The engine was polished and...
The engine was polished and chromed and dropped in a loooooong chassis.
UPDATED: More Photos. For the last nine years, Cobra Engineering has shown an innovative new custom at the annual winter dealer show, now held in Indianapolis. The bikes draw dealers to their booth and attention to the company's line of customizing products for cruisers.
Everyone was expecting something impressive for the 10th time around. We guessed that the bike produced in conjunction with famed customizer Denny Berg would probably be based on Kawasaki's new Vulcan 2000, and when the cover came off shortly after the show opened, our guess was confirmed. Cobra and Berg had created a stunning chopper that really highlights the big V-twin. Cobra's release with details about the bike, dubbed the Mad Kaw, follows.
The bike reflects Berg's usual...
The bike reflects Berg's usual disdain for air cleaners.
Cobra Unveils Its 10th Anniversary Custom, the Mad Kaw Vulcan 2000 chopper
At the annual Dealernews Motorcycle Dealer Expo, Cobra Engineering has built its largest custom to date. The gang from the Cobra Special Projects Division (CSPD) took a stock, just introduced 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000, and created a prototypical '70s chopper--albeit a version for the new millennium--from its way stretched front fork to its chicken-wire paint scheme and 240 rear tire.
CSPD creative artist Denny Berg pulled the V2K engine apart and threw the rest away. That massive 2,000cc engine that sets the proportions for this bike - it's over 9 feet long. "when you lead the Mad Kaw up to a standard sized V-Twin cruiser, it dwarfs the stock machine. This thing is huge." Ken Boyko, VP of Cobra Engineering expanded: "We wanted to do something really cool for our 10th anniversary of unveiling bikes here at the Dealer Expo. When you start with a bike like the VN2000, you know it's not going to be a petite finished product; it's going to be super-sized."
Berg discovered the engine to be a sculpturally stunning centerpiece for the entire motorcycle he was going to build. He pulled it apart, removed the stock crinkly black paint from the cases and had everything polished or chromed to accentuate the elemental shapes. He then reassembled the engine, cradled it in a rigid frame of his own making that has a 6-inch front-leg stretch and a 4-inch backbone stretch. With the Paughco Narrow Springer front fork mounted to a 21-inch wheel, and the wide 240 Metzeler mounted on the rear, the bike has a wheelbase that reaches nearly 84 inches.
Berg fabricated many of the additional parts on the bike including the sissy bar and the underseat "bodywork" that shrouds the radiators he relocated from the front of the bike. He mounted a slightly modified version of Cobra's new Speedsters exhaust system with full-length heat shields and chromed billet tips.
If you have questions or comments about this story, email Motorcycle Cruiser's web editor at Art.Friedman@primedia.com or at ArtoftheMotorcycle@hotmail.com.