How does one prepare for a full-throttle ride aboard a 326-horsepower sportbike? You first blow the cobwebs off aboard a 210-hp example of the same basic machine! I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the thinking behind Kawasaki’s supercharged Ninja H2 and H2R dynamic duo, but I certainly appreciated the three 20-minute track sessions on the street-legal H2 before slipping into the saddle of the most powerful mass-produced motorcycle on the planet.
Kawasaki has a proud performance heritage and is not one to shy from pushing boundaries. For many seasoned enthusiasts, Team Green’s legacy began with the H2 and H3 two-stroke triples of the 1970s, a pair of no-holds-barred rides in their own time, and the bikes these new machines honor in name. While there have been challengers throughout the years, we could always count on a brass-knuckles counter punch from Kawasaki, a company with strong technological roots in aerospace and high-speed rail to name just a few of Kawasaki Heavy Industries fields of innovation.
In fact, the technological resources of several KHI divisions have contributed to the creation of the most outrageously powerful bike ever offered to the public (along with its “civilized” EPA-compliant H2 counterpart). While many have questioned the rationale behind these machines, you must hand it to Kawasaki for having the balls to the pull wheel chocks on the winged H2R and let it fly.
If you’ve logged into social media these past several months, chances are you’ve seen (and maybe grown weary of) Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 marketing videos. My mouth ran dry of saliva some time ago, and I’ve been jonesing for an H2 adrenaline fix ever since I swung a leg over a pilot production H2R on Kawasaki USA’s dyno for an exclusive CW video shoot. Even though the bike was strapped to the rear-wheel dyno, my heart raced as the fire-breather laid power down. How much power was the obvious question, but Kawasaki wasn’t ready to disclosed that all-important number to us at the time. Believe me when I say it felt like a ton, and now we know the H2R puts out a claimed 310 peak horsepower at 14,000 rpm without ram air and 326 hp in a stiff headwind!
With short notice and few details, I boarded a 20-hour flight to Doha, the modern metropolitan capital of Qatar. A country under perpetual new construction, Qatar is barely larger than the greater Los Angeles area, a mere peninsula jutting into the Persian Gulf. Its main attraction for motorheads is the Losail International Circuit, home to MotoGP’s night race.
As the only North American motojournalist with an invite to the Ninja H2/H2R press introduction, I felt like a sleep-deprived dignitary upon my 1:30 a.m. arrival to the host hotel check-in desk. In the lobby, I bumped into a couple fellow race-hardened scribes from the German motorcycle press. Still abuzz from the previous day’s track test, my animated associates spoke of how insanely fast the Kawasakis were and wished me well, as one of the riders in their group was spending the night in the hospital!
Following four hours of shutter-eye, I was ready to face the fire. The pre-ride tech brief offered a recap of key features and details covered in Kevin Cameron’s technical preview. Along with the divulged power output, I also learned that few internal engine differences exist between the models. These amount to cam profiles, head gasket (the H2R has a lower compression ratio) and two additional plates in the R’s clutch. This, along with model-specific exhaust and ECU mapping, accounts for the difference in power character and peak output.
KAWASAKI H2
Rated at 200 horsepower at 11,000 rpm without ram air (210 hp at speed), the H2 is tuned for greater “midrange” than the R, referencing a region that is well below its 98.5 pound-feet torque peak located at an astoundingly high 10,500 rpm. The shape of the horsepower graph flat-lines above the peak figure as torque drops off, creating 2,500 rpm of over rev before the limiter cuts in. Exactly what’s needed on Main Street!
The riding position feels slightly more relaxed than that of a ZX-10R. The saddle is narrow in the front and has hip support pads flanking the rear portion of the seat that cradle your hind quarters when scooting back into a full-tuck position. The real benefit of this unique feature is realized when shifting your butt to either side of the seat in a hang-off position and utilizing the support as a butt stop to brace against under hard acceleration. They are adjustable 15mm reward for taller riders.
Heading onto the circuit, I immediately noted the bike’s firm clutch pull, something to be expected with the level of power being transmitted. While both versions of H2 employ a ramp-type slipper clutch to reduce back torque and resultant rear wheel hop on downshifts, I wondered why clutch-assist ramps, like that found on even the Ninja 300, weren’t used here to lighten the effort?
A few corners into my very first lap, it became apparent that engine response is very abrupt coming off closed throttle. Removing excess free play in the throttle-cable adjustment prior to my second session helped a bit; however, this initial hit is exacerbated by a fair degree of drivetrain lash. I can only imagine the edgy response will feel even more pronounced while negotiating unfamiliar corners on public roads.
Once the throttle is cracked open, the ride-by-wire injection system provides an intuitive connection between the twist grip and rear tire. Power delivery isn’t overwhelming in the bottom third of the rev range and ramps up in linear fashion as revs rise. Things heat up beyond 5,000 rpm with rising intake roar and acceleration dusting off any doubt the supercharger is worth its weight. While the H2 isn’t going to set a new top gear roll-on performance mark, it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against lighter liter-class competition accelerating through the gearbox.
Not lithe by any measure, the H2 weighs a claimed 525 pounds with its 4.5-gallon tank topped, its chassis has a 57.3-inch wheelbase along with 24.5 degrees of rake and 4.1 inches of trail. The bike worked the 3.375-mile, 16-turn Losail circuit with remarkable competence, displaying handling that will run circles around the ZX-14R and Suzuki ’Busa. My approach was not unlike that I have with any big bike, applying smooth steering inputs and rolling, not snapping, the H2 from vertical to deep lean.
The H2s are the first road bikes to use KYB’s ASO-II fork based on the Air-Oil Separate cartridge fork developed for motocross. The 43mm low-friction design employs a large 32mm free-floating piston at the bottom of the oil-damping cartridge that pumps oil up to a sealed area between the inner and outer tubes. The oil in this area is said to provide a friction-reducing film on which the tubes can slide against each other, resulting in extremely smooth action. The H2 fork did in fact feel very supple, perhaps to a fault, as sensing slight vagueness in front-end feel caused me to miss a few apexes along the way.
Cornering clearance is also quite sufficient; the peg feelers offer fair warning followed by the shift lever tang and sidestand on rare occasion. I was one of very few riders banking to these limits and neither H2 model scraped its exhaust canister throughout the week-long, multi-wave press launch. Driving hard off second, third, and even fourth gear corners would see the front get light and a wag of the bars quelled by the Öhlins electronically controlled steering damper. Losail’s second-gear hairpin was particularly thrilling with power wheelies beginning while I was still banked over!
But even that adrenaline-charged moment didn’t match the baited-breath cannon shot out of the final corner onto the track’s main straight. The KSQ (Kawasaki Quick Shifter) allowed clutchless upshifts as I toed the level at 12,000 rpm to ride the crest of the torque wave. Upshifts from second gear to the top of the six-speed box in a matter of seconds saw 187 mph indicated on the dash display before shutting off for Turn 1. Analysis of GPS speed I captured with a vBox data logger showed an actual speed of 178 mph.
KAWASAKI H2R
Wrapped in sexy carbon-fiber bodywork, the H2R looked and sounded menacing as my assigned crew chief warmed the bike in the pit garage for the afternoon sessions. Its lightweight titanium exhaust emits an ear-splitting shriek with every quick blip of throttle followed with a compressor chirp sound when the throttle is snapped shut again.
Both H2 models use the same electronic rider support suite consisting of KTRC (Kawasaki TRaction Control) and KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System) based on that of the 10R. Expanding on this is KEBC (Kawasaki Engine Brake Control) and KLCM (Kawasaki Launch Control Mode), the latter having three settings offering a progressively greater level of intrusion controlling wheelspin and wheelies while allowing the rider to launch from a stop with the throttle held wide open.
While the H2’s ABS is not defeatable, the R allows disabling the rear (or both front and rear) anti-lock. Having felt no ill effect on the rare occasion I invoked ABS aboard the H2 (feeling a subtle pulse in the lever without any freewheeling), I left the R’s system on as well. And with the message driven home that stopping on the circuit or exceeding the 40 mph pit-lane speed limit would result in immediate ejection, I didn’t sample the KLCM feature. I tried both engine brake options, and the light setting was preferable on both bikes. Same for KTRC. I settled into the least intrusive number 1-minus setting to loosen the reins on these supercharged stallions.
Cowboys who feel they don’t need no stinkin’ electronics may want to reconsider here. While I look forward to straight-line testing the H2R with TC turned off, this was neither the time nor the venue. Even at lower settings (less intrusion), it doesn’t take much throttle to trigger the TC while cornering. The flickering yellow KTRC indicator light on the dash may as well be labeled: HSA (HighSide Avoidance)!
Even with KTRC covering my back, I paid the R due respect with smooth throttle application off corners. The slip ’n grip exit drives it’s capable of producing are the closest most of us can come to experiencing the sensation of a WSBK corner exit. While the 476-pound H2R is no match for true superbike handling, the feedback was notably better than the H2, with less fore-aft pitch. Geared taller with two less teeth at the rear, and given the R’s more peaky state of tune, I found it necessary to run a gear lower through certain corners of the circuit. The payoff came when letting it sing to redline up the front straight.
On throttle from the heart of the final corner, I could feel the rear Bridgestone Battlax V01 racing slick break loose and hook up, catapulting the bike forward with TC tempering its desire to wheelie well into fourth gear. As I flashed past start/finish in top cog, the H2R’s digital speedometer continued to climb as I held the throttle pinned deep as I dared. On my best lap, it registered 203 mph (191 mph according to my vBox), with about 1,500 revs to spare. Lap after lap as I popped up from behind the windscreen into the fierce wind blast, I marveled at the power and consistency of the cast monobloc Brembo calipers and the 330mm rotors. Incredible strides have been achieved in acceleration and braking since the days of the original H2.
At $25,000 for the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and 50 large for the Ninja H2R, experiencing such mind-blowing thrills is obtainable if not cheap.
SPECIFICATIONS
2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2
2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R
ENGINE TYPE
Supercharged DOHC inline-4, 4 valves per cylinder
Supercharged DOHC inline-4, 4 valves per cylinder
DISPLACEMENT
998cc
998cc
BORE x STROKE
76.0 x 55.0 mm
76.0 x 55.0 mm
COMPRESSION RATIO
8.5:1
8.3:1
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER
200 hp @ 11,000 rpm
310 hp @ 14,000 rpm
CLAIMED TORQUE
98.5 lb-ft @ 10,500 rpm
115.1 lb-ft @ 12,500 rpm
FUEL INJECTION
Four 50mm throttle bodies
Four 50mm throttle bodies
GEARBOX
Six-speed
Six-speed
FINAL DRIVE
Chain
Chain
CLUTCH
Wet, slipper
Wet, slipper
FRAME
Steel-tube trellis
Steel-tube trellis
WHEELBASE
57.3 in.
57.1 in.
RAKE
24.5°
25.1°
TRAIL
4.1 in.
4.3 in.
FRONT SUSPENSION
43mm KYB fully adjustable inverted fork
43 mm KYB fully adjustable inverted fork
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL
4.7 in.
4.7 in.
REAR SUSPENSION
Uni-Trak single shock, fully adjustable. Single-sided swingarm
Uni-Trak single shock, fully adjustable. Single-sided swingarm
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL
5.3 in.
5.3 in.
FRONT BRAKE
Dual 330mm rotors, Brembo monobloc radial four-piston calipers
Dual 330mm rotors, Brembo monobloc radial four-piston calipers
REAR BRAKE
Single 250mm rotor, two-piston calipers
Single 250mm rotor, two-piston calipers
FUEL TANK CAPACITY
4.5 gal.
4.5 gal.
CLAIMED WET WEIGHT
525 lb.
476 lb.
SEAT HEIGHT
32.5 in.
32.7 in.