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All 500/800 Vulcans used the same speedo meter, PN#25005. There's an identifier number 25005-xxxx that varies with models and year. All Drifters measure speed from the front wheel so any year will work. Now in theory you could slap a Classic on a Drifter and it will work. They all share the same speedometer receiver whether on the front or rear wheel the only thing that changes is the tire width since the rim is the same. I almost bought a dirt cheap 500 meter but at the last moment I decided to go with a newer model Drifter.

As far as the dash plaque, there's a seller on eBay from Romania that custom makes these. He actually made 4, one he sold me and 3 more that are still for sale on eBay. He has several already made with different scripts but I wanted mine in polished silver with logos. 

does a Vulcan 1500 have that much uumph?  My six cylinder Valkyrie 1500 has around 100 HP, and believe me that's a muscle bike

Yeah for 170 HP you must have been talking about a different motorcycle than a 1500 Vulcan:

Yes of course, I had Ducatis....

As far as the 1500 having more ummph, 80'sh in torque does make a different. There's no replacement for displacement  when you're in the highway. Furthermore, fuel injection completes the delivery of power. I've ridden the 800 & 1500 back to back and there's no comparison. The 1500 definitely wins in every category. It is just a more planted and more appealing motorcycle for the average dude.

Where the 800 wins is on its easy riding, low weight and price. Besides the seat height, the 800 can be a good started bike for women. It is easy to turn and move around. Its lack of torque and top end makes it perfect for a beginner.

The Drifter in both forms appeal to a niche crowd that enjoys that vintage look. Neither can compete against other metrics in the same category nor Harley for that matter. Kawasaki wasn't aiming at fantastic sales nor putting much emphasis in performance when they started production of these models. They had a clear path on who would buy these bikes and it was all about the eye of the beholder. 

There really isn't much comparison between an antiquated 800cc engine that's carbureted against a modern fuel injected 1500cc engine. Power delivery via driveshaft versus chain is a no brainer.

I just bought an 800 Drifter & I can assure you that going from 170'sh horse power down to 40'sh is excruciating in the highway. Getting passed by a Dodge Neon is right down embarrassing. However, moving/pushing her around in my garage and the ease in which she rides makes up for raw torque.

I almost bought the real deal (2016 Indian Chief Black Horse) at a super discount price. However, 1800cc got a lot of junk in the trunk & pushing her around in my small garage wound't have been practical for me.

UPDATE:
So I'm happy to report that the switcheroo worked. The bike now reads in MPH with both the odometer & trip as well.

It appears that in 2004 Kawasaki stopped making two different meters and basically changed the dial to include both MPH & KPH. All 800 Drifters use the front tire to estimate speed so any year meter will work.

At any rate if you go with the electronic unit that I was describing it works as an odometer also.

No doubt, that would be the thing to do but,,,,,,, is that darn vintage look that I don't want to change. The last bit of kawi badging is now gone. I made a custom dash plaque that makes her feel like a bleached blonde now.

but I'm inferring that you're not as concerned about that feature being the bike is more than 10 years old.

Funny you mention that since this is by far the one feature that I have come to rely upon on all the bikes I have ever owned.

On the many dozens of motorcycle that have lived in my garage, the one thing that seems to fail regardless of make and model is the gas gauge. BMW, Can-Am, Ducati & Honda, they all had their quirks & unreliability that let me to use & reset the trip-odometer religiously. Whether it was my F650GS that would display enough gas from Florida to Canada & back or my Street Triple telling me I was out of fuel with still half tank left. It is amazing that with ride-by-wire, traction control & 5 different riding modes this particular company couldn't design a better gas tank with accurate gauge.

I'm hoping that the KPH meter & the MPH meter (besides the dials) have different gearing internally that translate the rotation of the front tire/rear accordingly. They all use the same meter & the same receiver for the speedometer (41064-1057).

If anybody here has more inside on the actual dynamics involved please chime in! I plan to buy a used speedo from fleabay & go from there. I will report my findings to help others.

Thank you for all your responses and support.

The only thing I have found so far that has a specificity part for Metric only is at the meter level. All 800 Vulcans use PN# 25005 for the clock. PN# 25005A (20005-1656) is only for KPH.

The reason why I was asking about the converter is because there is no sensor (that I know) located in the meter. This is strictly a mechanical device counting how fast the front wheel turns. In theory the converter slows down the revolutions so your clock reads slower. I would imagine that this would apply if you kept the old dial at KPH. If you were to replace the meter all-together the needle would sweep the same way but the dial itself would have closer grouping numbers therefore show you a lower speed.

BUT?? What about the odometer & trip-odometer. Would it also count slower & show actual miles not kilometers?

Hello to all,

I recently bought a 2001 Drifter 800 and among many things that I missed while inspecting it was that fact that the clock is in kilometers. I was wondering why at 110 I was being passed by a Prius?

Anyways, the question is if I get a used imperial speedo from eBay (my title has exempt miles) will I also need Motrax's Speedo Converter? Since this is a mechanical cable driving speedo I assume that by using a combination of the converter with an actual MPH speedo it will work?