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Posted by pcarrell
 - March 10, 2014, 07:37:26 AM

What a nice looking bike!

Posted by LarryInSeattle
 - March 09, 2014, 23:44:11 PM

Nice looking bike.

I love my 800cc and I am so grateful that the previous owner did not make any modifications to the exhaust.  Had he done so, I wouldn't have bought it.  I like the sound my stock exhaust makes.

The other day, I stopped by my friends house and we chatted in his front yard.  When I got ready to leave.... and made the motions of starting my bike, his 3 year old son put his hands over his ears and started to run for the house.  When my bike started, he turned around and came back.  3 year olds don't lie about loud pipes.  In my opinion, the only ones who enjoy the sound of loud pipes are those that have loud pipes.  Never met anyone who enjoyed the loud pipes of their neighbors.

Posted by greenbarn
 - March 09, 2014, 22:36:35 PM

Didn't think he had a question ---  I thought he just said he was getting new tires?

OH well, I'm going to bed - it's too late for this old man.

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - March 09, 2014, 22:02:41 PM

  And here you being the Tire Man I figured you would help DD with his tire question, the answer to which is the shelf life on a tire I think is about 6 years and then needs to be changed no matter what the tread shows.

Now as for the front springs I will let you know because I did mine this summer, and I also can vouch for a 18T front sprocket makes a huge difference, I did the 38T to the rear sprocket this winter more to follow on that mod in the spring.

I have not done the air mods because that is beyond my skill set at the present time.

As for age I am only slightly older then GB in physical age but mentally I am much younger and faster then him.......and should get a bit of respect from him which he shows no one.........ok......

Posted by greenbarn
 - March 09, 2014, 21:27:15 PM
Quote from: DenverDuc on March 09, 2014, 20:31:36 PM

, and the Drifter is the epitome of a proper cruiser!

+1 on that, Denver.

Great looking bike you have there.  I'm glad to see some younger guys closer to my age (mid 40's) get into the Drifter scene, instead of the old farts like Ratman.....  ;D ;D

I'm sure you're looking forward to changing it and making it your own.   I'll share the top 2 mods for mine- I consider these "must do" for the 800:
1) progressive springs in the forks, and clean out and change the oil
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=20875.msg54484#msg54484

2) change the gearing slightly so you're not always looking for the second 5th gear.  18/38 seems the way to go.

Also, if you're planning to change the carb jetting and exhaust ANYWAY, while you're doing it you might as well get rid of all the air restrictions and let her breath.
Two options come to mind:  "scooterizing" and "grampsizing", as explained on the RussWolf page.  (I grampsized mine)
http://www.angelfire.com/ak5/russwolf/airbox.html

Just some suggestions, but the main thing is Welcome to the forum, and hope you enjoy your new Drifter.

Posted by DenverDuc
 - March 09, 2014, 20:31:36 PM
Quote from: CDNRatMan on March 09, 2014, 20:20:41 PM

I have the Mets and really like them.  My bike came with the Maxxis and they had a load of tread left on them but were like 10 years old so it was time for a change. The rack looks like one of Ted's and I do not have one because I am running stock 2 up seat, but those racks are not seats and have a weight limit to them, as people will tell you.
Good idea of the other exhaust put your original one away just in case. Same with the air filter cover.

Get lots of miles on it and have fun......

oh and yes figured that was you but had to make the comment you and I must be the youngest lads on this site.....the rest are really old guys,.......heck some of them are in their 50's and even 60's..........really old people.......lol

I definitely feel like these tires are at least 5 years old which for me personally is pushing my comfort level. I think on bikes 5-6 years is as long as you can safely ride regardless of tread. For a couple hundred bucks safety isn't worth testing it.

It's funny you say that too because the guy I bought it from is in his 70s and he bluntly told me that I seemed far too young to be interested in this bike :) I was working as a salesman at a motorcycle shop when I was 16 when I saw the first 1999 Drifter uncrated and put on the showroom and fell in love then. At that point I was more concerned with speed, but I knew I'd eventually own one. I still think the perfect garage has 4-5 different bikes of different genres, and the Drifter is the epitome of a proper cruiser!

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - March 09, 2014, 20:20:41 PM

  I have the Mets and really like them.  My bike came with the Maxxis and they had a load of tread left on them but were like 10 years old so it was time for a change. The rack looks like one of Ted's and I do not have one because I am running stock 2 up seat, but those racks are not seats and have a weight limit to them, as people will tell you.
Good idea of the other exhaust put your original one away just in case. Same with the air filter cover.

Get lots of miles on it and have fun......

oh and yes figured that was you but had to make the comment you and I must be the youngest lads on this site.....the rest are really old guys,.......heck some of them are in their 50's and even 60's..........really old people.......lol

Posted by DenverDuc
 - March 09, 2014, 20:06:57 PM
Quote from: CDNRatMan on March 09, 2014, 19:45:23 PM

;)
Well it worked out good for you, and so nice to get a picture of your son with the bike.
Yup like I said you have a fender rack on that machine. It all looks really nice, of course just my own personal opinion but needs WW tires on that beast......
let us know what other changes you  plan....congrats to you.

Thank you! I am definitely thinking of WW tires. I've never had them before on any bike, but I may put them on this one. I want to see what the manufacture date is on them because even though they have great tread, they may be too old to be safe. I also like the Metzler ME 880s. The rack is really cool and I'm glad it has it. I'm going to pull off the bags for daily use and only put them on for road trips. I'm thinking of buying another stock exhaust that's already been cut down and de-baffled and having it ceramic coated, the bike rejetted, and powder coating a spare air cleaner black, but that's it other than regular maintenance.

Oh and that's not my son - that's me! LOL

Posted by 49Reo
 - March 09, 2014, 20:02:58 PM

Sweet ride, Denver. Keep us posted.

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - March 09, 2014, 19:45:23 PM

    ;)
Well it worked out good for you, and so nice to get a picture of your son with the bike.
Yup like I said you have a fender rack on that machine. It all looks really nice, of course just my own personal opinion but needs WW tires on that beast......
let us know what other changes you  plan....congrats to you.

Posted by DenverDuc
 - March 09, 2014, 18:50:02 PM

As some of you may have noticed, I restarted my search for a Drifter in earnest last week. Apparently the stars aligned perfectly, and I found the perfect bike in Las Vegas Tuesday, made a deal over the phone, transferred the money, arranged shipping, and had it delivered this afternoon! It's one of the smoothest and easiest deals I've done (isn't that when you know it's right?), and I'm super excited. Even though it snowed pretty good here Friday night, it was 72 this afternoon so I went for a quick ride. I'll probably be rejetting it soon and do some exhaust mods, but it's pretty much ready to go. Can't wait for the riding season to really get going! As per usual in the interwebs, it ain't real without pics so here is the evidence:

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