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:
;)
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.
Sweet ride, Denver. Keep us posted.
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
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
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!
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.
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......
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.
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.
What a nice looking bike!
You really have to feel bad for both the kids and us when a child covers their ears when you are going to start your bike. They've been exposed to the "loud pipes save lives" crowd for too long. What are these kids going to do, how will they feel about motorcycles, in general when they grow up? We are not getting any younger, and new blood is what this avocation needs, not old guys dying off.
5 years on a tire??? I wish I could get tires to last that long. I'm quite happy with my Michelins, and this season will be their second. I suspect I'll have to replace them before Drift-In, since the mileage will be over 20,000 by then.
Troll I was talking shelf life not the abuse you put on your tires making them go all the time.....lol....
new blood and help with the old guys like 49 and GB and PC them old guys are just mean in their old age........
Just remember, Ratty, the older the violin, the sweeter the music......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on March 09, 2014, 20:20:41 PM
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
Does this mean I'm not the youngest on here anymore? Maybe?
Quote from: gdrudd13 on March 10, 2014, 14:55:09 PM
Does this mean I'm not the youngest on here anymore? Maybe?
I'm a couple weeks shy of my 31st birthday...
[ot]I'm a couple weeks shy of my 31st birthday[/ot]
Wow an old boy, in a couple of weeks what is the date? for interest sake.....lol.......
Haha ya my body feels much older than that still - sports and playing hard have left me with a bad knee/couple surgeries and now I'm experiencing my first back issue with a herniated disk. Turning 30 hit me hard! Hoping 31 won't be as bad! The date is 4/4..trying to decide what to do - a mod for the bike or for the truck for the bday!
Excellent ride, Denver!!!
I have a couple clients near Clay and 28th. I'm there all the time.
I'm curious about what mods you're planning to the exhaust.
Oh, if you should see a Drifter that looks like Adam West should be riding, that's me.
Congrats!!!!
Quote from: moosewayne on March 10, 2014, 17:26:23 PM
Excellent ride, Denver!!!
I have a couple clients near Clay and 28th. I'm there all the time.
I'm curious about what mods you're planning to the exhaust.
Oh, if you should see a Drifter that looks like Adam West should be riding, that's me.
Congrats!!!!
Very cool! I just bought a condo at the new building called Clay/28th and love the area.
I'm planning to get another stock one that's been shortened and debaffled and ceramic coat in black and keep my stock one in tact. If that deal doesn't go through, I'd like to get a set of V&H Long Shots or maybe even have a local shop fab something up then get it all tuned. I'll keep an eye out for you!
Sharp bike.
Too bad the timing was off - I was in Vegas the last half of last week. I could have drove it around for you. You know, just to make sure everything was OK.....
Quote from: DenverDuc on March 10, 2014, 15:53:57 PM
I'm a couple weeks shy of my 31st birthday...
Well darn (I'm still 24 for another month). Glad to see I'm not the only younger one on here that likes these though. Bike looks great. It actually is very close to mine. Same year, same color, same seat, and even same tank badges.
Quote from: gdrudd13 on March 11, 2014, 07:53:45 AM
Well darn (I'm still 24 for another month). Glad to see I'm not the only younger one on here that likes these though. Bike looks great. It actually is very close to mine. Same year, same color, same seat, and even same tank badges.
.....better go take a look in your garage..... :o
Quote from: 49Reo on March 11, 2014, 09:35:11 AM
.....better go take a look in your garage..... :o
LOL. It's not the exact same yet. If he changes saddlebags and adds a windshield THEN it might get confusing.
oh going to get hammered for this.....but perhaps at Drift in we can get milk and cookies for the young lads.......lol........oh 49 don't be like that ........
Went for a ride with a coworker on a Harley today. Oh and I relegated my truck to street parking so I can put both my road going toys in my parking spot!
good luck and nice looking stable......
Thanks! I just wish the M3 belonged to me as well :D
Great looking bike. Congrats!
Looking good ;)
Congrats on the sweet ride man! 8)
Sweet ! You will really like the Corbin seat. I have that seat on my 800,and really fits the Drifter (and me) well. The bags are a nice match to the seat as well. Also very similar to my bags. Nice!
Quote from: Goombah on April 02, 2014, 10:18:25 AM
Sweet ! You will really like the Corbin seat.
+1 on the seat
It is definitely comfy especially once I get underway. It's a little wider than I'm used to (ie, the bike next to it, and 2 motocross bikes) at a stoplight, but it's great on the highway. I have the stock seat I need to put on for a little while because the girlfriend wants to go for a ride wahoo :)
As stated before.. Corbin seats are the best.. have one on mine and my a$$ thanks me daily hahhahaa
Quote from: DenverDuc on 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:
very nice ride!
My uneducated guess is the 800 blacked out drifters will be the most sought after 10+ years now.
That's probably a good guess, IMO. I know it seems to be the least- available right now, at least in the US, from my searches.
Quote from: darkdrifter on April 09, 2014, 18:34:47 PM
very nice ride!
My uneducated guess is the 800 blacked out drifters will be the most sought after 10+ years now.
To be honest, blacked out Drifters were literally the only ones I even looked for. I was 16 in 1999 and was working at moto dealer when we uncrated a 1500 in gooseberry, and it was the very first cruiser I found appealing in any way, shape or form. I've still never grown fond of any other cruisers really besides original Indians and 1999-2000 Drifters. I've rented Harleys on vacation before, and though they're fine for a day here and there I just don't care for them. Not to mention a "nice" new Harley costs multiple times what Drifters currently sell for. I'd like to think they'll go up in value as well for nicely kept examples!
I keep an eye out for a wrecked or a parted 800 on the cheap for spare parts I may one day need, and I am quite surprised at how many 2000 800 drifters I've seen for sale in the US in the past couple years. I suppose alot of folks just think its too much black, I dunno :-\
Quotefolks just think its too much black,
there is no such thing as too much black.......I like the black out look on my 99 and am really happy with it and have found some small ways to get rid of even some of the small pieces of chrome.
I'm also one in favor of the black , but DO LOVE both models ..... Darkdrifter to much black .... for you , NEVER ;D ;) Hey I've been trying to find bone yards for bikes , myself . We have none that I'm aware of near by . How does one for these bike yards ?
we do have a couple pretty cool motorcycle bone yards here in st. loo. but I haven't seen any drifters in them.
I was talking about the ones I see on the net. kijiji, ebay, craigslist, cycletrader, etc...
there was that one on ebay a couple months ago located in CA that was supposeably last titled in Canada, but owner couldn't get it straightened out, or something of that nature, so he put it on ebay with no title. I think it sold pretty cheap, and was a nice looking drifter. If it would've been a little closer to the midwest, I probably would've bid on it
8) yea I seen that one myself . Thanks dude I don't want to get off the topic of the thread ... LOL
Went out for a nice long cruise this Saturday when it was 72 degrees here. Nevermind the fact it snowed 3" and was 22 degrees Sunday! lol I noticed the front brakes are getting lower than I'm comfortable with, so this weekend it's a brake pad and oil change day. I planned to stick with OEM pads unless there's a great consensus otherwise??
I put new brake pads on this weekend, changed the oil, removed the saddle bags and washed the bike. It's definitely time for some new tires, so I'm pricing that out as well. So happy the warm weather is here in Denver!
Just my thoughts, a set of white walls would really set that to being the sharpest ride in Denver........
Quote from: CDNRatMan on April 21, 2014, 18:26:44 PM
Just my thoughts, a set of white walls would really set that to being the sharpest ride in Denver........
Read my mind ;)
Though I was looking around and it seems the Michelin Commander II is the best all around value as I can get a pair shipped to my door for $255. I'm looking at places to get them mounted, and the most reputable place is charging $120 to mount and balance on the bike. Seems a little steep, but I guess it's more involved than a car tire..
Quote from: DenverDuc on April 21, 2014, 18:57:06 PMand the most reputable place is charging $120 to mount and balance on the bike. Seems a little steep, but I guess it's more involved than a car tire..
HOLY COW!!!!! My shop hits me for $40 a wheel if they remove them, cheaper if I do!
Kinda what I was thinking too. This joint has a great rep around town so I think they lean a little too heavily on that for pricing. The local bike parts shop only charges $15 if you bring in your wheels unmounted from the bike, so charging $60 a wheel mounted seems pretty outrageous.
Well they might be after the market of people that are too lazy or don't know how to remove their wheels from the bike. also I am sure any reasonable shop will let you remove one and then take it and then bring the other if you can not lift the bike completely off the ground. Did you look at the Metz's. But each to their own.......
Quote from: DenverDuc on April 21, 2014, 18:17:58 PM
I put new brake pads on this weekend, changed the oil, removed the saddle bags and washed the bike. It's definitely time for some new tires, so I'm pricing that out as well. So happy the warm weather is here in Denver!
Just my opinion, but the 800 looks much better without the saddlebags, as does yours. It allows that rear fender to be displayed.