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Old 01-15-2018, 03:47 PM   #1
mbarr10   mbarr10 is offline
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800 Drifter vs 1500 Drifter

My apologies on asking a question about an 800 Drifter, but they look so cool. I have owned a 2007 1500FI classic for 10 years but it was so damn big and bulky. So I bought a 2016 Vaquero. Yah I know... But for a second bike I like the 800 Drifter for around town or I may get a Z125 so I am researching. Are they as good as the 1500 motors with the Build Quality? This forum has the best people to ask such questions, FB is Lame and so is the Vulcan forum with the commercialization.
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Old 01-15-2018, 06:18 PM   #2
Top Cat   Top Cat is offline
 
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We have an 800 Drifter as our stand by bike.
If my Vic Kingpin or Cindy's Vic Boardwalk are in the shop we ride the Drifter.
That dose not happen often
I had the chain drive replaced with belt drive on the drifter and now it is a great riding comfortable bike.
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Old 01-15-2018, 06:55 PM   #3
degreaser   degreaser is offline
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if you get the option of having a chain driven bike or a shaft, go shaft, i had both, I went from chain to shaft and i am now back to chain, but i miss the easy maintenance of the 1500 classic shaft drive, the chain takes more maintenance
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Old 01-15-2018, 09:55 PM   #4
duffy   duffy is offline
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I had a 1500 Drifter for about 2 years..........nice bike. I would buy an 800 Drifter in a heart beat if one came up for a decent price.
 
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Old 01-16-2018, 02:35 AM   #5
DragonLady58   DragonLady58 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbarr10 View Post
My apologies on asking a question about an 800 Drifter, but they look so cool. I have owned a 2007 1500FI classic for 10 years but it was so damn big and bulky. So I bought a 2016 Vaquero. Yah I know... But for a second bike I like the 800 Drifter for around town or I may get a Z125 so I am researching. Are they as good as the 1500 motors with the Build Quality? This forum has the best people to ask such questions, FB is Lame and so is the Vulcan forum with the commercialization.
The 800 is just as good a engine as the 1500, just less powerful.
Just a little over 1/2 as big....essentially the same, just smaller,,,,
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Old 01-16-2018, 05:28 AM   #6
Peg   Peg is offline
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The 800's are bullet-proof, they love to rev out to the limiter, and mine was the most fun I've had on a Vulcan one-up... Not so good two-up. The one thing you need to do is make sure you keep the valve clearances within spec, and it's a knuckle-skinning job to get in there to check them.

It's an engine that benefits big time from an open intake, after-market exhaust (V&H Cruzers if you can find a set), and re-jetting, along with a sprocket change to give it longer legs. Look for Russian Wolf's website for all the tips.

And I agree... the 800 drifter looks waaaay better than the 1500 drifter.
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Old 01-16-2018, 07:21 AM   #7
degreaser   degreaser is offline
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800 valve clearance checks every 10,000 km (6,000 miles), i did them 1st time myself and went slow cause it was new, but it's not that hard to do, just get metric feeler gauges and small magnet for the shims install/removal, you'll need metric sockets, the rear cylinder head cover is difficult to get over the rear cam chain wheel and the frame but it does come out (with patience), the 1500's have hydraulic valve adjusters so no shim clearance check is done on the 1500s, but it can be a fun job doing shim clearance checks, it's a part of getting to know your 800 motor, and also it's a carb bike which means air boxes and jetting and needles, that also can be a fun job too, unless you want a bike that all you do is turn the key and ride, I have one of those, a Yamaha 125cc scooter, a fun bike that all I ever do for it is change the oil in the Spring and it's good to go the rest of the year, but it doesn't have character like my 800 chain/carb/shim sweetie.
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