Up close and personal with H2R

The 2014 Intermot motorcycle show will be one that will always be remembered for all the right reasons. In a time when social and environmental correctness is rife, most new motorcycle launches involve bikes that bow down to these pressures. Well not Kawasaki, which instead decided to bring the iconic H2 name back to life and build the Ninja H2R, the most manic, aggressive and fastest motorcycle ever to be developed – well done!

It was more than a year ago when Kawasaki first filed patents for a supercharged engine, but the outlet for the powerplant was anyone’s guess. Would it be a replacement for the ZX-14R, or possibly an efficient small displacement engine?

It went quiet for a while until Kawasaki started leaking teaser videos to the public for more than a month leading up to the Intermot show, each one giving more and more away but still keeping the world guessing.

What was becoming obvious was that it would be an all-out performance machine that would sit above its world superbike-winning ZX-10R and be graced with the ultimate accolade – the H2 name was coming back!  

By now we knew it was going to employ a supercharger, but what it would be cramming air into still remained a mystery. A 600cc capacity was thrown around -- but would that do the H2 name justice? After all, if you were resurrecting the name of the then fastest motorcycle, surely the new H2 would have to be in the same league.

When the covers were pulled back on September 30 in Cologne it was apparent that Kawasaki had honoured the name. Powering the new motorcycle is a 300hp supercharged 1000cc inline four-cylinder, draped in the latest electrickery and wrapped in carbon fibre fairings that sport wings – that’s right, wings.  

Bikesales and Kawasaki Team Green Members were fortunate enough to be invited out to Kawasaki Australia HQ for the Australian unveiling of the H2R on Saturday, October 11. Test rides were not allowed, but we were treated to what 300hp sounds like.

My first impression of the H2R was how relatively small it is. I was expecting it to be a rather large superbike to accommodate the blower and subsequent plumbing, but it’s slightly bigger than the ZX-10R in width, but not by much.

The ergonomics are very similar to the ZX-10R, however the clip-ons feel marginally further away due to the longer wheelbase. The seat is quite padded and is lower than the ZX-10R, while the rear cowl that surrounds you gives you the sense of sitting in the motorcycle rather than on top. The hydraulic clutch seems light in its pull.

At the heart of the H2R is a supercharged 1000cc inline four-cylinder that produces approximately 300hp, making it the most powerful motorcycle engine ever produced. The engine has been built from the ground up, and is not a ZX-10R engine fitted with a compressor.

The supercharger was developed in house by the gas turbine and machinery department of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The blower is in fact a hybrid between a turbo and supercharger in what is known as a centrifugal supercharger. It features an impeller just like a turbo and compresses the fresh intake air, but instead of being exhaust-gas driven it is mechanically driven by an internal chain.

According to Kawasaki the reason for this design is that it gives the engineers the ability to change the impeller size and to spin it at different speeds to have flexibility in the power curve. This will allow the 190-section rear tyre more time to handle the power without breaking traction from a more instant power-making screw-type supercharger.

My ears are still ringing from when the H2R was fired up. This thing is loud -- I’m talking MotoGP loud. At idle it sounds like a drag bike with straight pipes, and when revved is angry, raw and downright intimidating.

Kawasaki Aerospace Company was enlisted to develop the bodywork and decided to sculpt it out of high-gloss carbon fibre. The craftsmanship is absolutely beautiful and the aggressive lines give the H2R a very menacing persona. There is no belly pan fitted in what I assume would be for cooling reasons – 300hp will create a lot of heat. There are two sets of wings to aid in high-speed stability; the ones on the side look good, but the top ones are a little ugly. But I am sure they are there for a reason.

The H2R incorporates a single-sided swingarm and trellis frame. The trellis frame was chosen as it offered the strength to withstand the high-power output, while offering enough flex to ensure stability at high-speeds and when on the track.    

In terms of weight, Kawasaki has hinted that it’s slightly heavier than the ZX-10R, but less than the ZX-14R. The dash is easy to read and features an analogue tacho where the numbers light up as the revs rise.

In terms of electronics the H2R incorporates all the riding aids available on the ZX-10R with the addition of a quickshifter. Suspension specs have not been released, but doers have clickers for full adjustability. There is also a top-mount electronic steering damper. To haul you up from cosmic speeds the H2R employs top of the range Brembo monobloc callipers.    

The Kawasaki River Mark is the symbol on the front of the motorcycle. It is the long time symbol of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and only graces products that are rare and have historical significance.

When quizzed as to when we will see them, Kawasaki is remaining very tight lipped. Robert Walker, the National Sales and Marketing Manager at Kawasaki Australia, said: “We haven’t had volume confirmed, pricing confirmed or even the exact production timing confirmed but we expect to see some early in the New Year.”

Meanwhile, at the 2014 EICMA show in Milan, which begins on November 4, Kawasaki will pull the covers off the road-going H2R, the H2. Not much is known, but rumours are circulating of a 200hp mill with a price tag half of what the ‘R’ will cost. The carbon fibre fairings may be replaced to keep costs down and mirrors and blinkers will replace the wings. I was also told that it will feature a larger muffler, obviously for sound suppression and will feature a small belly pan.      

Stay tuned for a full run-down of the two models when more information is released.  

SPECS: KAWASAKI H2R
Engine: Liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder
Capacity: 998cc
Forced Induction: Centrifugal supercharger
Claimed maximum power: 300hp
Frame: Trellis steel
Brakes: Brembo Monobloc
Tyres: Slick tyre -- 120/60-17 front, 190/55-17 rear