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Posted by pcarrell
- May 27, 2015, 14:38:47 PMIt's like having an Indian, without all of the insane prices and pesky maintinence issues.
It's a classic looking bike that you can just gas up and ride.
Posted by Donkey
- May 27, 2015, 14:24:22 PMTribute... ABSOLUTELY. That couldn't be said any better.
In"met" my bike 3 years ago, but only got it his past September. I read a LOT in the mean time, including here (lurking, didn't join until I had something intelligent to contribute... Sorry that hasn't happened yet) and that Wiki article. I also read the Denny Berg interview on here... And as mentioned in my original post, have always loved Indian.
Now, because most people I know don't know too much about bikes, I will introduce mine as a Drifter but that might as well be Greek, so I quickly follow that up with "it's a tribute to a '47 Indian Chief", and then they start to get it... It helps explain the valanced fenders which, since they can be love or hate, give them credence, purpose, definition, reason. Then, even if you hate them, you "get" them.
I will always honour Kawasaki and never pretend it isn't, but I respect and appreciate what they tried to do and did very well with and its a why this bike couldn't fit me any better.
And to make sure those on the border really "get", I keep this picture I found of a fully restored '47 Chief handy... Beside mine. Then there is no argument. Im going to take the bags off and take more shots.
Posted by bambam0099
- May 27, 2015, 11:45:05 AMQuote from: Donkey on May 22, 2015, 13:35:04 PM" recognize the tribute she was meant to be" - I've always tried to think of the correct verbiage to express my feelings about this topic and then you nailed it!... Me, I'd do this not to try to Indianize her, but to recognize the tribute she was meant to be...
From wiki:
The Drifter was the result of a discussion between Ken Boyko, Don Emde, son of Indian legend Floyd Emde and John Hoover of Kawasaki. Retro motorcycles were becoming the rage and the question was posed "What would a modern up-to-date Indian look like and what kind of technology would it have?" They had Vincent Renaldi do a drawing and enlisted Denny Berg of Time Machines Inc. to build such a machine. They gave him a 1500cc Vulcan motor and the drawing and turned him loose. The final result was a motorcycle called the "Super Chief", which was taken to several shows in 1996/97 and was such a hit with the riding public that Kawasaki took the Super Chief to Japan and put it into production. Due to patent law they couldn't use the Chief moniker and up until its release the name had not been settled on. The Drifters are intended to be a "tribute" to the 1948 Indian Chief and so closely resembles the Indian Chief of the late 1940s that the uninitiated mistake it for an "old" Indian. The Super Chief was featured in several motorcycle magazines.
An article in Rider magazine quoted the creators as saying that "the object of the exercise had been to marry classic Indian styling with contemporary technology in order to create a motorcycle which one might have expected Indian to manufacture had it still been in existence at the time the project was launched". In replicating the nostalgic look of the Indian, the front fender light, rear luggage rack, and leather fringe were deliberately omitted. Three years later, the team revisited this theme by creating a classic-styled police motorcycle.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- May 27, 2015, 11:21:06 AM 
I had a nice windscreen bag, but once I added the risers I had the same issue and so my bag was moved to the front engine guard, and I sort of like it and now want a second bag for the other side. I also filed the space with a set of speakers and now have tunes on a long trip. You can only go wrong if you don't like it otherwise it is fine.....and you have lots of people to ask for ideas and opinions.
Posted by Donkey
- May 27, 2015, 08:52:41 AMLove the ideas... And the creativity... I will answer the rest when I get a chance, but in the meantime, here's what the risers I have right now look like:
You can see that the latch holding my windshield pouch closed is jammed up tight against the riser clamp, and the riser clamp is one solid piece, not two pieces.
Posted by pcarrell
- May 27, 2015, 08:02:59 AMSo Ratman put his tool box out on the fender, while I moved my rectifier up under the radiator and filled the hole with my tool box on a custom bracket. Just proves how different and creative these bikes are, huh? (Gotta remember to make that leather drive shaft cover soon!)
(click on pic to enlarge)
Posted by greenbarn
- May 26, 2015, 21:19:15 PManother thought.... IF your triple tree IS drilled oversized, you could still use a bushing to be able to use the OEM metric risers.... Just a matter of finding (or making) a set to fit....
Posted by greenbarn
- May 26, 2015, 21:17:50 PMQuote from: Donkey on May 26, 2015, 08:50:32 AMDonkey, do you have a pic of your risers?? The Scootworks risers have a special stud in them - the bottom half retains the standard metric size, but the top half is SAE. Maybe yours has a similar setup?? If you haven't already, check the size on the nuts under the triple tree to see if they're metric - the standard ones are 17mm. I just had mine off (Scootworks Phat Risers) and verified the nuts fit the stock OEM riser studs, so that's how I know.Thanks. That's exactly what I thought. So now, like my 800, I assume the triple tree was bored out for the new SAE risers...
Which I guess is okay, just means I have to look for SAE risers.
BTW, I have a couple sets of OEM risers for sale in the "Classified" section... a black pair and a chrome....
Posted by CDNRatMan
- May 26, 2015, 20:41:10 PMNCC boy here is my bag and it's location and my tool box, if you need ideas........lol you can see them in person on the 6th.....
Posted by Donkey
- May 26, 2015, 20:36:53 PMQuote from: Smitty on May 26, 2015, 20:07:32 PMHonestly, if I didn't need the shield I wouldn't have one on either, just for looks alone, but getting caught in the rain or with a 20 degree temp drop means it comes on the long trips and off for the short ones.If you can move the fork bag to handlebars or get windshield bag setup to replace it for small items. I don't have a shield (have to stay cool in hot Texas sun) but hers a pic to help. A small side bag is nice as well.
The guy I got the bike from gave me a nice little pouch he wanted to use as a side bag and never did... I'll see what I can do with it!
Posted by Donkey
- May 26, 2015, 20:34:40 PMQuote from: pcarrell on May 26, 2015, 19:13:12 PMGot it, and love it, and THANKS!!! I actually do have the service manual but I like the digital version too... that way you can print just the pages you need and throw them out when you're done and they are grease covered...We have an online manual too if you'd like. It's even downloadable!
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=36095.0
Posted by Smitty
- May 26, 2015, 20:07:32 PMIf you can move the fork bag to handlebars or get windshield bag setup to replace it for small items. I don't have a shield (have to stay cool in hot Texas sun) but hers a pic to help. A small side bag is nice as well.
Posted by pcarrell
- May 26, 2015, 19:13:12 PMWe have an online manual too if you'd like. It's even downloadable!
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=36095.0
Posted by Donkey
- May 26, 2015, 18:54:07 PMMy service manual finally arrived.
Posted by pcarrell
- May 26, 2015, 13:25:26 PMQuote from: Donkey on May 26, 2015, 09:40:28 AMI used some small black zip ties and zipped them to the light bar. My bag is too big, so I need to get a shorter one, but you can just make out the zip ties in this pic.Got a good suggestion for keeping the fork bag from sliding down and rubbing on the fender?
