I tried to find the article on line but kept getting some really weird results, so anyway the article is in their Jan Feb 2013 edition. I'll give the condensed version...
by John Molony
"The Other Collectibles"
There are classic hits and then there are memorable misses. Some hold their value on the collector market because of their inherent excellance, while others are collectible only in the quirkest sense of the word. We now offer out top 10 list of the latter category.....
If you are a regular reader of Robert Smith's Vintage Hall you will know there are bikes that get all the attention from the collectors: the Nortons, BSA's early Honda CB750s, ground-breaking Vincents, Harley FXRs, along with a wide array of Knuckles and Panheads. Then there is, arguably, the most ubiquitous collectible of them all, the 1968 Triumph Bonniville. The list is long and only scratches the surface. What about the others? the bikes many have forgotten ever existed, the ones that don't remind people of the halcyon days of the 1960's, those that once held so much promise but were ultimately wiped from our collective memory or swept into ignominy. The bikes only Mother could love. The ones we now see mainly as strange unique and different - to be kind. Forthwith is our own Top Ten list of these models that never quite qualified as collectibles - at least not in the cortex of Vintage Hall. Consider these the other collectibles.
1. Das Cruiser : BMW R1200C
2. Back to the Future : Yamaha GTS
3.Almost anything from Buell : Thunderbolt S3T
4. Long Live the Wankel : Suzuki RE-5 Rotary
5.The left Coast : Honda PC800
6. Heavey Breathers : The Turbos
7.
8. That's not waht I had in Mind: Ducati Indiana
9. Dirt Roads : Harley Davidson SX250
10. Very Heavy Metal : Honda Rune and Dodge Tomahawk.......
the blank in #7 is because her eis what they had to say in their write up......
7. The Big Fender : Kawasaki Drifter : Give Kawasaki credit. The company must have seen the writing on the wall. Every vintage collector really wants an Indian Motorcycle. Why else would there have been so many different owners and iterations of the company over the past 20 years? Safe to say, it's now finally in the best of hands as part of the Polaris fold.
But at the turn of the millennium, it seems that Kawasaki decided if nobody else could competently build Indians they would do so - for at least a few years. Adding giant fenders, solo seats and classic paint, they did just that. The result was the Drifter in Vulcan powered 800 and 1500 varients. These bikes must have been the ultimate in historical tributes. And no matter what your wife might say about the pair of plaid pants you won't throw away, history has a way of repeating itself. Which Drifter makes the list? The 800. With its hardtail look and Big Cheif saddle witrh the chrome grabrail it was a unique tribuite to the classic American styling. And as with most every other bike on this list it doesn't look like anything else on the road. Well except maybe an Indian. But when was the last time you saw one of those rolling down the highway near you? Ride on Kawasaki Drifter, Ride on.......
Now if the rest of the motorcycling world will realize what they missed out on.......
Nahhhh. We're special!!!
Some of us are more "special" then others......
I had a #5 (fantastic commuter) and wanted to buy a #2 before decided the #7 is the best for me now :)
I think I had a #6..if that covers a Vmax..
John.
very cool.
maybe kawasaki will start the production again? ;)