2000 Chrome Suzuki Hayabusa

Ignore all that blinding chrome for a minute (yeah, right!) and turn your attention to the flamed decals on the side of John Cousar's 2000 Hayabusa. Made from photos of actual flames that were scanned and then transferred to decals, Dantzler created these custom graphics specifically to break up the wide expanse of chrome on this 'Busa's flanks. The fact that Cousar is a 20-year veteran firefighter made choosing the flame motif a no-brainer.

Built at a cost of more than $40,000, Cousar actually rode (and raced) his bike in box-stock condition for almost a year before the customizing began. But once he started down the custom road, he never looked back. The engine was attended to first, and sent out to nearby Lee's Performance Center, also in Charlotte. It came back pumping out 225 horsepower at the rear wheel, with more available when the nitrous system is engaged. The bottom end is stock Suzuki, and JE Pistons raise displacement to 1397cc. The head received special attention from Lee's with oversized valves and drop-in cams to compliment the bigger pistons. A Power Commander keeps things firing as they should, and a Lee's custom-modified airbox running a BMC filter flows more air into the motor, while a full Muzzys exhaust system removes burned gases.

All this horsepower is harnessed by a longer, lower chassis. The swingarm is a chrome-plated, three-to-nine-inch-adjustable Adams piece with an optional undercarriage brace. The rear shock was junked in favor of a chrome strut, and the front end was dropped to match by raising the fork in the triple clamps. The chromed swinger was just the beginning of the eye candy; the frame received the same treatment, and every last bracket, hanger and bolt-on has been chromed within an inch of its life. But the pièce de résistance is without question the all-chromed bodywork--no small feat, Dantzler says. In order for the plastic bodywork to withstand the chroming process, these panels were first coated in copper. This caused more than a few problems, as the plated panels resist bending, which greatly complicates reassembly. A lot of work was required to get everything to line up. Plating the metal gas tank was a breeze by comparison, and fully reassembled, the eye-popping results definitely justify the effort.

There was no way Cousar was going to let such a radical ride roll on garden-variety rims, so he dialed up Rimmax for a set of its mind-bending Dynasty spinning wheels--if you aren't familiar with these, the rim centers actually continue to spin once the bike has stopped rolling, lending an eerie sense of motion to the still bike. Too trick--and with a retail price just a tick less than $6000 per set, something you're not going to see on every other bike, which appealed to Cousar. The rear wheel uses a custom Schnitz racing rotor and the front uses a single disc setup (better to show off the spinner, see?).

Alhough the bike has gone as fast as 5.72 at 131 mph in the eighth-mile (before the heavy chrome bodywork was added), Cousar's bike doesn't see track duty anymore. The guys give Cousar a hard time about having such a potent engine in a "show" bike, but he wouldn't change it for anything--besides, he likes to blow past everyone when they all ride together out on the street.