2005 Kawasaki Drifter 800 on 2040-motos

Kawasaki Vulcan description

I am selling this beautiful Drifter not because I will be 71 in a couple months; but because I wound up with a very severe case of tinnitus after my last road trip in 2011.  Any highway riding for more than the shortest distance (maybe 10 miles) will cause me a head-splitting ringing that plagues me day and night for 2 or 3 days non-stop. My advice when riding...wear ear protection...always.

As noted above, I am not the original owner. I believe the original owner, if he lived through it, may know how the tweak got in the frame.  In any event, the bike was then purchased from a Harley dealer in Honesdale, PA, by a couple in the Scranton, PA area. When they split up; I bought it off of their eBay listing. After a long, tiring and sickening bus ride to Scranton, I rode it home to northern Ohio. That was 3 years ago. I haven't been able to ride for the past year on account of my condition...so sadly, I am selling my Japanese Jewel. It was on the way home, riding across Pennsylvania, on US Rt 6,  that I noticed the drift to the right whenever I let go of the handlebars. The bike had these horrible "drag" bars on it and made my arms and wrists ache after long stretches in the saddle...so I would try to relax them by letting go every now and then...that's when I noticed the curbside drift. Otherwise the handling is impeccable. I will gladly include those miserable "drag" bars with the bike if the buyer really wants them. It cost me well over $300 to replace them with standard factory bars and mounts.    

Non-standard items include: saddlebag mounting brackets made by Osprey Limited (they have a website); a custom luggage rack; saddlebags; a Memphis Shades windshield; and a Tombstone tail light.

The luggage rack was necessary for me because the saddlebag mounts only hold the bags onto each side of the bike...with nothing in between, so I couldn't strap any other gear on. Getting the rack high enough to clear the rear fender at the highest point of the suspension travel, when loaded, was tricky. As noted above, the first try wasn't a total success. It is fabricated out of 1/8" plate steel.

The saddlebags are by Willy and Max. They are good bags and fit the contours of the frame to a tee. The buyer could get larger or fancier bags and by simply unbolting these...and replacing them. Osprey also makes some really nice genuine leather bags with a variety of fringe and concho options.

I replaced the short Memphis Shades windshield that came with it with one that is, I think 22"...the tallest. It fits me perfectly. My line of vision is just over the top by an inch or two, and all the wind blast is directed over my head. 

The original tail light disintegrated.  I don't to this day know what caused it, but the plastic base simply crumbled away from the screws that held the tail light lens on...and the whole thing started to simply fall apart. I checked on the price of a OEM replacement and decided to go with this aftermarket Tombstone tail light. Unlike the original this one is all metal and has that cool blue dot in it. It is just like the one on the 1947 suicide-shift H-D, I rode in high school...remember I am over 70 years old.

This is a really nice bike and has been professionally maintained and kept in a garage by me and the guy I got it from. I am including a black and silver Nelson-Rigg motorcycle cover and owners manual with it. The engine currently has Kawasaki 100% synthetic oil in it.

No shipping is available. Local pick-up only. Buyer must make his or her own transportation arrangements...or ride it home...I did.

The title is free and clear.