Despite what appears to be a separate gearbox, that’s a large, one-piece engine case with an attractive black-matte finish. The radiator has been partially concealed between the frame tubes rather than stuck on front. Kawasaki states that only the top quarter of the engine is liquid-cooled the rest is cooled by air. There’s a steel fender at each end, and though liquid cooled the engine has a very classic, attractive air-cooled look, blacked-out with polished fin edges and chrome pushrod tubes. It’s also available in Metallic Sorcerer Purple Prism and Metallic Majestic Red. The wide tank has that popular stretched look, with no unsightly seam along the bottom the iridescent Pearl Glacial Blue of our test bike offers an attractive shimmery look that changes in the sunlight. The 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000Ĭarry your helmet out to the Vulcan 2000 for the first time and you’ll realize that it is huge, and has a real presence. The result is an engine that is only 2mm taller than that in the Vulcan 1500, despite the fact it has a 33mm longer stroke. The broad 35-degree valve angle also helps keep cylinder height low. To minimize engine height, Kawasaki utilized twin cams in the crankcase, and sent the motion skyward via pushrods that actuate (via dual rocker arms with no-maintenance valve lash adjusters) four valves per cylinder, 40mm intakes and 36mm exhausts. The problem with long-stroke motors is that they can be quite tall, which plays havoc with the cruiser’s traditional low seat height and basement-level center of gravity. Each cylinder displaces more than the entire engine in a four-cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10! This new motomonster actually displaces 2,053cc (125.3 cubic inches). Kawasaki’s stated design objectives with the Vulcan 2000 were to creat the largest-displacement V-twin cruiser in the world, with the highest horsepower and torque, as well as “pulse feel.” So long as you eliminate the small, independent companies that utilize the S&S,TP, Merch and other speicialized motors of up to 145 cubic inches, all hail the new king of mainstream V-twin cruiser performance!Īs we’ve always heard, there ain’t no substitute for cubic inches. Well, friends, if you get the chance to ride Kawasaki’s new-for-2004 Vulcan 2000, the kick in the pants this bike delivers will likely remind you of “Built bikes I Have Known.” Have you ever ridden a built cruiser? You know, one with a stroker motor and 100 cubic inches or more? If you have, you’ve likely been impressed with how the power hits right now, and how its torque just seems to hammer on forever.

Kawa vn2000