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tassle
29th August 2004, 21:29
I like them, i want one,i want to custom it like an old indian with bags and tassles,anyone had one ,ridden one,kicked one ,shot one run over one,all comments,enjoyed as usual,cheers :Pokey:

scumdog
30th August 2004, 09:52
I like them, i want one,i want to custom it like an old indian with bags and tassles,anyone had one ,ridden one,kicked one ,shot one run over one,all comments,enjoyed as usual,cheers :Pokey:

Eh? who is this old Indian with bags and tassles? Geronimo? Tonto? Gokliya? and why do you want to kick them and shoot them? what harm have they ever done to you? no wonder the native people on this earth feel oppressed, it's raiding imperialists like you that do it to them.. :Pokey: :bleh:

Omega1
30th August 2004, 10:02
Is it the Kawasaki Drifter you're referring to?

Cajun
30th August 2004, 10:30
I like them, i want one,i want to custom it like an old indian with bags and tassles,anyone had one ,ridden one,kicked one ,shot one run over one,all comments,enjoyed as usual,cheers :Pokey:

I love indians as well, its the only old style bike i would buy

The kawasaki vulcan drifter, indian stylebut with modern braking and FI, friend has one,
you can make them look old style

Mongoose
30th August 2004, 10:35
I love indians as well, its the only old style bike i would buy

The kawasaki vulcan drifter, indian stylebut with modern braking and FI, friend has one,
you can make them look old style


Is that the mega fugly Kwaka with the very full guards etc?

gav
30th August 2004, 11:33
I thought he was talking about a Nissan Skyline :eek:

Cajun
30th August 2004, 11:46
Is that the mega fugly Kwaka with the very full guards etc?

yup that is a bugger, i would get a 800 version of it if they brought it to nz, but nope only bring the 1500

Mongoose
30th August 2004, 11:53
yup that is a bugger, i would get a 800 version of it if they brought it to nz, but nope only bring the 1500


Sorry, that falls under different strokes for different folks, local Kwaka dealer tried to sell me one but I thought it even uglier than the Cali!!

Paul in NZ
30th August 2004, 11:56
Fuggin' ugly great monster is living proof that if you make an ugly bike big enough it will gain acceptance.. ;-)

Cool name though....

I think you would need to be a slim hipped cow poke (no beastiality jokes please) with a Clint Eastwood mustache and a steely gaze. Ridin' gear would be leather chaps over fade jeans and spurs janglin on yer boots with a dusty poncho up top and a thin dark cigar clenched firmly between yer teeth!

You would need to rig up a sound system so when you flipped the side stand down the theme from "The Magnificent 7" would fade in from no place (in particular)....

Trouble with those bikes is you can never go anywhere on them because you have to be always, "Just Passin' Through".....

I couldn't own one, pudgy old white guys would look daft on it...

Cheers

Cajun
30th August 2004, 11:58
Fuggin' ugly great monster is living proof that if you make an ugly bike big enough it will gain acceptance.. ;-)

Cool name though....

I think you would need to be a slim hipped cow poke (no beastiality jokes please) with a Clint Eastwood mustache and a steely gaze. Ridin' gear would be leather chaps over fade jeans and spurs janglin on yer boots with a dusty poncho up top and a thin dark cigar clenched firmly between yer teeth!

You would need to rig up a sound system so when you flipped the side stand down the theme from "The Magnificent 7" would fade in from no place (in particular)....

Trouble with those bikes is you can never go anywhere on them because you have to be always, "Just Passin' Through".....

I couldn't own one, pudgy old white guys would look daft on it...

Cheers

and a younh skinny white guy would look just as daft

moko
30th August 2004, 12:04
Serious answer for you mate.I know a guy that`s got one and apart from the fact that parts of it were rusty from brand new(!) it`s not a bad bike.The Kwak 800 V-Twin is known to be a bit gutsier than the competition and in a recent comparison test in RIDE the "Classic"(more conventional cruiser that the Drifter but basically the same)whupped the opposition.Basically there`s not a lot to worry about,you know what you want and there`s a Drifter Club on-line with a few examples of exactly what you want to do to one.The 800 is generally reckoned to be better than the 1500,all you get is a motor of a size to impress schoolkids and shit-loads of vibration.The 1500`s were actually going for cheaper than the 800s if you shopped around here for the same reason the 900 Hornet is available for less than the 600,bigger isn`t nescessarily better.Not my taste I must admit but you can have youself a unique motorcycle without busting the bank.Put aside your personal feeling for a bit,they`re not that popular with the notoriously conservative bike-buying public so you should get a really good deal,if not walk away and there`s a good chance it`ll still be there in a few weeks time when the seller may well drop a bit.

A Toad 2
30th August 2004, 21:02
I like them, i want one,i want to custom it like an old indian with bags and tassles,anyone had one ,ridden one,kicked one ,shot one run over one,all comments,enjoyed as usual,cheers :Pokey:
ARE U TALKING ABOUT THE OLD STYLE INDIAN MOTORCYCLE WITH A SIDE GEAR STICK AND SPRUNG SEAT LIKE AN OLD SADDLE OR AM I JUST TOO OLD FOR U.USED TO BE ONE AROUND THIS WAY: BELONGED TO A LOCAL BIKEY THINK HES PROGRESSED ONTO HARLEYS NOW. :ride:

jrandom
30th August 2004, 21:08
BELONGED TO A LOCAL BIKEY THINK HES PROGRESSED ONTO HARLEYS NOW. :ride:

Another fifty years and he might buy a Suzuki, eh?

tassle
31st August 2004, 10:51
yup that is a bugger, i would get a 800 version of it if they brought it to nz, but nope only bring the 1500
but if you want a big tank ,why buy half a tank,that would only be a jeep, not a tank, but why not get one imported from the land of the copies(somewhat improved) japan.
brother in law rides a road king said if i got one he woulnt talk to me again,love bikes that cause ya crap.

tassle
31st August 2004, 10:57
yep thats the one with the filled in guards,a real one was on trade me,in three hundred and forty two thousand pieces, still looks like it sold for 16billylids,they are around 25-30k us$. drifter is a hell of lot cheaper.

Cajun
31st August 2004, 11:29
yep thats the one with the filled in guards,a real one was on trade me,in three hundred and forty two thousand pieces, still looks like it sold for 16billylids,they are around 25-30k us$. drifter is a hell of lot cheaper.

Good bikes mad max vice presdient of local uylsses has one, he done tons of milage, goes good, father in law did have the vn1500 before it(same motor)

bugsonteeth
2nd May 2005, 05:04
It's cold and grey, can't ride my bike so I went looking what other people in the world are up to with Drifters.
Shocked to hear that you cannot get the 800 in NZ, what a shame! I would never ride a 1500, unyielding, waterlogged buffalo of a motorbike.
The 800 on the other hand, woohoo! Had it for 2 seasons, modded out suspension and engine, and it eats Harleys for breakfast now!
It doesn't do really well on the insanely long stretches of highway, but who wants that anyway? Through mountains and canyons, it's just a blast, very quick, nimble and good brakes too (came off the Ninja).
But it as a "first" cruiser, sort of a temporary solution, but now that it's all dialed in, it's definitely a keeper!
http://photobucket.com/albums/y37/bugsonteeth/

murhf3
2nd May 2005, 18:33
I hav a 2004 model with add on single leather seat,p.c.u, vance and hines pipes and extra 20hp,its brillant and I had two harley pieces of shit prior. :ride:

bugsonteeth
5th May 2005, 01:42
hi there scooterboy,
congratulations, wise choice to dump the Harley POS! It's getting just ridiculous here in the US, way overrated and especially way too expensive with quality control on permanent vacation and pisspoor service.
But the Mean Streak, now that is a nice bike and I seriously thought about getting that instead of the Drifter.
However, the wife remarked that I am plenty mean enough and don't need a bike with a name like "Mean Streak". No Toyota Tacoma either, sounds too much like "coma". No, she's not weird, just a sweetie from Thailand!
Anyway, over here the Mean Streak was sold in a seriously underpowered version (just over 60 hps I think it was). So even though they can be modded out to about 80 hps fairly easily (you found out), it's still not too impressive for an engine that size. My Vulcan 800 Drifter puts out that much stock.
So do tell, I am curious to hear how well she takes to twisties and mountainroad? Another friend is seriously considering getting one, but NO RIDES here when you buy a bike! You just gonna have to do your homework very carefully....

crazylittleshit
5th May 2005, 02:38
I got a ticket for drifting once.
$600 driving with intent to cause alarm? :scooter:

crazylittleshit
5th May 2005, 02:41
F**ken Evil pop ups :Pokey:

bugsonteeth
10th May 2005, 09:14
Hey Fry, evil has popped up here years ago, when Bush stole the presidency the first time!
Just for the record, in case somebody wants one of the Drifters, do NOT get the 1500, that was an afterthought by Kawa marketing to sucker american buyers into getting a bigger "version" of the 800. (Here people think "Harley" and "Sportster").But they are two entirely different bikes, and in my opinion the 1500 is a good highwaybike, but that's about all it is good for.
The development of the "retro" Indian was not some idea of Kawasakis, but the brainchild of a very devoted fan of the old Indian Chief. So it's not a coincidence that he chose the VN800 platform, since it meets most of the criteria that were employed by Indian back in the 40's: good power and torque, solid with good handling and decent looks, reliable and incorporating all the latest technology AND affordable too!
If you just bolt on swept mudguards on any bike, what you get is the "New" Indian which failed a couple of years ago, and a good thing too. Just what we needed, another overpriced, Harley-like cumbersome unreliable POS "honored" due to its history.
There is only one "Drifter", and it's a sleek machine, not a friggin' walrus with wheels.