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Parts availabilty isn't as bad as people make out, you just have to not be lazy and put some effort into looking.
Fenders - fibre-glass repro fenders are readily available for the 800 & 1500.
OEM bag mounting brackets are still avilable from some factors and I've often seen used and new ones ebay.
OEM Indicators can still be found at some suppliers - and are still available from Japan (I got a pair of chrome rears just before Xmas).
Speedo drive cables - still available if you look hard enough, or you can get one essentially the same - the ends are generic.
Carbs can be a problem (mostly because people don't RTFM and break them). But repro carbs, complete with the TPS, are available on Amazon (I have no idea of the quality or if they come correctly jetted).
An after-market rear shock of excellent quality is available for the 800.
If you see a NOS part at a bargin price, grab it. (I found an NIB rear fender and a right hand switch cluster for my E2 for real bargain prices).

There are two diaphrams listed for the carb - which one do you mean?
CMSNL claims to have them both in stock. I've used them several times and they've always got it righ for me.
They list both diaphragms as available one with a superceeding part No, and the other with an non-OEM alternative.
https://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-vn800e2-vulcan-800-drifter-2002-usa-california-canada_model15614/partslist/47768.html

I purchased the National Cycle light bar N940 for my VN800-E2.
The design of the light bar is poor, and the standard of manufacture was unbelievably bad.

Apart from the bezel there are several other differences between US and European bikes.

A new in-box front fender can be found on ebay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374815093351?hash=item5744b87267:g:LuYAAOSwrZ1kjgnf&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4F670jNvhy3Asv4894nJAXljJNbokpWh9aSrwfgw9LhBsqUJl6uZY%2Bby8NFzsAHz%2B7lFSplbh3cQ6g7j35oke3ynJ%2BvLfloLuIkeO%2Bdd9qFy0peSk5tHmfS5Y9naWplL6V0ssx%2FX7oo4aYpMrWt03rVOixpOWpxZdXQ1qrq6gKprEMZzf%2FREevxQomu75TpBq8d%2FA8tyf2M5Mgb4CzvMmZvstQf1ZSxYmjvvt5IJ0Hng6uOwBCk7OfTcVUHJYdFzEzqKE8%2FfddwA9x8MXN%2F64V9kLyvcD5XgTNkDBdusOqbP%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3L-95q1i

A few years ago I picked up a NOS E2 rear fender as a spare for my E2.

Did you wind up getting the carb?

No, I didn't need one. I was just passing this on for those who do have a need.

Genuine Kawasaki carbs became unavailable from Kawasaki some years ago. I just stumbled on this claimed like-for-like replacement, complete with TPS.

Had anybody seen one of these in the flesh or know anything about it?

https://www.amazon.com/JIK-Carburetor-Kawasaki-15003-1452-1999-2006/dp/B0BXB6Q6L1?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A1Y0534WEKWPRM

I suggest tht you also check the engine mounts.

Motorsloop in Belgium sells crashbars specifically for the 800 and 1500 Drifters. Great people to deal with.

I can't find the direct link for the mo, but the URL will take you to their ebay shop; you can contanct them though that.

Guido at motorsloop knows his Drifter stuff, so address any comms to him.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204081503869?hash=item2f84349e7d:g:9HYAAOSwdf5iHOab&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsDBvGtpOwC3B72MQ%2FTJ9v%2FEMe236FZOSl0WDkwOWfPP1LRRGXrvrY75ZJYaZLkXwo6MYOpf0RYxcT01uTNadp%2FxWHWIhgLbXYyu8ytPlCC4GS4%2B91f8U513lb12YCnOnbkbEZz1ct%2B6rCrPtom8g1W512gW2oE1ZYE44isCZR0LwmoA04xh7WLICSbYn7hXyTumOGuGgvCu3vMPZhBCiMa2JKfUPTFBBP5pQLU9QEI%2F1%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8zrxc-AYQ

Frago VN, who runs the group, has started vetting everything before it is posted.

It is now not possible to mention the existence of other Drifter resources, including this forum, within the FB group because Frago VN does not allow such posts as they "are not cool".

I don't like such petty censorship, so I've bid the FB group a farewell.

Such a shame when such fences are erected in what shoul be a free association.

Damn right - thank you.

I'm a workshop manager in Oslo , Norway,
We maintance and repair elektro citybuses.

We are in the UK, but we saw these buses when we were visiting Norway. Very impressive, you are right to be proud of them.
Norway has a great reputation for encouraging the use of EVs, unlike the UK.

It sounds like a head bearing problem to me. Could be over tight / brinelled, or even loose. I suggest a strip and inspection.

I use this one. By careful placing I can lift either the rear wheel or the front wheel off the ground.
I've had it for about 7 years. It cost about £35 from ebay then - more now!

As far as I know, there are no springer seats made to fit our Drifters.
Even mine was listed to fit a HD or similar.
All you need is a flat piece of metal, a bit wider than the steel bridge that you can see standing over the frame, underneath the oem saddle.
That will be the base for the springer seat, to attach to said steel bridge.
If I'm not wrong, there should be a post about it on the Mods section of this Forum.

Kawasaki sold a springer seat for the 800 Drifter. Part No 99990-117A for the seat and part No 99990-117B for a seat rail. (And before somebody pops up and says they were never manufactured, I've got one of the seat rails in its original box complete with a Kawasaki label bearing that part number). I'm holding onto it in case a NOS seat to go with it ever pops up).

You can access the Owner's Manuals free at the Kawasaki website here:

https://www.kawasaki.com/es-us/owner-center/service-manuals?cm_re=OWNERCENTERLANDING-_-OWNERCENTERNAV-_-OWNERSSERVICEMANUALS

You can also purchase digital copies of the Service Manual.

Kawasaki had a tach for Vulcans but the quality was lacking according to many.

Thanks Chief. The Kawasaki tachos are the only ones that I'm looking at; I'm keeping my E2 in original trim except for Kawasaki accessories (plus panniers that can be unbolted).

One day I'll get around to finishing the list of Drifter accessories made by Kawasaki or authorised by them - but don't hold your breath.

Pete,K53020-340 is the Fire and Steel part number for this tachometer. The tach is listed for fitment on 800, 1500 and 1600 Kawasakies. I don't think a Drifter specific tach was offered. Happy Drifting, CDD

I think that you are probably right; I have seen two other sources that say the K53020-340 fits the Drifter, but I can't find it in a catalogue to be certain.

The one I have was taken from a scrapped VN1500 Nomad. I found instructions for the K53020-386, which covers the "VN1700 Nomad, Classic
and Classic LT".

A 2007 Kawasaki catalogue lists the K53020-340 as a fit for the 1600 Nomad. So that fits with the K53020-340 being the Drifter Tacho.

Thanks for your help.

I saw this Kawasaki tacho on ebay. It was taken from a Nomad. This design of accessory tacho has several variations of mounting hole spacings and wire-outs to cater for different models.
I bit of looking up of part numbers told me that the fore-aft bolt hole spacings were good, and the seller supplied the port-starboard spacing. So I knew it would fit. It was fairly likely that the electronics would work, so I got it.
It fits and works OK (did a temp wiring job to test it).

The bell-shaped rear end could do with re-chroming, but I won't do that until I've decided whether I like the extra clutter on the handlebars.

The good news is that any standard 60mm dia tacho-head will fit that housing, so if you can find one but the tacho doesn't work, replacing it is no problem. If you want to keep it original the correct tacho is still available from several suppliers.

Does anybody know the Kawasaki part number for the Drifter version of this?

Complete locksets for the 800 are still available, so there is a good chance that they are still available for the 1500.

I used Triumph Bonneville America rear crashbars that somebody was selling as NOS.

The right hand bar sits leaning forward a smigeon to match the lean of the front crashbars. The mounting bars that come with the kit are used, plus a simple cylindrical spacer at the saddle mounting.

The left hand bar top mount is the same as the right-hand bar, with a similar cylindrical spacer. There is nowhere convenient to attach the bottom of the crashbar. I got round this by modifying an after-market handlebar mirror mount. A bolt replaces the pillion foot-rest pivot pin, and that bolt screws in where the mirror would have gone. It is a neat arrangement and it is also mostly hidden by the panniers.

I prefer the square look of the crashbars to the "U" shaped ones that I've seen - more in harmony with the bars at the front.

Definitely sounds like a bad earth.

Check for corrosion in the lamps - you can get similar symptoms when the ground of a bulb isn't making electrical contact with the bulb-holder.

Just send me your address in a message and I'll put a couple in the post for you.

National Cycle make a light-bar specifically for the Drifter - but the design is poor and the quality of the one I received was absolutely appalling:
# The cross-bar was misaligned so the cables emerged at the front, marring the appearance (the cable exit should have been jigged so that it faced to the rear).
# There was so much pigeon-shit welding that it was not possible to do up the nuts that hold the indicators on. This was not a near-miss problem, the nuts didn't get closer than 10mm to seating. (I have a lathe and made spacers to solve the problem).
# The holes that receive the location studs on the indicators were too small for the indicators to fit properly.
# The lights flickered and went out. Two of the wires had been pushed into connectors, but the connectors were not then crimped, so the wires fell out again.
# The spotlights are so close to the indicators that the cables don't run properly.
# The spotlights can be pointed skywards easily enough, but there isn't quite enough adjustment to point them horizontally as they should be.
Be prepared to have to remedy this sort of nonsense if you buy one.

The good bits:
# The shape of the spotlights mirrors that of the Drifter headlight; they really look the part.
# If you look after the chrome it does last well - no sign of rust after 5 years (except that the nuts that hold the spotlight to the lightbar rusted quickly).
# No problems with fitting it to the bike.
Note: None of the National Cycle ads or catalgues show or mention the On-Off switch on the left-hand spotlight, but there is one, so no worry about fitting one of your own.

... I bought plated longer metric button heads

Those are called flanged bolts. Button-heads AKA dome-heads look like round domes (Button-heads can also have flanges). I'm not being pedantic, it's just that if people know the right name it's easier to find what they are looking for.