Kawasaki VN1500 Drifter

Hey. Me again. We just had that comversation not too long ago. Go into "Search" above left and type in Kawasaki Drifter. Seem to remember somebody around here can fix you up. Might want to inquire about neck mods for better steering, though, too.

We have done several of these and make a mounting kit for the 1500
Jay Giese
Dauntless Motors Corporation
www.dauntlessmotors.com
866-638-1793

The 1500 Vulcans/Drifters all make good tugs. Plenty of torque and large enough to handle whatever you want to mount up. The blacked out '99 models are pretty cheap too.
Since you are seeking a classic look the Champion Legend with the old Indian look would fit nicely as would a Ural or Dnepr for the retro look.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar

Originally written by Uncle Ernie on 12/26/2005 7:30 PM

Hey. Me again. We just had that comversation not too long ago. Go into "Search" above left and type in Kawasaki Drifter. Seem to remember somebody around here can fix you up. Might want to inquire about neck mods for better steering, though, too.

I'm very familiar with the neck mods as that was one of the ones I did for the trike with extremely great results. thanks for the reply.

Originally written by JayDauntless on 12/26/2005 8:14 PM

We have done several of these and make a mounting kit for the 1500

Thanks for the reply, Jay. We've been talking about my wife's Sporty 1200 and this saves me a call to you tomorrow. Glad to hear that the mounts are readily available. We are still undecided which way we will proceed, but we're now leaning more to the Kawasaki at this time.Robert Gandrup

Originally written by Hack'n on 12/26/2005 8:37 PM

The 1500 Vulcans/Drifters all make good tugs. Plenty of torque and large enough to handle whatever you want to mount up. The blacked out '99 models are pretty cheap too.Since you are seeking a classic look the Champion Legend with the old Indian look would fit nicely as would a Ural or Dnepr for the retro look.LonnieNorthwest Sidecar

This is the sidecar I've been tossing around for just the same reason. I really like the vintage Indian look. thanks for confirming what I thought. Yeah, I like the blacked out ones because they look even more like the 40-50's bikes. I didn't realize that the 99's were made that way. It helps me zero in on which one to consider. I don't know if the Legend has independent suspension on the chassis, but I'll determine that when the time gets closer. Thanks for the help.

You've all been very helpful. Obviously this forum is the right place to ask for guidance. I guess my line of thinking is OK, too, since no one said, "You wanna do WHAT?!" Surely there will be more questions that I haven't dreamt up yet. I'll ask them when I think of them. Many Thanks.

I would lean more towards the drifter than the sporster.
Better tug & the original model year with retro black frame forks etc has more of the indian Look than the chromed model years.
Champion Legend is definitely the way to go if you choose the drifter. .
Lonnies post says it all and there is no need to do any further research in my opinion.
Now you just have to make the choice on which way to go.
good luck
PS if you do go with the sporster look at Petes Larsens Liberty sidecar site and check out the sidecar he has for sportsters. real neat.

Originally written by sidecarLenny on 12/27/2005 4:32 AM

I would lean more towards the drifter than the sporster.Better tug & the original model year with retro black frame forks etc has more of the indian Look than the chromed model years.Champion Legend is definitely the way to go if you choose the drifter. .Lonnies post says it all and there is no need to do any further research in my opinion.Now you just have to make the choice on which way to go.good luckPS if you do go with the sporster look at Petes Larsens Liberty sidecar site and check out the sidecar he has for sportsters. real neat.

Thanks. This reinforces my thinking. All this input is definitely helpful. This group is certainly the proper place to ask questions.

lets us know what you decide on

Lenny

Will do.

Better find one quick, as Kawasaki stopped making the 1500 Drifter this year. The Drifters sell on Ebay pretty often and many a dealership will have an unsold 1500 on the floor that they would give you a good buy on at this time of the year and on into the winter when sales are slow and the riding season is not as active. The dealers don't want them on the floor for the most part, as they just don't sell. They were never marketed correctly from Kaw in the first place.

The two-up seat looks (well, you either like it or you hate it, but it does not fit the retro style look of the bike). Most folks are not looking for a solo bike and with the back end bobbing up and down and done up in plastic fenders that won't support a passenger, then the two-up seat is the only choice if you expect to have a passenger at some point. However, the price of the seat means much less money for chrome goodies and windshields. The accessory market for the 1500 is very limited and even worse for the 800.

The bike has great retro looks, but won't compete on the sales floor with sports bikes. Salesmen hate the bike because it was difficult to sell for that very reason. Therefore, Kaw dropped the 1500 this year and will likely do the same to the 800 in the near future. None of that means the bike is not a great value in the area of dependability, durability and customer satisfaction. (The 800 engine is virtually indestructable and you can argue for yourself if the 800 tops the 1500 or vise versa). Both are great bikes.

Adding a sidecar that mates the looks is really interesting. I have always envisioned doing such to an 800, myself. Rexdog added a Velorex to his 800. You can see his posts in the archives here. To each his own in selecting just which sidecar looks best with a Drifter. I think there may be a pic of an 800 and Ural sidecar in the picture archives under my pics, but I don't recall. Any rate, it can all be done.

Good luck in getting a Drifter. Check out the Delphi site for Drifters.
Huey

It seems that the Sportster sidecar is no longer being offered by Liberty.
The 562 Cruiser or 562 Tour fits nicely on the Sportys though.
Another option for a retro look on the Drifters is the Motorvation Spyder. They have an Indian styled fender option for them that matches the Drifter/Indian fender shape.

Lonnie

Yap!! The Motorvation Spider with an appropriate fender would look terrific with the Kawasaki VN1500 Drifter. Just .. my personal opinion.

Ciao
Piero Bassi
Minneapolis, Minnesota