I have driven motorcycles for most of my life and have had many over the years both English (Triumph, BSA and Norton) and also Harleys and I never thought I would go Japanese but that day has arrived.
I sold the 1948 Harley Pan Head that I restored about 6 years ago and since then every spring I have had the itch. I kept looking at the 1999-2001 Indian Chief because it was crafted using an S&S engine which can be serviced anywhere but the price tags on these bikes have not come down and still command upwards of 15K for a really nice machine. The brand new Indians are over 30K in price.
In my search for an Indian this past week I came upon the Indian Drifter made by Kawasaki and I found the bike that filled my bill. It is a full size ride with a 90 cubic inch engine, 1500 ccs, but it is shaft drive, fuel injected and water cooled. So this work of art has the best of both worlds, the look of a 1940’s Indian Chief and reliability of the Kawasaki Motorcycle Co.
The pictures you see are of the Indian Drifter I have just purchased. It is a 1999 with just over 7000 miles. It looks as if it were hermetically sealed and just today opened today after 11 years. It is virtually brand new. Still has the little nubs on the tires. Not a scratch anywhere on this machine. If I didn;t tell you it is eleven years old you would swear it just arrived from the factory. It is amazing.
Here is the history of this bike which was designed by an American team for Kawasaki. I thought you may enjoy reading this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Vulcan_1500_Drifter
Also for your enjoyment is the original commercial for this motorcycle from 1999 by Kawasaki.
I am a very happy motorcyclist again with a very nice bike which fits all my criteria and I didn’t have to take a second mortgage to purchase it.
Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com
Copyright 2010 by Dan Willinger
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I had a Honda Sabre once, very fast. I remember the Indian motorcycle growing up, then discontinued, and only in last few months saw it was coming back.
Hi Dan,
I am so jealous I have turned green. I looked and looked, but I did not see a seat for Miss Helen. Did I miss something?
Steve
Dan, Don’t bring it to the ConVENTion !!! I want one so bad. And have for about 12 years. I knew you had good taste. I have seen a couple of the 800s but they are chain drive (belt optional) and not as nice as the big one. I too have had a lot of Triumphs, Nortons, a couple of 900 Kaws, (Z-1 and KZ) several Hondas CB750s K and SS, a Goldwing 1100 without any bags or windshield, and a couple HDs. A 1945 Trike. I mean Service Car. And many more I won’t mention. But your model is my first choice for my next bike. Enjoy it my friend.