Hello from SW Ohio

[greenbarn]

I second what Mr. PCarrell said - Drift in is great - and it's only a few hours from you.  If at all possible you should try to get there.  You'll see more Drifters - all in one place - than you will see in 10 years combined otherwise.   AND you'll meet some of the nicest people.

That tip RatMan just gave you on the sprockets is golden.  I still say that's the #1 upgrade to make on the 800, followed by progressive springs in the forks, followed by jetting the carb, followed by....... 

[CDNRatMan]

 Well it is pretty cool anyway, not sure but if you read more on the forum, the stock set up for sprockets are a 17/40 combo. Now when I joined this wonderful forum I was beset by Mr. Gb himself and he told me about changing my sprockets to a 18/38 combo and it was well worth the effort and the cost was not so bad it was actually a really good mod. Something to look at for yourself.
If you can cruise along at 60 mph then that is not so bad I figure if you can run the speed limit and not have to be full throttle then it is good.

[LarryInSeattle]

Welcome from Seattle.

There are some adjustments that can be made by a professional trike company to help you out.  It is a different animal when you add the sidecar.  It reminds me of going like a bat out of hell on my riding lawn mower!

[pcarrell]

Welcome 3 Wheels!

That's a nice ride you have there.  You know, Drift-In this year is not too far from you.  It's a worldwide gathering of Drifter riders that you'd probably enjoy.  There's some info here: http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?board=118.0

[3 Wheels]

Welcome to the loony bin, 3-wheels.   That's a nice looking outfit you have there.  where abouts in SW OH do you hail from?  I'm up here in sunny Richwood, about 50 miles NW of Columbus.

Thanks greenbarn. I live in Mason about 100 miles SW from you just north of Cincinnati. We are finally getting some decent riding weather. I rode around for a couple of hours yesterday. I will probably do the same this morning. Hope you enjoy the day.

[3 Wheels]

now I understand the forum name and you are a dog, a dog sir. That is one nice outfit, you will be swamped by people with questions, we have a lot of old people who would love to have that outfit. I have some questions myself.....
what kind of speed can you get out of that on the highway?
how does it handle.......

I like it...lol, how about some pictures of the sidecar, could a fat person get in it...lol......sorry that is not politically correct can a large person fit in there?

wait till MikeakaFred see that

ha ha, yeah well I'm a "large" person at 6'3", 240lbs and I can get in it. It's a tight fit though  The PO used it to take his golden retriever along.

It's a Velorex 562 which was designed for a much lighter Jawa 350. It only weighs about 160 lbs. so the Drifter has no trouble pulling it. I haven't taken it on the interstate but I have cruised with it at 60-65 on some of the straight back roads around here. It wants to wander to the left so I have to keep a little right pressure on the bars all the time. I have 120 lbs of ballast in it in an attempt to keep the third wheel planted however I can tell you that it is quite a handful on turns especially right handers. It can be downright scary. I get a serious headshake from 30-40mph. I just hang on and let it smooth itself out. On rough roads, it can veer all over the place. As with any sidecar rig, you cannot turn by leaning/countersteering. You have to manhandle it using the handlebars. It's not natural to me at all. I've put about 100 miles on it since I got it. I think it needs to be aligned properly. Quite honestly it is not a lot of fun for me right now. I am either going to get it set up by an expert on sidecar rigs or I am going to take it off. My wife will not ride with me and neither will the dogs so it's just a big trunk for me. It is kinda cool. Lots of looks when I ride it.

[greenbarn]

Welcome to the loony bin, 3-wheels.   That's a nice looking outfit you have there.  where abouts in SW OH do you hail from?  I'm up here in sunny Richwood, about 50 miles NW of Columbus.

[MikeakaFred]

Ratman, I'm just waiting for more pics of his rig and details on how it handles....

[CDNRatMan]

    now I understand the forum name and you are a dog, a dog sir. That is one nice outfit, you will be swamped by people with questions, we have a lot of old people who would love to have that outfit. I have some questions myself.....
what kind of speed can you get out of that on the highway?
how does it handle.......

I like it...lol, how about some pictures of the sidecar, could a fat person get in it...lol......sorry that is not politically correct can a large person fit in there?

wait till MikeakaFred see that

[3 Wheels]

[3 Wheels]

Thanks RatMan. Now I am feeling the pressure. I'm all about pics too. Will post the pics as soon as I can figure it out.

[CDNRatMan]

 Welcome, and nice try to make us want to see the bike the pics did not work.........that will have a few people wound up, they are picture hounds here that do not believe it unless accompanied by pictures.....lol...you need to get in touch with GreenBarn he is in 0ih0. Be thankful for your buddies widow insisting you take the bike because now you are one of the cool kids in school......

[3 Wheels]

Hi all,

My name is Dave and I live in SW OH. Just got my 2005 Drifter from a friend that recently passed away. His widow knew that I was a motorcycle fanatic from way back and she insisted that I take his Drifter. The Drifter wouldn't have been my first choice had it not been for her but since then I have fallen in love with the bike. I was always a sport bike guy but as I am getting older, going fast is not a priority for me any more. Here are some pics.