My last post was a long time ago and i suppose a few of you thought that i maybe was taken out by Covid or worse yet....... sold my Drifter.
To be honest, I am pretty much done tinkering with the bike. After many attempts to gain more power for highway cruising I finally came to the realization that 800cc's can only give so much.
I ended up buying a 2005 kawi vn1600 to satisfy my need for speed. The Drifter was but up on blocks and insurance pulled for 2020. I was this close " " to selling it but slapped myself and came to my senses. After watching a string of YouTube Videos on Drifters in general, i realized that these bikes are becoming rarer all the time and seem to be quite sought after.
I have decided to keep the old gal after all and reinsure it for 2021. It won't be getting many km's on it but at least it is there when i get the "Drool for Cool" itch.
Speaking of cool... i ended up pulling my windshield off to see how it affected my performance, and did that ever make the bike look sharp! I may just leave it off for good as now i will be just putting around town and low speed secondary roads.
Curious as to how many of you guys run without a windshield and what styles of windshields are out there that match the retro look? I have seen a few with Batwing fairings but it just looked "Wrong" My vision of retro cool is, no windshield, a leather aviators cap and big old goggles. Unfortunately we have helmet laws here :'(
Happy to know that you're still alive! ;)
And, most of all, that your brain is well kickin'...
I mean, it would have been a real murder to sell the Drifter: IMHO, Drifters are way cool bikes because of their vintage Indian-style (and their reliability).
That's why I own my 800 Drifter since 1999!
And, just to answer your question. I do also like to ride with no windhield on, as this way the bike is more performing and, as you said, looks even sharper! 8)
Glad to hear you're keeping her!
Glad you're keeping her, too. I took off the windshield from the 800 when I re-did her a couple years ago. I love the look, but hate the bugs and stones and wind and rain and stuff. I use the 1500 for longer rides, though, with the original retro-style F&S (same as on the 800).
SO I enjoy the looks of the no-windscreen look on the 800, but I'm thinking of putting the screen back on it. I guess I'll probably wait until I plan to ride it for a longer ride again, instead of the 1500, or until I get hit in the face with the next big beetle.
yes, I am rethinking the no windshield deal because of the bugs also. If i lived in the city and didn't plan on going more than 50kph ( 30mph) i probably would take it off. However all my driving is in the country and on some gravel roads. While most of our insects are small here, i cringe at hitting a large Grasshopper at 60mph. Those prehistoric MF's have creeped me out since i was a kid.
I may however remove my lowers , windshield extensions and maybe trim down the plexiglass. Not sure what shape and style windshield would keep the retro look . Will look at photos and see what others are running.