Mileage on a used Drifter

[CDNRatMan]

   depends were you live ....been raining here for 6 days straight...all Trolls fault the weather is coming from his area......how about some pictures of your rides?

[flash]

I bought my 06' 800 with 2000 miles on it and now it has 5000!
I don't get out to much.....

[pcarrell]

I knew someone would be hitting on the luggage rack!

[moosewing3]

The 1500 is identical to the one I just bought, with way fewer miles and some better accessories. My personal opinion is buy the 1500 and immediately sell me the luggage rack lol.

[pcarrell]

Those are about as rare as hen's teeth these days!

[CDNRatMan]

  Does look like the Roadhouse pipes......

[greenbarn]

Yea, the Corbin is about $500 new.

Is that a Roadhouse Pipe on there? 

[jmbo]

Not sure which is which price point wise but the 1500 would typically bring more than the 800.  Both have some nice bobbles but the 1500 has the best setup and should bring more with the Corbin seat and the studded bags.

[KEN.]

Hello .....The 1500 is a larger bike and heavier than the 800....just be aware....not sure what your insurance rate would be.... but here in Victoria BC Canada...there is a difference in $$$ for insurance.
Both great bikes.....KEN.

[pcarrell]

The 1500 is a pretty sweet ride also......Uncle PC you could buy that for your poor Canadian nephew, ok Uncle PC

You pick up that 800 I showed you yesterday for me and I'll grab the 1500 for you.

[Boaski]

I have about 33K on my 800. As long as the bike was taken care of and maintained I wouldn't be afraid of either of them.

[greenbarn]

Like the rest said, 30,000 really isn't a lot on these bikes.  When I bought mine, my personal "target" was 20,000 miles, but it was more important to get one that 1) is really clean and 2) has the options I want - because this stuff is EXPENSIVE!  The 1500 had every major option I wanted and a few minor things too, and it had 21000 miles, and the price was right.  I would have bought it if it had 30K without thinking twice.

On the two you're looking at- you mentioned in your first post you were looking at a 800.  You realize the Gooseberry model is a 1500, right?  There is a post on here some place outlining all the differences, other than the obvious (1500cc vs 800cc).  Of course another major difference in these two beauties is the 1500 is blacked out and the 800 is the newer chromed version - this is a personal taste matter for you to choose - I like both of them a lot.

Good luck,

[CDNRatMan]

   those are two different bikes, and if you did say it was going to be your first bike?
if you were looking for the 800 that would be the black one but like PC stated check under the fender for damage.
The 1500 is a pretty sweet ride also......Uncle PC you could buy that for your poor Canadian nephew, ok Uncle PC

[Troll]

  If it's any help to you, I just turned 82,750 on my '01 1500. The only major thing I had happen was a bearing in the bevel drive failed about 80,000....Mine sat in a barn for 4 years, and the "oil" in it was, well, interesting....

[pcarrell]

The black 800 has some options, but the saddlebags will be useless as the fender moves with the suspension.  Since it's on the plastic fender instead of proper mounts you wouldn't be able to put more then 10lbs. in the bags anyways.   I'm curious too as to how that's attached on there.  I'd look under them to see if they have damaged the paint underneath or if they're hiding any damage like scratches or cracks or anything.  It has a few nice options, but not as many as the 1500.  Other then that, it looks pretty clean to me.

The gooseberry 1500 is one of the more rare "blackout" models, and sports many more options.  That seat for example, is a Corbin seat, which is quite expensive.  It also has custom grips (very comfortable......I have those same ones on my bike) as well as proper saddlebag struts to mount the bags on, and the "getting harder to find by the day" rack between the struts.  Some real money was spent on this bike at one time.  The seat, the options, the custom powder coating on the exhaust......yeah, this was somebody's baby!

[bhus72]

Here are a couple of pics of the bikes I'm considering. i'd love to visit my buddy with a one way ticket and cruise back home, however work does not permit me much vacation time. I say that, I am a touring musician so its all pretty much a vacation I just don't decide where we get to go. I'm glad he will be there to handle the inspections for me, and for choice 2 I can run out to where it is in an afternoon and check it out myself, thanks jmbo for adding to my check list.

[jmbo]

Getting a bike with options is a good idea.  As far a mileage is concerned it's all about condition and care. You see a lot of low milage bike on the market from folks who just don't ride much. There is also a good chance they don't know crap from Crisco about maintaining them. Check the chain to see if it's lubed and adjusted correctly.  That's a good sign whether or not someone cared for the bike. Also check the condition of the rear rim.  If it's dirty or rusted chances are they didn't detail the bike too often. Due to the deep sculpted fenders some Drifter owners choose not to maintain theses areas.

[CDNRatMan]

any pictures or list of what each has just to entice us more to look into this?  Any pictures of the bike so we can help you decide what you need and want....lol.....and a good reason to go and visit your buddy and have a bit of a vacation.......

[bhus72]

Thank you both for your help, my first choise is across the country where as the second choice is about two hours from my front door, but I think I would end up regretting not going with door number 1, it just seems more like the bike for me, and has the extras I am looking for (plus i have a more experienced rider buddy near the location of the first choice bike who is wiling to do a test ride so it won't be a completely blind purchase). Once again I appreciate the input and look forward to changing my owner status from looking/wishing to proudly owning in the near future.

[CDNRatMan]

    I'll agree with PC here because the miles are not a big deal the 800 engine seems bullet proof if looked after and taken care of. But to find the optional parts and things if you are after them will be hard to find. So like GB look for all the parts you want, and which of the 2 do you like better, buy it because why second guess yourself after the fact.

[pcarrell]

Those are both pretty low.  Mine has 48k on it, and I know several people here have close to, or over 100k on theirs.

The biggest trick with these bikes is finding one with lots of optional stuff already on it, because that optional equipment on what is a decade old limited production bike is getting harder and harder to find.

[bhus72]

Hello  all,
I am new to the riding community and am very actively shopping for a drifter 800. I have come across two online that i am interested in but before i go all in i was curious about one thing, what do you experienced drifter riders consider high mileage on drifter 800? Of the two i am currently looking at, the one i like the most has 17,000 some odd miles and is priced about $1500 over what would be my second choice which has 27,000 some odd miles. 27 seems high to me, but i like the idea of paying less you know? On the other hand I like the idea of personally putting on the extra 10,000 miles on my first choice. Are both these mileages considered high? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.