This is my first post as I just registered today. I own a 2007 Nomad and my wife rides a 2008 Honda Shadow. I am going to buy a Drifter in the near future. I was going to go with the 1500 as it has shaft drive and I like the looks of the 2001 red/ivory model. My concern is my wife wants to ride it also, so now I am wondering about the 800's.
The main question I have is how much of a pain is the chain drive. I have riden bikes since back in the 60's and the chains were messy and high maintenance. Are the chains of today more maintenance free?
Please forgive me if this has been covered before. I am to lazy to use the search feature. ;)
Chains are still a pain if ya ask me.
The 800's are often considered to be a better looking bike as described in article after article after article. The lines flow smoothly with the mono shock and solo seat.
The chain drive is fine. The o-ring is a major improvement and when you think about it, tires are more maintenance than chains. The lubes avaiable today are cleaner and easy to use. A few minutes after a ride with a good quality lube and replace with every other set of tires and adjust every 3000 miles or so with an oil change. Bonus of chains is you can change your gearing.
If you can't turn a wrench and maintain your bike yourself then maybe stay away from chain drive.
The 800 and the 1500 are COMPLETELY different bikes ... some folks have replaced the chain with a belt drive - personally I prefer the EFI and shaft of the 1500 ... but the 800 is still and great bike.
Cheers.
I have a 1500 shaft Classic, and my cousin has a800 chain drive. Very different bikes. The 1500 is a much smoother ride.