classic look I started just casually looking for my around town bike    Popped on Craigslist one day and there she was a scant 30 miles away and at a price I could afford.  That was last October so I have had limited seat time at this point but looking forward to some longer trips on it.   

[hellboy7]

First bike was a old rickity 250 ninja... after that... didn't ride for a few years befoer I found the drifter. Definitely the bike for me, no more having to be all strung out and I can just enjoy the ride.

[moosewing3]

A few years ago I was out shopping for a new ATV. I had decided on a Polaris and went to a dealer a few hours away to look, said dealer was also a Victory dealer, I had never seen one, I spent the next hour looking at bikes and not ATVs. I had not had a bike for close to 20 years but I had the fever again. My wife laughed at the thought of me spending that kind of money. About  two years ago I got the brilliant idea that I would buy and sell some used bikes from the US until I had enough money to buy myself a Victory, after one year of flipping a guy offered to trade me a Vulcan 800 classic for a sports car I was flipping. After a week of looking at it in the garage I realized what I really needed was to ride. I kept it, it was free, my flips had more than paid for it, and I went to work  making it what I wanted. What I wanted was a bobber but my wife wanted to come along to, so what I ended up with is what you see in my gallery. I was hooked on the Vulcans, after many long trips, joining the Blue Knights and not being able to keep up with friends I realized I needed something larger. When a fellow BK offered a really good deal on a Drifter I jumped at it. At first I thought, that is an ugly bike but it has everything I need. But the look has grown on me, this forum has had a lot to do with that. I now love it and even when it comes time for the "dream" bike I think the Drifter will stay in the garage. Previous bikes, V45 Magna (82), 750 Katana (84), 440 LTD (don't laugh it was given to me) and an 05 Speedmaster.

[Reveen]

Ive always loved the look of Indian bikes and the rarity of them. On any given day in the summer, I can turn my head in any direction while driving and see at least one HD. I dont mind HD... they look sharp and most models are fun to ride. Not only can I not afford the one Id choose if I did decide to get one, I dont want the same bike that thousands of others in my town already have. I dont necessarily want the attention, as I'm kinda shy and prefer if the spotlight wasn't on me, but my love for the style of the bike mixed with the new technology is just way too up my alley for me to ignore.

I've only had one previous bike (1978 Honda CB 750k) that I bought for $700 in 2004 from a coworker. Rode it for to years and had a lot of fun, but the maintenance was too much for me as a broke college kid so I sold it. My Drifter is a huge upgrade from that old Honda in every single way. I cannot wait to get out on the road with it and cruise with style!

[pcarrell]

My first bike was a Suzuki TC90.  Learned a lot on that bike.  Tore the engine down and rebuilt it a couple of times.  I next graduated to a 1975 Honda 550SS.  That was a fun bike!  Then came a string of Harley's with the occasional Honda CB750 or Yamaha XS650.  I'd never owned a Kawasaki though.  A couple decades of no riding while the wife and I raised a family, and then it was time to get some wind in my hair again.  I started looking at what was for sale in my price range and, liking all things vintage, came across the Drifter and was hooked.  I looked and looked for the right bike, but it was my wife that actually found my Nadine (My wife teases me that I have a wife and 2 girl friends......my bike and one of my guitars, so she insisted that they both have names).  Since that time Nadine and I have enjoyed many miles together, and the wife doesn't even mind that I have a couple of girl friends!

[gdrudd13]

A drifter is my first bike as well. I've always like older cars, and that transferred over to motorcycles as well. I knew that I'd never be able to afford a real (old) Indian any time soon because of the purchase price and repairs, and I wasn't too impressed with the other variations that had popped up since the original brand's demise. Plus they were expensive as well. So I just figured I'd end up with a shadow or vstar, or something along those lines. Then I stumbled across a Drifter on craigslist, and that was it, I knew what bike I wanted. It had the looks of the old Indians, but the reliability of more modern bikes. I especially like the blacked out 800 versions, but I originally wanted a 1500 because it was bigger and fuel injected. I would have been fine with either. They both look great, and have a classic look that no other bike has, even actual Indians, with the floating rear fender. Aesthetically, they are very pleasing. Even though I knew it was what I wanted, I almost didn't get a Drifter because I couldn't find one for sale that I liked and had a reasonable price. Then a 2000 beige 800 came up for sale in OKC with almost everything I wanted and a good price, and it is now in my garage.

[draconarmy]

The Drifter is my first bike.  Growing up my grandfather had Harleys and so did my stepdad, but i learned early on that more expensive is not always better.  I knew for years i wanted to ride but it was so difficult to travel back to MI, from where ever i was stationed at the time to take the motorcycle test.  when it came time that i had to renew my licence in person, i was in Alabama with my wife (she is from Alabama by the way)  so it made sense to just change to an Alabama licence and do the bike stuff then.  My father in law has had many bikes in the time that i have known him, but his Indian is by far the most memorable of them and he knew i loved it.  So when i told him i was going to start looking for a bike so did he.  Right around April rolling into June of last year he calls me and tells me he found me the perfect bike.  just so happens his buddy that was doing his septic line had one collecting dust in the garage.  i immediately got on the phone with the bank and had them cut me a check and send it to the FIL.  Took my military mandated MSF and waited for it to show up in KS from Alabama.  A week after it arrived and i got to get a little used to it we packed it and the FIL's back on the trailer and scooted up to stogies.

[2beers]

About 2 years ago, I decided I had to have a bike again before I get 'too old', lol.  It was a search that led me to find something that fit like it was made for me (the Honda Shadow Aero 750), while I fell head over heels for the obviously impractical (the Honda Rune  ).  It took me about a year to talk myself out of that one.

Though I found many (many) Aero's in the area and in my price range, I just couldn't pull the trigger.  Searching Craig's and EBay one night, the hubby and I fell across a Drifter.  Typical reaction..."wow...look what someone did to a Kawasaki!"  And then we found another, did some research and discovered the truth of the matter.  We were beyond surprised that we hadn't known about the  Drifter before then.  In my budget, nothing cooler looking out there...the search for mine was on once I did a 'test sit' on an '02 800 that was for sale nearby.  Loved the blackout years, so that narrowed it down a bit.  And though the fit was not as good for me as the Aero, it was definitely workable.

Fast forward to some continued Craigslist shopping, and when I saw Princess there was just no turning back.  I'm a sucker for the unreasonably large tires of a ProStreet, so it figures I'd wind up with a large fendered Drifter.

Former bikes for me were the CB200T Honda I purchased new in '76.  Can't count how many friends and family members took that little yellow Honda for their MC license road tests!  In '78 I stepped up to a Suzuki GS550E.  Put a lot of fun and commuting miles on that bike, and sold it when I started chasing a new career and began 6 years of higher education.

Hubby's story begins with him realizing, after Princess was here for about 4 days, that he'd like to have his own Drifter.  Blue came along soon after.

2beers didn't own a 4-wheeled vehicle until he was almost 30.  His first and only ride for years was a '60 Panhead Harley that had been a Sheriff's patrol bike in NY State, purchased when he was just 16 years old.  Yes, he took that Hog for his license test, too.   He also owned a '78 Harley Sportster Cafe', which was ahead of its time style-wise back then.  He rounded out his choices with an '87 Suzuki GSXR1100 that had a Stage III kit and a whole lot of other work done to it...fast was an understatement!

So here we are, many years later, starting to enjoy a life with motorcycles all over again.  Neither one of us can imagine having something other than our Drifters, and as we get to know them better we find more and more to like about them!

[49Reo]

I grew up with Indians and Harleys, and stories about them, and us kids had Cushmans. Owned Honda's, Yamaha's Harley's, and one Kawasaki....my 1500. Best bike I've had, bar none.

[Troll]

I'd like to be crowding in on 50 again...

[zig]

I grew up in a family that thought bikes were dangerous.  5 years ago, in my mid forties, we were on vacation. My wife and daughter wanted to do more shopping. I wanted to go fly fishing. We were pulling our camper, so if I took the pick-up, they were stranded. I saw some guys riding motorcycles and they had fly rod tubes on the back. Problem solved. I took the MSC, bought the Vulcan 900 classic and I was off! Problem...I'm in Texas and the trout streams are hours away. So my next solution was camping. Now, I'm crowding in on 50. I'm to old to try changing clothes in a small three man tent, I need something bigger...and a cot. So, natural progression,  a trailer. I wanted a little change in my ride, and liked the look of the drifter/old school Indian. I started to just buy a front fender for the drifter look, but I'd never owned a bigger bike and felt it was a growth faze I needed to go through. I'd been checking a few Drifters out on line, and when this one was posted, I wanted it. I hadn't seen this color combo until then. Now I just want to be like Troll! 

[Jobi]

When I was searching a bike to buy...

At first: "I absolutely hate those fenders. No way I'm riding that bike"

A few weeks later: "I absolutely love those fenders. No way I'm riding a bike without those!"

All the other stuff (1500 cc, FI, two up seat...) were bonus.

I don't know why I suddenly changed my tastes. I really did ignore all the drifter listings (and other bikes that had larger fenders) for the worst little whlie of my motorcycle hunt.

[jmbo]

Let's face it. I'm a retro guy. In addition to owning '31 and '41 Fords, '74 Beetle and a '74 750 Triumph Tiger, I have owned three PT Cruisers and a new Mini Cooper.  So for me it was not a big stretch to go out and buy another retro vehicle.  Like many, I was attracted to the classic look combined with the modern underpinnings. Just as the PT references a '37 Ford, and the Cooper references the original Austin Mini, the Drifter references the classic 1940's look. That said I am not a poser. To me the Drifter is not an Indian in Kawasaki clothing any more than the PT is a Ford. It is a modern bike with classic lines and that is good enough for me.

[Milky1112]

Wow seems alot of us are drawn to it for the same reasons.. It's something different then the avg bike.. I know Indians (real ones) are hard to find.. few and between, out of reach for common man (and the budget our spouses give us hahaha) I fell in love with it from the first time i saw it.. Prolly be in my garage when i get my next adventure. Thanks for posting up folks.. and keep it going!

[marshalldoll]

I too have grown up with bikes. Triumph 650 pre unit 1957, BSA Royal Star 1967, Triumph Bonneville 1971, Harley Panhead 1948 with replanted shovel engine, and a slew of others in between. I wanted an Indian and was looking for a 1999-2001 with the S&S but I was hesitant due to prices and the bad talk about them and one day I came across the 99 Drifter 1500 and it was love at first ride. No need for any other bike from here forward. To me it is the best bike I have ever ridden.
Dan

[LarryInSeattle]

I have had several large cc and small cc bikes.

1 Honda Rebel
1 Honda 350cc dual sport
1 Kawasaki 250cc 4 stroke dual sport
3 Honda Helix 250cc
1 Suzuki 400 cc maxi scooter
2 Honda Silverwing 600cc maxi scooters
3 Honda Shadows
1 750f Honda 4 cyclinder
1 750 Kawasaki 750 cc
1 750 Suzuki 3 cyclinder 2 stroke
1 1100 Honda Shadow
1 1600 Kawasaki Nomad
2 Suzuki C50 800 cc twins
1 Honda Goldwing 1500 cc
1 Harley Pan

What I have always come back to is the mid range cc motorcycles for all around riding.  A good friend of mine in Kansas bought an 800 Drifter a few years ago and he seemed to get along with it quite well.  I always enjoyed my experiences with the 800 cc Suzuki C50 so I thought I would try the 800 Drifter.  I really like the looks of the bike.  I get more comments on this bike than all of my other bikes combined over the last 30 years.  Everyone asks about it.  Just the way it the bike looks.

I wish it had a larger capacity gas tank and the 800 requires some funky stuff to haul gear, but I have figured out a way to over come those issues and I just really enjoy the bike.

[CDNRatMan]

  last bike I owned was my 1980 H-D FXS Lowrider.....when I started to look for a new ride was looking for an H-D, but living here in the north I could not justify the cost for a new one, could not find a used one close to one I wanted, then the whole thing of people who were riding them now were not what I was after (another subject), so looked at a Valkyrie but was too hard on my knees and ankle, then was looking at a Ural. Then one evening I was surfing Kijiji and saw a 2004 Drifter 800 2 hours south of here, so.....the weekend came and there was a Red 800 in the same town went and looked and came home with my 99 Drifter 800. No regrets no what if thoughts......perfect for my knee and my ankle so that is that......and I do so like the style and the looks of the bike. An once more I am not in the main stream of things ....lol.......

[John Hopkins]

I get real enjoyment from my Drifter, Kwak reliability, comfort, that one off look, I ride my Drifter more than I ride my other bikes..Honda Shadow, Yamaha YZF-R1, I've owned many bikes over the years, I loved my V-max and my BSA Golden Flash, The old Ariel Square four, the Matchless G11, The BSA Empire Star, in fact I can't think of a single one I didn't like..I had three Shadows last year, I've sold two of them, will probably sell the last one and may even sell the R1, but I think I will keep the Drifter..

John.