{"id":14312,"date":"2021-09-03T05:23:07","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T12:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=14312"},"modified":"2021-09-03T05:34:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T12:34:58","slug":"a-kawasaki-indian-wannabe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/09\/03\/a-kawasaki-indian-wannabe\/","title":{"rendered":"A Kawasaki Indian Wannabe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fuel injected, shaft driven, water cooled, and startlingly reminiscent of a 1940 Indian Chief:\u00a0 The Kawasaki 1500cc Drifter is one of those bikes I always wanted.\u00a0 They were only made from 1999 to 2005, I think, and other than what I’ve read on the Internet, I have no idea if they were any good.\u00a0 The most common complaint seems to be that the plastic gear that drove the water pump was prone to failure (Kawasaki used a plastic gear on at least one other model that was also problematic; these guys were slow learners, I guess).\u00a0 But in my eyes, they hit a home run in the styling department.\u00a0 They just look cool.<\/p>\n

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I spotted this one in a San Francisco Bay marina parking lot, and I instantly wanted it.\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong:\u00a0 Doug Bingham notwithstanding, I have absolutely zero desire to own a sidecar.\u00a0 If I had this bike, the first thing I’d do is lose the sidecar and sell it.\u00a0 But ah, that motorcycle.\u00a0 That I would keep.\u00a0 And ride, and ride, and ride.<\/p>\n

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The later years had different colors; the first year, I think, got it right with the deep burgundy, red pinstriping, and those beautifully valanced fenders.\u00a0 Kawasaki got a little weird from what I’ve read with the rear fender design; it pivots up and down with the rear suspension.\u00a0 \u00a0Ah, what’s a little unsprung weight between friends, especially on a motorcycle that no one bought because of the handling.\u00a0 I also read that the fuel economy was abysmal on these bikes, but other folks said it was okay.\u00a0 Whatever.\u00a0 I wouldn’t buy this bike to save fuel.\u00a0 But I would buy it if the price was right, even though I could get a used Sportster for the same kind of money.\u00a0 I like it.<\/p>\n

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Kawasaki made both a 1500cc and an 800cc Drifters.\u00a0 The 800cc version came in a pastel blue that was stunning.\u00a0 When one of my friends first saw these photos, he asked if the bike was a 1500 or the smaller 800.\u00a0 I was pretty sure it was the 1500, but I wasn’t sure.\u00a0 Then I remembered one of my photos caught the VIN label and I was able to zoom in enough to know.<\/p>\n

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I shot these with my phone, and I guess that iPhone 12 does a good job.\u00a0 It’s a 1500cc Drifter, as you can see above.<\/p>\n

If I owned this bike, I think the only thing I’d do (other than a regular service and a good detailing) is to maybe get the seat redone.\u00a0 It looks just perfect to me as is.<\/p>\n

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We dream about motorcycles all the time.\u00a0 You can read about some of them here<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Never miss an ExNotes blog!<\/p>\n\n

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Hey, how about this supercool World War II US Navy Indian 30-50?<\/p>\n