I just thought I would introduce myself. I'm new to this forum. I recently acquired a 1500 Vulcan classic from a police auction. The bike was previously owned by a drug dealer who attempted to outrun the state patrol and they rammed him in the rear end at 105 miles an hour and knocked him off the highway. The bike suffered no real mechanical damage but the fenders were pretty badly damaged and need replaced. The reason I am on the drifter forum is while it would be very easy to put Vulcan classic fenders back on this bike I am considering using drifter fenders instead. I have seen two different kinds of drifters, one with the frame that mimics a rigid frame and one that appears to use the same basic suspension system as the Vulcan Classic with visible shocks. I am hoping I can get some information here on how to do this conversion.
I am a Montana resident although I am currently residing in North Carolina for a construction project.
My name is Dave BTW.
WELCOME, Dave, to the forum. Glad to have you.
The "hardtail" look you talked about is the 800 Drifter. It has a monoshock under the frame.
The 1500 has the dual shocks visible. Here is a link to the pictures of various colors through the years that shows the 800 vs. 1500.
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/historyp3.html
Other than that, they look similar, however obviously there are several other differences. You can check out the "links" button up in the menu options above, which go to a bunch of pages with tons of info.
Welcome to the forum!
The Drifter, both 800cc and 1500cc, use the Classic F.I. front forks. The carbed front forks are different and will need to be modded to fit.
Welcome, and see you will get more info then you will need and loads of offers to help....
Quote from: DLC433 on January 25, 2015, 18:36:15 PM
The bike was previously owned by a drug dealer who attempted to outrun the state patrol and they rammed him in the rear end at 105 miles an hour and knocked him off the highway.
I forgot to ask... How did the drug dealer fare in the deal??
Welcome DLC433.
Greenbarn, The drug dealer miraculously survived with minor injuries and is now in prison. :)
Do some looking around the forum. Also check out the LINKS tab in the Nav bar, the MODS boards.
The rear suspension on the 1500 is very different from the classic. The fender floats with the tire. Other folks have put Drifter fenders on Classics so it can be done with some work!
I am a new member. Just purchased a 1999 Drifter. It is the 110th one off the line. Was owned by a collector and has 9300 miles. I have just retired and looking forward to spring riding weather. I live in North(by God)Carolina. I am a drag racer , 63 Plymouth Savoy Max Wedge Clone. This is my first motorcycle and I am looking to learn about the care and feeding of a motorcycle. I will be reading the posts looking for maintenance tips.
John Sawyer, Greensboro, NC
Before you venture out on what is an irreplaceable motorcycle, take an MSF riding class.....
Welcome, John, you need to change your name, we have too many Johns here...lol....
As Troll suggests take the MSF if this is your first bike, you will learn a lot and have fun doing it. Congrats on retirement I'll be joining you in Mar. and I too am looking so forward to the Spring.
Thanks for having me. I plan to take a rider course. I found this bike by accident looking for a birthday gift for my brother who has a 1947 Chief. My Dad bought it for him in 1955 to ride to college. He had it rebuilt a few months ago
Welcome to the forum!
One thing you might want to do is to photograph that bike to death for others to use as a reference. There aren't many low mileage early examples out there any more.
Welcome to the forum
Welcome; I can remember the first time I seen a Drifter and then I was hooked. It took me 5 months before I found one in Minnesota and drove 350 miles to get it. Enjoy the forum because the people are as good as a shop manual.
I purchased a shop manual on ebay. I have drag raced cars for years and consider myself a good shade tree wrench. I have zero motorcycle experience other than a Honda 4 wheeler I use at the track. The local Kawasaki dealer gave me a reasonable quote on a full service and fluid change. The bike has only 9300 miles but is 15 years old. Looking forward to enjoying riding and learning more about my Drifter. Any help appreciated.