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Posted by Easy Drifter
- October 14, 2019, 14:56:32 PMIt was late 1999. I saw a Drifter and wanted one bad. Then BOOM. Divorce, custody fight. Fourteen long years later, I finally got all the kids through college ( I got custody thankfully as their mother is certifiably nuts),
got back on my feet and was making decent money again. Something made me look at the Facebook Market page. It was then I saw this original owner, 6800 mile 2002 VN800-E2 in the perfect color; black. Made a call to go look at it, bought it on the spot, and have been riding the wheels off it since. To me, I've got the Indian Chief look I always wanted, in the color all my bikes have been, with metric cruiser reliability. Unless I win the lottery, this will be the last bike I own because it's exactly the bike I've always wanted since I was a kid.
Posted by tj
- October 14, 2019, 09:59:03 AMSimilar story to greenbarn, looking for an older indian...even looked at "gilroy indians". When I saw a local ad titled "indian drifter", I had to have a look. Bought it, brought it home and spent the winter rebuilding and customizing the bike. The plan was to ride it to Sturgis that same year and then sell it when I returned home....I still have it today, 5 years later.
Posted by mittico68
- October 14, 2019, 06:05:38 AMIt was back in 1999, when it happened to me to see a red 800 Drifter standing inside a bike shop, in my city.
At that time I didn't even know it existed, so I firstly thought it could have been a vintage Indian...
I remember that I was driving my car when I saw her, so I stopped and immediately made a u-turn. I went inside the shop and so it came out that was a Drifter, made by Kawa etc. etc.
After a few days, she was MINE!
I've been keeping her absolutely OEM, for a long time. But 10 years ago, I started to customize her, and the job still goes on and on...
Posted by greenbarn
- October 13, 2019, 22:20:35 PMI had been looking for an old Indian for a while. Looking on craigslist, etc. Once in a while would find a basket case for $5000, "missing parts"...." Only needs XYZ"... I thought, if "XYZ" could easily be found, the seller would already have found it and would have a restored bike, not a box of parts..... Once in a while, looking for old Indians, would find an ad for a "Indian Drifter".... When I looked into it, I figured out it was a Kawasaki Drifter, and started looking for one - had never seen one around here in the flesh.
So then I started to look for Drifters, figuring I could get an Indian-styled bike I could actually ride instead of looking for parts (the jokes on me, LOL)... Bought an 800 first, and then later a 1500 - both of which I customized to my liking over the years.
Posted by jmbo
- October 13, 2019, 19:27:31 PMI had to have one! I never knew they existed until I saw this commercial on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrbs10YiXDc&t=6s After that I decided I had to have one. I was riding a '99 Triumph TBS 900 at the time. Great bike but not exactly my style. Let's face it that a younger mans bike. I also had a '74 Triumph TR7 750. (and oil soaked pants legs to prove it)
I'm an older guy. I like older bikes. After riding a bunch of "classics" I got tired of all the "Wrench and Ride" business so like I said, I saw the Drifter ad and everything the ad mentioned made sense to me. Its a classic looking bike but built on a modern platform.
It took me better than five years to find my '99er. I live in Wisconsin (read: Harley country) I found the bike on Craigslist across the lake in Michigan. My nephew happened to lived near by so I asked to check it out. It was the real deal. Bone stock with pretty much every Fire & Ice option originally available and only 10 grand on the clock.
I quickly sold my TBS, hopped on the Lakeland Express and bought the bike. I rode it for the first time and knew it was meant to be. I ferried it back on the boat. I was late October so I only road it for a couple of days that fall. I have doubled the millage since then. Sweet bike. And now they are saying it is a cult classic. Fine by me.
What's your story?