info on 2001 Drifter 1500

[chief]

Cheers and welcome George

[george]

Been riding HD for yrs. gave up on riding, well several times, but bought a 01 drifter love it, handles better all around, just have to learn it , great site here. lot of good infor. thanks

[lumper]

Hi,
The bike I had just before I bought my Drifter was a 2004 flhrsi Road King Custom that I bought brand new.
The problem with the trade would be the value.

You can grab a really nice Drifter for 4 to 6$k, my Road King sold for over 10k$ after 18k miles and 5 years of use and it went cheap at auction.

So your values might be off a bit.
IT would depend on the conditon and value of your King.

You might be better off selling your Road King outright and then buying a Drifter, you should have extra money to work with after the sale.
I just saw a beautiful Drifter 1500 in Cali go for $3100, custom paint, tons of extras, low miles just a great looking bike, one of the nicest I have seen.

I woudlnt trade a King in good shape for one though, you stand to lose $$
I havent taken delivery of my Drifter yet so I cant compare the two fully.

My Drifter has 5k original miles on it, custom paint, never been in the rain, new tires, etc.. I paid $4300.00 for it.
IT is every bit as clean as my King was that I paid 20k$ for.
The size of the bike is what sold me, I am 6'4" so on my King I was cramped, no matter how much I spent on extended forward controls, new seat, etc.. I never quite fit on the bike.
The drifter is longer and the seat position is differetn, when I sit on the drifter I am not as cramped and I seem to fit much better on the bike, something that was important to me.

Good luck with whatever you decide, just take your time, there is always another bike for sale, lol so no rush and selling your King this time of year oughta be a breeze.

Lump

[marshalldoll]

I too rode a Harley ( 1948 pan ) and sold it about 6 years ago. Hated myself afterwards until I purchased my 1999 1500 Drifter. Best GD ride ever and I will never look back.
Dan
dwclocks@aol.com

[jveley]

I had a Road King, and I now have 2 drifters.  I still haven't spent all the money I got when I sold the Road King, and these bikes are more comfortable, more maneuverable and ... more cooler.

[chief]

If you love bikes, not brands, the world is full of surprises and beautiful bikes. The Drifter is one of the better IMHO.

[ctwoody]

I sold a 1997 HD Dyna in the fall of 2010 to fund some unforseen bills.  I thought at that time I had the most comfortable bike for my taste (Mustang solo seat, mini apes etc.)  I came across a friend of a friend who sold me he highly customized 01 Drifter 1500 and wow what a great bike! I put the heritage style bars on it, solo seat and V&H pipes and it runs powerful and stong, turns lots of heads and is very reliable. As far as accessories, EBay has alot to offer if you search right.  The adjustable suspension is nice too.  All around a great, unique looking bike at a fraction of the cost of a fairly new HD. I recommend it 100%.

[Varooom]

I just sold my 1999 1500 to a nice fellow and, at 80,000, it was running fine and I had no qualms about starting it cold after it sat for 4 months out the garage in 10 degree weather.  It started right up, purred and idled perfectly and the catalytic converter made the garage smell like there wasn't a bike running at all.  Just bought a used R5 and am looking forward to racking up the miles on that.
Water cooling, shaft drive, counter balanced, rubber mounted engine, all the engine 'mods' that HD owners spend thousands to have done to their engines... the engineering pluses that put it ahead of an air cooled bike would seem to make it cost more; surprisingly, it's the opposite.

I was at a brew pub last week and the guys next to me were talking about selling one of their Harleys.  I mentioned that I'd just sold my bike at 80,000 miles that they looked shocked and asked me what it was.  They went back to their beers at the word Kawasaki.
Happy shopping,
Varooom

[kokopelli]

can anyone give me some info on the 01 1500 drifter. I am thinking of trading my H-D Road king for one . But have never owned a Kaw .

Hey there- I've not owned a RK, but I've ridden friends who wanted to ride mine...I prefer the Drifter! If given the choice between the two of them without money being an issue, I'd still opt for the Drifter. -Several reasons. I like the water cooled engine that runs smoother and easier; I like the design of the Drifter- you're not just another HD out in the masses; parts and maintenance are cheap; and everyone looks at the Drifter twice or three times...insurance is cheaper, too.

[aclone]

can anyone give me some info on the 01 1500 drifter. I am thinking of trading my H-D Road king for one . But have never owned a Kaw .

I have a 2002  which is the same bike.  The only harleys I have ridding were at  the test rides during bike week . I was not impressed  ( I have ridding 8 different models) for bikes  that cost 3 to 5 times more than a Drifter and they were not any better. I really like my Drifter my wife and I put 3000 mile on her this summer going to Maine  she ran and rode great.                                                                                                                                                                      Even though the 1500 is a well engineered bike you buy a drifter for her looks. The down side is parts,  plugs, brake pad and the parts that make the bike work are easy to find ( Kaw has been making the 1500 for a long time). Bags, seats windsheilds the parts you put on to customize your bike are harder to find. Which is why sites like this one and Delphi are so great. Drifters owner are great people and always willing to help. So if you like the Indian look but don't want to spend 40 grand a Drifter would suit you well.

[chief]

Was riding a RK when I bought my 02... I prefer the drifter for the way I ride .. have a touring bike as well.

Best approach is to read this forum and check out the website. There are plenty of differences.

[john]

can anyone give me some info on the 01 1500 drifter. I am thinking of trading my H-D Road king for one . But have never owned a Kaw .