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Reason for editing: Last Edit: June 13, 2009, 01:27:38 AM by pcarrell

You can get the silicon at any home improvement store.  Shoot, WalMart carries it I think!  Get the kind that says it's safe for foam.  It has less harsh solvents in it and should be fine for paint.

On the tires, I got them not long ago.  When I got the bike it had a Bridgestone on the front and a dunlop on the back.  The dunlop wasn't in too bad of shape, but the Bridgestone was toast.  Those on it now are Conti Milestones, and I like them quite a lot.  In that pic they had less then 100 miles on them I think, but now with close to 1000 they still look as good.  I found my best on-line price, then went and beat the local dealer up on price.  I got the front for about $130 and the back for about $160, mounted and balanced, with tubes and rim strips.  Not a bad deal I thought.  I picked these because they're supposed to have a little tougher sidewall on them which helps the load carrying capacity.  I've heard that the Avons have a bit more grip, but they're a little more pricey too.  The Maxis tires are supposed to stay white longer, but I haven't had an issue with mine yet.

As for the flaps, I thought it made the bike look lowered a little.  I made them, and you can too.  It was quite easy really.  I picked up some ready made deerskin fringe (I got mine here: http://www.eleathersupply.com/fringe.shtml  but Tandy leather stores sell the same stuff) and I went to Walmart and got some black sticky backed industrial strength extra wide velcro and some E6000 glue ( Wally World or your local hardware store: http://www.drillspot.com/pimages/2658/265850_300.jpg ), or you could use Barge's glue, and I simply glued the fringe to one side of the sticky backed velcro (just the top edge of the fringe).  Then I cleaned the inside of my fenders real good and glied the other side of the sticky backed velcro to the inside of the fender, making sure that none of the velcro showed.  Once it was dry (a couple of hours), I took some scissors and cut off the excess on the ends and cut the fringe in a curve to match the fender line.  Once I had the stuff together, it didn't take long at all!

Here's a little better pic of the front (still had the old tires on)......
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Drifter/IMG_0566small.jpg

And the rear.........
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Drifter/IMG_0565small.jpg

I've also made some floorboard skirts with that fringe (this was since that picture before).  This time I dressed it up with some turquoise rivits.  I'll be using more of these rivits throughout the bike to tie the whole package together.  Also, I just used the E6000 glue and glued them straight on to the floorboards.  The trick is to apply the glue to both parts, then come back in 4 or 5 minutes to stick them together.  It works a lot better that way.  Anyways, here's a pic of the skirts..........
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Drifter/SkirtCloeup.jpg

If you're looking for a bike that just screams for a "personal touch", you really couldn't have done much better then buying a Drifter!

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Posted by Kawabunga

- June 12, 2009, 22:48:22 PM

Thanks pcarrell,
I think I might give them a try. They do look nice. What/and where do you get the silicon? It wont hurt the bikes paint will it?

P.S. I like your whitewall tires. I want to get a set for my 800 Drifter. Any suggestions? I hate the bridgestones that are on there now.
Where did you get the fender tassels also? I like them better than the Kawa ones I've seen.
Sorry for all the questions. I just bought mine and need to accessorize to make it my own.
Thanx.

Posted by pcarrell

- June 12, 2009, 22:02:39 PM

I have them. They're quite nice, and they come molded pretty close to the shape you'll need them in. I don't really have a good pic of them, but you can see them here: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Drifter/IMG_0569.jpg

They aren't actually metal though. They look like they're made out of a putty, like JB Weld or something. You can run them under warm water for a minute or two and slowly shape them if you need to, just take your time. I still need to do mine a little better (the feather tips on the left tank emblem were tweaked a bit). Right now I have them on there with double stick foam tape, but they don't quite sit flush to the tank that way, so when I get them shaped the way I want I'll use some silicon adhesive. I have the air cleaner covers too, and they have a bolt of the correct diameter and thread guage built into them, but the bolt is too long. A dremel tool makes short work of that though.

Posted by Kawabunga

- June 12, 2009, 16:44:17 PM

Hey all,
was wondering if anyone mounted the Indian Tank Badges from Zambini?!
Do you have to bend them slightly to match the contours of the tank?
How do you attach them? 3M tape or silicon?
Attached a photo of the style I want. I have the Black/Silver combo 800 Drifter; thought this style emblem would look nice on the silver side of the tank.
Thanks.

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