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| Archives - Custom Motorcycles |
Real-World Custom: 2008 Kawasaki Mean Streak - From RoadBike August 2009
Green Monster By Jon Langston, Photos By Bob Feather
When Kawasaki neglected to produce a Vulcan 1600 Mean Streak for its 2009 model year, an uproar emanated from the blogosphere unlike anything heard since the loss of the Yamaha’s original VMAX. “Where is it?” enthusiasts cried. “What happened to it?” devotees wondered. “Surely it’s a mistake! Say it ain’t so!” the faithful wailed. Yes, Mean Streakers, it’s sad but true; with the introduction of the new Vulcan 1700s (July ’09), Kawasaki has let its venerable Mean Streak fall by the wayside.
But the guys at Thunder Mfg. remain undeterred. The Phoenix, Arizona-based company does quite a bit of R&D for Kawasaki, and it continues to churn out aftermarket parts and accessories for the Mean Streak. Heck, it even churned out this fabulous custom Mean Streak motorcycle. Designed as a house rider — meaning, pretty much any employee crazy (or well-insured) enough to jump on the Green Streak can take it for a spin — the Green Streak is a veritable rocket. Considering it regularly pulls down 11-second quarter-miles, that annoying (yet somehow beguiling) Progressive Insurance lady, Flo, has been busy lately, bumping up the coverage of more than a few Thunder employees eager to take a ride on the mighty missile. It was built by Thunder’s main wrench at the time, Trent Rollins, who one day decided he wanted to make a Mean Streak go really, really fast; lo and behold, he succeeded. First, Trent hopped up the Green Streak’s motor with Thunder’s own Vulcan 1600 high-power kit, which includes pistons, rings, and cams. “And it’s been punched out to 100",” said Thunder Mfg. owner (and Trent’s dad) Dave Rollins. “That brings it to almost 1700cc.” Then Trent ported the heads and the intake manifold to keep things flowing freely. “The stock Mean Streak made about 63 hp,” Dave guesses. “This one makes a little over 100 now.” Holy kaw. “Yeah, it’s hang-on-tight fast,” Dave agrees with a chuckle. Next up was converting the Green Streak to a chain drive, again using Thunder’s own conversion kit. Originally designed so Kawasaki could drag Mean Streaks, the younger Rollins utilizes the kit here to its full benefit by outfitting the Green Streak with a 250 rear tire. It worked so well that the kit’s now for sale on the Thunder Mfg. web site, as is the high-performance kit that turned this already-mean monster into a green beast the Hulk himself would be frightened of.
As far as the details, most of the bodywork on the Green Streak is stock Kawi. The rear fender was split on either seam, and widened 1" on each side. Both the front and rear fenders were lowered. “ Trent wanted them to hug the tires a bit more,” Dave says. The bars are stock, and the factory instrumentation was tossed for a racing tach. Note the shift light and lack of a speedometer. (Who needs a speedo on a quarter-mile strip, anyway? “If you have to look to see how fast you’re goin’, you’re probably goin’ too fast,” my colleague Sam Whitehead likes to say.) The paint was done in house by Trent. “It was his project from the get-go,” Dave insists. And while the radiator looks a bit like a funhouse mirror frame, the Mean Green accents were also Trent’s idea. “The paint job was sort of a learnin’ deal for him; it came out pretty good,” says the proud papa. The rear brakes are a Thunder exclusive to this bike. Trent swung the calipers around to the bottom of the disc to clean up the wheel well a bit. Further modifications include a custom tag bracket and chrome chain guard. So, take heart, Mean Streak fans; your dear, departed favorite may have fallen out of Team Green favor, but companies like Thunder Mfg. are keeping the dream alive. Let it be known that rumors are already swirling; whispers from Kawi corporate hint that, like the recently reincarnated VMAX, Kawasaki might be prepping for a rebirth of the beloved Mean Streak using its new Vulcan 1700 platform. And you can bet that the boys at Thunder Mfg. are likely to be involved. So keep your fingers crossed, Streakers — and your clothes on, thanks. RB
OWNER Thunder Mfg. ENGINE Chassis Accessories |
