3 Discontinued Kawasaki Cruisers That Deserve A Second Chance

There are some names in the motorcycle arena that inspire legitimate reverie among riders. If speed is what you're after when you slide into the saddle, Kawasaki is no doubt one of those names for you. The Japanese bike maker has, after all, delivered unto the roadways and raceways of the world a seemingly endless run of souped up cycles since it entered the high octane chat in the 1950s.

Among the brand's most successful builds, many have, of course, born its iconic Ninja name plate. While speed has been Kawasaki's calling card over the years, the brand has had just as much success manufacturing bikes built for off-road racing and adventures. But one could argue that the brand has had a little less success in delivering more classic everyday riders like touring bikes and cruisers over the years.

That's not for lack of trying, as Kawasaki has long had skin in the game for bikes best suited to stylishly cruising the freeway. Frankly, Kawasaki feels like one of the more underrated names in the cruising bike arena in particular, as the brand currently has a few beauties in its stable of two-wheeled offerings, including the long-beloved and recently revived Eliminator. And it has quite a few more in its past, including some cruisers that were, perhaps, discontinued a touch before their time. Here's a look at 3 classic Kawasaki cruisers that we would love to see reborn for the modern era of motorcycle riders.

If you haven't already noticed, every single one of the bikes on this list bears the famed Kawasaki Vulcan insignia on their hull. There's good reason for that, as many of Kawasaki's best cruisers have born with the Vulcan name plate. As Vulcan's have long led the Kawasaki cruiser pack, we'd love to see some of those builds back on the road with a modern flourish or two. That includes the Kawasaki Vulcan 750, which was indeed the first bike to bear the famed name. It was also Kawasaki's first cruiser altogether.

The Vulcan 750 made its lineup debut in 1984, but it doesn't really look like a bike born of the 1980s. Rather, the bike, arguably, seems to wink at certain American builds from the 1960s and 1970s, when "Easy Rider" mania was still inspiring folks to saddle up and hit the open road. Cruising the open road was indeed the purpose of the Vulcan 750, which hit the streets fit with a 749cc four-stroke V-Twin engine that gave riders power output of 66 horsepower and torque at 48 lb-ft.

The upright rider remained relatively unchanged in terms of appearance during the length of its production run which lasted a whopping 22-years, with the last 750 rolling off the production line in 2006. If the Vulcan 750 were to return, we honestly wouldn't want to change much. However, we can't help but think that the bike could use an upgrade in the power department, and perhaps even a fairing to cut the wind on those occasions when you take it out for a lengthy spin.

With the Vulcan 750 essentially breaking the cruiser mold for Kawasaki in the mid 1980s, the manufacturer continued to bolster the name over the ensuing decades. By the late 1990s, the name Vulcan was boasting some legit and hard-earned credibility among riders looking to hit the streets astride a powerful and reliable cruiser from an outfit other than prominent American manufacturers like Harley-Davidson. That particular faction was no doubt pleased by the arrival of the Vulcan VN800 Classic, which Kawasaki first released in 1996.

Unlike the 750, the production period for the Vulcan VN800 Classic was relatively short, with Kawasaki pulling the plug on the build in 2004, just 8 years after its introduction. Despite the brief run in Kawasaki's cruiser lineup, the build arguably left a lasting mark, earning solid reviews from motorcycle pros while it was in production. Power was no doubt part of its popularity, with the VN800 sporting an 805cc V-twin engine that pushed roughly 53 horsepower and 47 ft-lb of torque. The bike's top speed was roughly 103 mph, and it reportedly even got a respectable 42 miles per gallon to boot. 

As for its looks, the VN800 Classic is indeed fronting some classic cruiser style with sleekly curved fenders, a low-riding seat, flashes of chrome, and an available two-tone paint job. We'd 100% bring that paint job back in any redux model and give the VN800 Classic a power upgrade suitable for a more modern build. We'd perhaps even go Vulcan 2000 style on the bike by making the dual exhaust more of a legit design focal point.

Did somebody mention the Kawasaki Vulcan 2000? Yeah, there was zero chance that bike would be left off of this list as it's legitimately legendary in the Kawasaki lineup. And yes, if Kawasaki were to consider reviving just one bike from the Vulcan line, many fans of the brand would no doubt love to see the return of the biggest to bear the name.

Indeed, the Vulcan 2000's size, speed, and reputation are as well known as they are respected throughout the motorcycle community. Of the three bike's listed here, the Vulcan 2000's production timeline is the shortest, with the build only around for six years between 2004 and 2010. As for the vehicle's size, the beautifully bulky Vulcan 2000 weighed in at roughly 1,000 lbs, making as formidable a presence on the open road as any bike you might encounter there, particularly with its massive chrome exhaust pipes reflecting sunlight back at you. 

When it debuted, the build's 2053cc V-twin engine made it the first production bike to cross the 2000cc threshold. That beastly power plant pushed the ponies to an imposing 116hp and delivered a massive 141 lb-ft of torque. As for speed, well, claims have been made that the bike topped out somewhere between 120 mph and 150 mph, which is beyond impressive even if that is, perhaps, more speed than your everyday cruiser fan actually needs. In any case, it was a full-on bummer when Kawasaki killed this build, and if they ever bring the Vulcan 2000 back, we wouldn't change a single thing, as this bike is chef's-kiss level perfect.