Recent Posts

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I still have a few clutch alignment tools.

Great tool!  With that tool I no longer had to guess if my clutches were aligned or not.  I am grateful for mine.
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CLASSIFIEDS: buy, sell or trade here / Re: one only 83 drifter
« Last post by mswyka on March 26, 2026, 06:52:03 AM »
Good morning.  I cannot help with the current request, but do want to extend condolences to you and your family.  Fond memories of Kawasakitrax exchanges these past years.  Good times.
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CLASSIFIEDS: buy, sell or trade here / one only 83 drifter
« Last post by BornagianKawi on March 25, 2026, 12:57:07 PM »
I am looking for Tony Markgraf who's Dad bought this drifter and later sold it to his uncle in Canada. I have that sled and sadly me husband passed away so would like sell it. Would really like it to go back to original family. Thanks Phone or text 803-627-2499
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I still have a few clutch alignment tools.
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General Discussion / Re: Ultimate "barn find"? Opinions requested!
« Last post by Interceptor398 on March 21, 2026, 06:07:03 PM »
That will be a nice sled!!  A great find.
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General Discussion / Re: 1980 Drifter 340 F/A "Barn Find" update!
« Last post by UP NORTH RIDER on March 19, 2026, 06:00:40 PM »
I realize that several years have passed since I first posted the story regarding the 1980 Drifter 340 F/A "Barn Find".  As my oriignal post stated, this sled was stored in a shed on my cousin's property in central Montana.  It's been there for 46 years, and this year as part of my annual sled trip to the mountains, I made it a point to actually acquire it and bring ot back to Minnesota.

The complication all along has been that the actual owner of the sled is not my cousin, but rather a guy that ran the dealership where the sled was originally delivered to.  That former dealership owner - now a guy of 85 - had been reluctant to sell even though he knows that he'll never do anything with it.  This year - with some some encouragement from my cousin - the old guy decided he was willing to sell.

That being the case, this was the year to acquire this old sled!  I just picked it up last week on my return trip from the mountains of Idaho.  As I had mentioned, this sled is super dusty/dirty, but the structure below is really good.  The super-dry climate of mid-Montana has preserved this unit, menaing no corrosion whatsoever on steel components - whether painted or not.  Bolt heads, rivets, fasteners of every kind - zero rust or corrosion.

Once I finally got the sled out of its 46 year holding cell, it did show a few blems.  There are several vents that are cracked that ideally should be replaced, and the corners of the front of the hood have been damaged from "shelf wear" and will need to be addressed.  These blems are minor, and the rest of the sled is really good - including the original seat cover.

I just got this sled home two days ago , so I haven't spent any time with it.  I've attached a few pics that show the sled as it looked in the "barn" right before I pulled it out onto a temporary trailer.  The sled utimately was placed into my full-size enclosed trailer for the trip back to Minnesota.  Once I have a chance to bring this sled into the shop and get to work on it, I'll follow up with additional pics.

So, after 46 years, another Kawasaki that was left for dead in a rural barn has been rescued!  As I've been telling my cousin for years, this sled needs to be seen and not locked away forever.

Now that I've got the sled, I'll need the help of the Kawasaki faithful to help me find the parts and documentation that I'll need to properly restore this machine to showable condition.  My plan is to keeo it as absolutely as original as possible, and only replace parts that are damaged beyond restoration.

I'll need a service manual and parts manual for starters - any info on acquring those items would be appreciated.  More to come . . .   
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Picture of the week / Re: Picture of the week, here we go!
« Last post by Interceptor398 on March 15, 2026, 11:47:04 AM »
A Shark cone in St Germain in 2019.
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General Discussion / Re: Invader Rebelling
« Last post by Interceptor398 on March 03, 2026, 04:08:08 PM »
Interesting
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General Discussion / Re: Invader Rebelling
« Last post by mswyka on March 03, 2026, 06:51:51 AM »
Yes, I had suspected as well.  New fuel, primer tested, primer lines replaced, carbs replaced, new jets, new needle/seat, new fuel pump.  Pulled exhaust to confirm no exhaust restriction.  I am embarrassed to say that after all that it turned out to be a bad plug.  With all the other work, once the fresh plugs went in, it screamed off like it always had.
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General Discussion / Re: Invader Rebelling
« Last post by Interceptor398 on February 28, 2026, 02:29:09 PM »
I would wonder about the primer and the fuel.
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