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Posted by greenbarn
 - June 11, 2015, 17:20:27 PM
Quote from: CDNRatMan on June 10, 2015, 22:01:00 PM

I am not a 700 specialist you would have to ask GB if tat works he is a smart lad and will figure it out for you.......

I think you northern boys lost me on this one.... ???

Posted by Donkey
 - June 11, 2015, 12:36:45 PM

Yes PC, I also watched the launch video and saw the promo pictures...  I've even read reviews (most recently a Canadian Biker magazine article published Jan 2, 1999)...

http://canadamotoguide.com/1999/01/02/test-ride-kawasaki-vn1500-j1-drifter/

...and haven't yet found a picture of a stock bike with black covers. Unfortunately it seems my risers may have been replaced so there's nothing I can find there.

I'll take better pictures of both engine sides in good light to see if any of the experts can pick out something that says "yup, painted"...

It's all great reading though. Can't say I'm sorry for all the reading I'm doing as I research, it's a fun bike to learn about!

Posted by pcarrell
 - June 11, 2015, 08:53:47 AM
Quote from: Donkey on June 11, 2015, 06:55:18 AM

Yes, the right side cover is black too...  That's actually the one with the oil cap in the pic above. The only matte silver I have is the valve covers...

Hmmm, that's strange, because all of the pics I see online show the lower covers on both sides to be matte silver.  The original TV ad shows silver painted parts, and I'm guessing that the bike used in this ad is an early one since they're introducing the bike for the first time ( http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/driftervideo.html ).  Even the original Super Chief, the bike that inspired Ma Kawi to make the Drifter, had silver engine lowers ( http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/DrifterGallery/SuperChief/ ).  I'd agree that yours looks factory though.

I thought the 1999 model bikes came with a production # plate or certificate or something.  Seems to me I saw something like an engraved plate across the risers on an early bike, but maybe that was owner added?  Ma Kawi also confirmed that Canada got a total (all years included) of about 600 Drifters for each cc group ( http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=18150.0 ).

Posted by Donkey
 - June 11, 2015, 08:26:47 AM
Quote from: pcarrell on June 11, 2015, 08:11:45 AM

...so the part I thought was stock, wasn't.

And that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out!!  I don't want to think I have some kind of special, early run, one of a kind part or bike if I don't, and even though there really won't be any more value to it it is, there would be some cool factor there!

There's just nothing about it that tells me it was painted. The edges of the covers are curved and there is no visible paint line...  No tool marks on any of the fasteners to show it was taken off. That oil sticker...  But that's not to say it wasn't replaced. Now it's a mission.

I have a Beretta that turned out to be like that...  There was a small run (1000 I believe) of Berettas  that were released before the real run started in '88 and turns out I had one of them. According to Car and Driver, these 1000 cars had a multitude of small, square, hard to use radio buttons, a skinny cheap feeling steering wheel and other small indicators...  Yep, had them all. And inside the door panel the frame was stamped NOV 1986 and was registered as an '87, way earlier than the intended release.

Posted by pcarrell
 - June 11, 2015, 08:11:45 AM
Quote from: Drifter1500 on June 11, 2015, 05:20:22 AM

The left engine cover on my 00 is just like the 99 cover, and is matte silver. also the shop manual shows that they are the same.

You know what?  I stand corrected!  I was basing what I said off of a friends 2000 Drifter, but I asked him about it and he said that he took a 2001 part and stripped it and had it repainted, so the part I thought was stock, wasn't.  Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead!  ***Next time, I'll do more homework!***
Posted by Donkey
 - June 11, 2015, 06:55:18 AM
Quote from: Drifter1500 on June 11, 2015, 05:20:22 AM

The left engine cover on my 00 is just like the 99 cover, and is matte silver. also the shop manual shows that they are the same.
I to have never seen nor heard about any covers being painted black. Is the right side cover the same?

Yes, the right side cover is black too...  That's actually the one with the oil cap in the pic above. The only matte silver I have is the valve covers...
Posted by Drifter1500
 - June 11, 2015, 05:20:22 AM
Quote from: pcarrell on June 10, 2015, 14:21:25 PM

Donkey, I don't know about the Canadian / American thing (Except that the U.S. didn't get any 1999 Drifter 800's (only 1500's), while Canada did. Both got the 800 for the 2000 model year), but all the '99's and '00's had the black painted engine parts with the matte silver parts.  They did this, along with all of the other blackout parts, to try and really capture the 1940's Indian look, but customers in the showrooms wanted chromed out bikes, so in 2001 Ma Kawi gave them what they wanted.  Now the blackout bikes are highly prized by some.  As for the differences, the 1999 left lower side engine cover was different from the 2000 cover as well (the cover down by the floorboard and shifter).  The 1999 lower left cover was sort of a half cover, and a 1 year only part, and the 2000 cover was like the 2001+ cover, only it was also matte silver, making it a 1 year only part as well.  Starting in 2001 and through the rest of the model run, all the lower left engine covers were like the 2000 cover except they were chromed.  This is my 2001, so you can see the difference between yours and mine.

(Click to enlarge)

The left engine cover on my 00 is just like the 99 cover, and is matte silver. also the shop manual shows that they are the same.
I to have never seen nor heard about any covers being painted black. Is the right side cover the same?
Posted by CDNRatMan
 - June 10, 2015, 22:01:00 PM

  I am not a 700 specialist you would have to ask GB if tat works he is a smart lad and will figure it out for you.......

Posted by Donkey
 - June 10, 2015, 21:08:59 PM
Quote from: CDNRatMan on June 10, 2015, 19:46:39 PM

So did you add the 710 to top up the bike?

I meant to but I only have 705 and 715 handy.  If I mix them together, will that work?
Posted by CDNRatMan
 - June 10, 2015, 19:46:39 PM

 So did you add the 710 to top up the bike?

Posted by Donkey
 - June 10, 2015, 18:55:16 PM

What's funniest, PC, is that all this is because it stood out to me where you said "I'd hang on to all of the matte silver motor pieces from the Drifter as those are only available for the first 2 years of the Drifter, so they are quite unique"... 

Posted by Donkey
 - June 10, 2015, 18:34:32 PM

I read a lot of the info and posts about the numbers and remember that they may be code and not necessarily sequential, disappointingly by design, so that Kawi could keep their numbers secret.  I also remember reading the thread about decoding VIN's, but most of the info started after '00...  otherwise I'd love to know if the sequence means anything.

Oh, and I remember seeing that there were only 600 CDN Drifter 1500's, but my number is 003447, which tells me they are either not sequential or there is an extra number in there and nobody knows which one or what it means.  If those last 6 numbers means anything to anyone I'd love to hear it!

Now, I'm no expert by any means but I'm pretty analytical...  and in this pic I see a very thick coating, much too thick to be paint or powder.  The way it's chipping tells me it's original...  there is no leading paint edge or silver matte underneath.  No layers.  The oil capcity sticker is too straight, too naturally aged to have been removed and replaced.  It was not taped or painted/powdered around.

Just my thoughts...  others very welcome!  Sorry, we're in the middle of a tornado watch so the lighting is terrible.

Posted by pcarrell
 - June 10, 2015, 18:06:38 PM

The color might have something to do with the final shipping destination, but more likely either yours has been painted, or maybe as the line began to switch over to the 2000 model a change was made.  Do you know the assembly number of your bike?  Was it an early, or late one off the line?  That would maybe answer the question.  Maybe some of our other members could help us out with those numbers to figure out what constitutes later in the model run.

Posted by Donkey
 - June 10, 2015, 17:52:15 PM

Well that's cool. I just did a Google image search and Bing image search and didn't find one with a black primary case. I had no idea. Seems clear to me mine isn't painted but I like to know stuff like this for sure.

Posted by Donkey
 - June 10, 2015, 17:21:06 PM

Never really compared the left side either...  Wow. Yours is way more what I'm used to on a 1500...  I didn't even realize this is what I have!  I'm so used to taking pics from the high side (and the bike still so new to me) I never realized it!

Sorry the pic is upside down and backwards...  Bike is tight in the garage and I was leaned over it and the phone keeps flipping the pic when I post it!

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