Kawasaki VN 1500 Drifter

While recreating the classic styling elements of those classic machines from the golden age of motorcycling, the Drifter makes no technological concessions to the past, because from the big bore fuel injected V-Twin engine and SOHC 8-valve heads to the front and rear disc brakes, the Drifter is a showcase of modern engineering. The new Drifter has a new paint, a new seat and more chrome. Screams ‘look at me’ as effectively as any American product.

Review from Peter Hadfield – I had been thinking for a while about trading in the Triumph Tiger for a big V-Twin. I wanted something more laid back, hunky rather than frantic, better passenger comfort, definitely lower (Tigers are very top-heavy) and something which had pillion footpegs in a sensible position – even my grandson said the Tiger’s pegs were too high. We tried a Harley – what a disappointment, no thanks. Then we saw this big Kawa hiding in the showroom. It was almost immaculate. W reg with only 90km on the clock. This was summer 2006. It had been stood in some guy’s garage in Wales for 6 years and hadn’t even had its first service. I just fell for it. It chugged along sounding like a motorbike should, just right, and looked like Elvis Presley should be riding it. It handled better than I expected but didn’t take too much effort to ground something on roundabouts. The seat is large and comfy but the missis slipped around on it a bit, until we got her kitted out with leathers. Six months later I’m still dead chuffed with the beast. It goes well, stops well enough, doesn’t vibrate, just kind of rumbles along and looks kinda cool. It does 50 to the gallon, refuelling necessary at about 120 miles. The low centre of gravity really helps the balance of the bike, no more arm-wrestling to get the missis on board and no panicking when coming to a stop when the road is not very level. It feels so safe and solid and manoeuvres so well in car parks. I got a saddle bag set (3 piece) at the Great Yorkshire Motorcycle Show last year for less than £100 from the Full Throttle (Leeds) stand. That’s cheaper than the internet and you can handle them first. The one thing I miss about the Tiger is the way it handled the bumpy roads round here. The Drifter isn’t as good. Overall verdict: I like it. It’s fairly rare, it’s unusual, it’s suitable for endless extras and, most important, gives me the famous ‘grin’ when I ride it