![Kawasaki Ninja H2R Seattle motorcycle show](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Kawasaki_Ninja_H2R_Seattle_motorcycle_show.jpg)
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a "
supercharged supersport"-class
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
in the
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
sports bike
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...
series manufactured by
Kawasaki, featuring a variable-speed
centrifugal supercharger.
Its namesake is the 750 cc
Kawasaki H2 Mach IV
The Kawasaki H2 Mach IV was a 750 cc 3-cylinder two-stroke production motorcycle manufactured by Kawasaki. The H2 was a Kawasaki triple sold from September 1971 through 1975.
A standard, factory produced H2 was able to travel a quarter mile ...
, an
inline triple that was introduced by Kawasaki in 1972 to "disrupt what it saw as a sleeping motorcycle market".
Its Ninja H2R track-only variant is the fastest and most powerful production motorcycle on the market, producing a maximum of and with
ram-air.
The H2R has 50% more power than the fastest
street-legal motorcycles, while the street-legal Ninja H2 has a lower power output of
– with ram-air.
Design
Kawasaki selected the
literbike platform for its top-of-the-line Ninja H2 model, rather than continuing with the higher-displacement
Ninja ZX-14 hyperbike. ''
Cycle World''
's
Kevin Cameron explained that the literbike class is "the center of the high-performance market", attracting the best development in racing, with the best chassis and suspension design, so it made sense for Kawasaki to create a machine that could leverage this.
The H2 is the first production motorcycle with a supercharger, although
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
s were available on
some models in the early 1980s.
Specifications in the infobox are from Kawasaki unless noted.
Production
The
street-legal Ninja H2 has
mirrors
A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the ima ...
in place of the track-only H2R's winglets,
and plastic body panels in place of the H2R's
carbon-fiber
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
panels. The street-legal H2 is said to make , probably with reduced supercharger boost compared to the H2R.
The H2 and H2R share the supercharger (with a lower boost level on the H2) and many other components, with the exception of the
head gasket
In an internal combustion engine, a head gasket provides the seal between the engine block and cylinder head(s).
Its purpose is to seal the combustion gases within the cylinders and to avoid coolant or engine oil leaking into the cylinders. Leak ...
, cam profile and timing with ECU mapping, exhaust system, and clutch (the H2R's clutch has two additional plates).
For 2017, Kawasaki made a limited-edition model with 120 units produced globally: the individually-numbered Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon with special paint and carbon-fiber upper cowl. For 2017, the standard Ninja H2 was also updated.
For 2018, Kawasaki made a new
sport touring
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...
version of the H2, the , with a claimed wet weight of . Features that are options on the base model H2 SX come standard on the Kawasaki H2 SX SE, which has a claimed wet weight of .
With revised throttle bodies, camshafts, crankshaft, pistons, cylinder and cylinder head as well as a new exhaust system aimed at increasing mid range torque. The intake system and supercharger impeller were also redesigned. A new larger fuel tank, rear trellis subframe and panniers increase the bike's weight by .
For 2019, the H2 received an update with 15% more power from updates to the intake, spark plugs, ECU, and air filter, among other components. Also added was a new LED lighting scheme and a special top coat of paint that is claimed to be self-healing and able to smooth over small scratches in warmer conditions. Also new were lighter and smaller Brembo Stylema calipers, a new TFT dash, and smartphone connectivity that provides information about the GPS route, speed, RPM, current gear, fuel mileage, fuel level, and odometer.
In addition, the 2019 Ninja H2 SX SE+ features electronically controlled suspension.
Engine and supercharger
The H2's engine is a
4-valve,
dual overhead cam
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
inline-4
A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...
with a two-speed
centrifugal supercharger.
The supercharger is driven by a series of gears and shafts connecting the flywheel to a
planetary drive, finally spinning a
dog-shifted two-speed shaft attached to the
impeller
An impeller or impellor is a rotor used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid. It is the opposite of a turbine, which extracts energy from, and reduces the pressure of, a flowing fluid.
In pumps
An impeller is a rotating componen ...
. Throttle control is
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
. A centrifugal supercharger has the advantage of generating less heat than other designs, especially
scroll-type or
screw-type superchargers. Without an
intercooler (which the H2 lacks), excess heat in the intake charge can cause
pre-ignition Pre-ignition (or preignition) in a spark-ignition engine is a technically different phenomenon from engine knocking, and describes the event wherein the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder ignites before the spark plug fires. Pre-ignition is initiate ...
that can damage or destroy the engine.
Electronic aids
Electronic rider aids include an
anti-lock braking system (ABS), Kawasaki
Traction Control
A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicle ...
(KTRC), Kawasaki
Engine Brake Control (KEBC), a Kawasaki
Quick Shifter (KQS), an electronic
steering damper (ESD), and Kawasaki
Launch Control Mode (KLCM).
Aerodynamics
The front fairing of the Ninja H2R incorporates winglets made of
carbon fiber
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
, just like the rest of the H2R-exclusive bodywork. They may be
aerodynamic devices designed to create a low-pressure zone to help move
cooling air through the engine bay, to produce
downforce
Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip ...
at high speed, or to provide
straight-line stability in a short-
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
sportsbike chassis.
Chassis
The H2 and H2R have a tubular, thin-wall steel
trellis frame
A motorcycle frame is a motorcycle's core structure. It supports the engine, provides a location for the steering and rear suspension, and supports the rider and any passenger or luggage. Also attached to the frame are the fuel tank and battery. A ...
and a
single-sided swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...
, with a traditional sportsbike wheelbase of .
Explaining the advantages of Kawasaki's approach to exploiting aerodynamics instead of lengthening the wheelbase, a South African writer said, "It's easy to build stability into a hard-accelerating drag machine with a long wheelbase... but Kawasaki wanted a track-day machine, one that would also go round corners." High speed motorcycles often have long wheelbases. Extra length is added by the extended swingarm on a typical
drag motorcycle, and a typical
land speed record
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...
streamliner has a meters-long wheelbase (3.7 meters for the current record holder,
Ack Attack
The TOP 1 Ack Attack is a specially constructed land-speed record streamliner motorcycle that, , has held the record for world's fastest motorcycle since recording a two-way average speed of on September 25, 2010 in the Cook Motorsports Top Sp ...
).
Pre-Intermot engine announcements and analysis
The H2 was announced by Kawasaki in a late-2014
teaser campaign
A teaser (or more specifically teaser trailer) is a mini- trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release move or television show advertisement. Short in length, te ...
, and was widely expected to be fully revealed at the
Intermot
INTERMOT Cologne is a biennial trade show for motorcycle manufacturers. The trade show began in Munich in 1998, though it was founded in Cologne. Since 2006 it has moved to ''Koelnmesse'' in Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) ...
motorcycle trade show the same year. Before full details were released by Kawasaki, the supercharged inline-4 engine
was thought by several industry observers to be identical to, or closely related to, a nearly 1,000 cc inline-4 with a centrifugal supercharger displayed by Kawasaki at the 2013
Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...
.
Cameron published an analysis showing that an engine of that displacement, mildly boosted at , would generate —more than that of Kawasaki's current leader, the
ZX-14 (horsepower figures are expressed at the rear wheel). The same engine would generate with of pressure. His analysis included a discussion of the benefits of a
two-speed supercharger for more linear power delivery (as opposed to the intractable
Japanese turbo bikes of the 1980s that suffered from
turbo lag
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
). Cameron also said Kawasaki patent documents suggested the engine would rely on
evaporative cooling
An evaporative cooler (also known as evaporative air conditioner, swamp cooler, swamp box, desert cooler and wet air cooler) is a device that cools air through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling differs from other air conditioning s ...
using port fuel injection, instead of a bulky
intercooler.
Kawasaki claimed the 2013 model had the first supercharger designed by a motorcycle manufacturer. In 2013, journalists said that the engine could power the "next generation
injaZX-14R" sportbike. Journalists also noted that Kawasaki already has a production inline-4 supercharged (albeit intercooled) engine powering the
Jet Ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki, a Japanese company. The term is often used generically to refer to any type of personal watercraft used mainly for recreation, and it is also used as a verb to ...
Ultra 300X
personal watercraft.
Production announcement
![Kawasaki Ninja H2R engine cutaway supercharger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Kawasaki_Ninja_H2R_engine_cutaway_supercharger.JPG)
At the 2014 Intermot motorcycle trade show on September 30, 2014, Kawasaki announced that a race-only Ninja H2R model would be produced in addition to the detuned street-legal Ninja H2, which would be fully revealed at the
EICMA trade show in November. The bike was shown for the first time in North America at the AIMExpo show at Orlando, Florida in October, 2014.
According to details Kawasaki made public about the H2's engine at Intermot, it was confirmed to be a 998 cc
inline-four engine
A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...
with a supercharger, producing in the track-only H2R variant, still by far the highest rated engine ever for any factory production motorcycle (50% more than its nearest competitor, the
BMW S1000RR).
Reception
Global press coverage both before and after Intermot was extensive.
Before the full reveal of the H2R, reactions tended to emphasize the reintroduction of
forced induction to the motorcycle marketplace, with headlines like "Hail the New Supercharged Era" (
Autoevolution), "Supercharged Ninja imminent" (''
Motor Cycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspaper".
The title was founded in lat ...
''), "New Kawasaki sports bike will use a 1000cc supercharged engine" (Visordown (UK)), "Kawasaki officially uncovers Ninja H2 supercharger" (''Cycle Online'' (Australia)), "Kawasaki Ninja H2: How the supercharger works" (''
Motociclismo''), and "Kawasaki's H2 superbike: A technical look at Kawasaki’s upcoming supercharged superbike" (''Cycle World'').
After the introduction, before any test rides had even been permitted, coverage turned to both the bike's unusual styling and its precedent setting power. Both industry and general-readership press said the machine "will beat up the supersport scene with a
steam hammer" (''
Der Tagesspiegel
''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...
''), "smashes the superbike class" (Gizmag), is "a game changer" (Autoevolution), "a quantum leap into the future that redefines the way we see motorcycles" (Independent Newspapers), and "the poster child of 2-wheeled insanity ... so extreme it's hard to comprehend" (''
Road & Track''), or was simply "radical" (''Motor Cycle News'') and even "ludicrous" (''
Bloomberg Businessweek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'').
''Cycle World'' and ''Motor Cycle News'' both commented on how Kawasaki had claimed the high end of the market with the H2, moving past a stagnant market (at least from the
Japanese Big Four The Japanese Big Four are the large motorcycle manufacturing companies of Japan:
* Honda, which produces motorcycles since 1946.
* Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactu ...
manufacturers) full of cookie-cutter sportsbikes and low-priced entry-level bikes, and had set up the H2 as a
halo model
The halo effect (sometimes called the halo error) is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand, or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas. Halo effect is “the name given to t ...
for the entire brand. Cameron said, "When we look at the current crop of 1000s, all date from before our present "recession," and what little has come by way of new product has sought to please the mostly imaginary "new buyer" with low-tech delights." Highlighting Kawasaki's ability to create a product leveraging aerodynamic, turbine and engine technology design expertise from across the large
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is ...
conglomerate (called a "vast industrial complex" by ''Sport Rider''), an unsigned ''Motor Cycle News'' piece said "The H2R you see here is the very pinnacle of what Kawasaki can do ... This is the firm's halo product, and every element is Kawasaki at its very best, from the engine and aerodynamic development, through to the mirror-finish black chrome paint specially developed for this model."
Some analysts noted odd features of the supposedly track-only H2R model. Although it is outfitted with
racing slicks and lacks many features required on a
street-legal vehicle
Street-legal, road-legal, or road-going, refers to a vehicle such as a car, motorcycle, or light truck that is equipped and licensed for use on public roads, being therefore Roadworthiness, roadworthy. This will require specific configurations of ...
in most jurisdictions, such as headlights, rear view mirrors, and turn signals visible from the front or sides, it also has features that are unusual or absent on pure track bikes, such as an ignition lock and LED tail light.
Speed record attempts
H2
''
Cycle World'' recorded a -mile time of 9.62 sec. @ with a 0 to 60 mph acceleration at 2.6 seconds and a top speed of .
Kent Kunitsugu, editor for Sport Rider magazine, competing in a land-speed racing event in Mojave, California at the Mojave Air and Space Port airfield in the Mojave Magnum land-speed racing, took a Ninja H2 with just a few bolt-on performance parts adding over 70 horsepower and achieved a top speed of .
On August 12, 2018, rider Shigeru Yamashita, with an unofficial team of Kawasaki employees (known as Team 38), set a speed record in the
Southern California Timing Association
Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is a competition sanctioning body that maintains rules and record for Land Speed Racing events held at El Mirage Dry Lake, California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. It is a non-profit, volunte ...
(SCTA) P-PB 1000 class for under-1,000 cc displacement production supercharged motorcycles with limited modifications at the
Bonneville Speedway
Bonneville Speedway (also known as the Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track) is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats northeast of Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed rec ...
. On August 15, Yamashita broke his own record with a new speed of .
H2R
2015
![Kawasaki H2R in Isle of Man cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Kawasaki_H2R_in_Isle_of_Man_cropped.jpg)
In June 2015,
TT race competitor James Hillier rode a Kawasaki H2R around the 37-mile
TT road course as an inter-race demonstration lap at near-race speeds,
using normal Superbike
slick race tires,
leading to a TT record of the highest top speed attained in the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
by a motorcycle.
The top speed of "over 206 mph" (332 km/h) on the
Sulby Straight was recorded on Hillier's personal
Strava
Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It is mostly used for cycling and running using Global Positioning System data. Strava uses a freemium model with some features on ...
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
smartphone
app for cyclists.
2016
On June 30, 2016,
Kenan Sofuoglu, a five-time world champion
Supersport circuit-racer, made a top speed attempt.
WSBK official website.
Retrieved November 21, 2016 Kawasaki supplied a stock H2R augmented only with special tires developed by Pirelli for the top speed attempt to withstand extreme high speeds, and the bike was supplied with race-grade fuel. Sofuoglu was also supplied with a special one-piece leather suit to enhance aerodynamics for his record attempt.
This attempt, with the Turkish president in attendance, was made across the then-newly completed Osman Gazi Bridge
The Osmangazi Bridge ( tr, Osman Gazi Köprüsü) is a suspension bridge spanning the Gulf of İzmit at its narrowest point, . The bridge links the Turkish city of Gebze to the Yalova Province and carries the O-5 motorway across the gulf.
The ...
, the fourth longest in the world at just over a mile and a half. Kawasaki quoted the H2R's maximum speed to be . After training and preparing for four months, a speed of in just 26 seconds was claimed by a video-recording of the bike's dashboard display.
The speed was not officially confirmed or independently verified. No fixed point optical sensors for distance/speed calculations, chronometers or hand-held devices were used, and later with a theoretical calculation, of the distance he traveled in 26 seconds on the bridge. Cameron had calculated two years earlier that with the right gearing, the H2R's engine power could theoretically overcome aerodynamic drag up to .
See also
* Kawasaki Ninja series
*List of fastest production motorcycles by acceleration
This is a list of street legal production motorcycles ranked by acceleration from a standing start, limited to 0 to 60 mph times of under 3.5 seconds, and -mile times of under 12 seconds. Concept, custom, modified, and one-off motorcycles o ...
Footnotes
Notes
Sources
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*Reviews of al
kawasaki
motorcycles.
External links
*
{{Forced induction motorcycles
Ninja H2
Motorcycles introduced in 2014
Sport bikes