280 odd horsepower on the ‘R’ trackday version. 😯

And the best looking, most brutal new Kawasaki for years to boot.
Just a project bike at the mo, so 2016 for the roadbike?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv2q3yh4wxc[/video]

God, it reminds me of the GP Bike, which looked like it’d kick you in the balls for looking at it the wrong way.

Saw this too in Bike mag, Icon ‘Iron Lung’ Sportster:

Isn’t that just spot on?

Looks odd and a bit dated to me. Spindly frame out back and not enough fairing low down.

I like the long swing arm and the trellis frame. 🙂

Love the exposed engine too – deep sump and headers remind me of a Lawson rep or an 80’s Endurance bike.

I think it’s stunning.

I just assumed that was a cutaway pic and that the actual bike’d be fully faired?

Why does anyone need 280 horses?

I’m more tempted to the KTM RC390, it’s not massive power, but very lightweight.

Not particularly my cup of tea but good to see the Japanese fighting back against the current European dominance (welcome though that is).

No one needs or can use that sort of power. I don’t need and can’t use all the 160bhp my current bike has, but damn, it’s fun trying 😀

benji – Member

Why does anyone need 280 horses?

Half the fast group at the average trackday I think, so that they don’t get overtaken in all the corners 😉 Oh and kitcar manufacturers- I want to put that motor in a mini

Why does anyone need 280 horses?

Same reason anyone needs to ride a bike around a big circle.

It’s a huuuuge step forward in the power stakes – 90hp up on the current incumbent and a massive statement of intent from Kawasaki.

Very interesting engineering solution as well, a supercharger in this application should be a better proposition than a turbo and the trellis frame is an interesting solution to the packaging and cooling problem.

No weight figures yet but the power to weight ratio for this should be unreal.

Northwind – Member

I just assumed that was a cutaway pic and that the actual bike’d be fully faired?

Dunno – this is the concept bike, but it looks pretty finished.
Be nice if they left it, tbh.

All other things aside,

That’s a very pretty bike.

Kawas have to be green green 🙂

Older models are available

It’s not a concept bike – its actually being produced.
Intermot was the unveiling of the R
The road bike is being unveiled next month.
You can put a deposit down on one now….

Everyone here rides an nc700x though. Better mpg and handling.

It has a supercharger on 😯

I think it is delightfully bonkers in the same way that the original H2 was, I dont think this new one will come with a free hinge in the frame 😉

Looks stunning, but fasthaggis speaks the truth – Kawasakis should be green!

The parts that aren’t carbon are green 😛

I’m fairly sure it’s got a lack of fairing because that engine needs all the cooling it can get!

A teaser video showed those exhausts glowing red. 😯

It’s good Kawasaki are doing bonkers/mental again. life is boring without a bit of bonkers/mentalness.

It’s good Kawasaki are doing bonkers/mental again. life is boring without a bit of bonkers/mentalness.

Whilst I don’t really like the look of it, this quote sums it all up for me.

Hideous!!! but I’d like to stretch the cables, just to see what 280 ponies are like.

While this is, as pigface says, delightfully bonkers, it’s strictly a track weapon, so has no limitations placed upon it’s design or price.
What’ll be interesting will be to see how it translates into a road bike, especially how much power they think they can retain.

250-60 bhp is the quoted spec for the H2 road version.

grenosteve – Member

A teaser video showed those exhausts glowing red.

Was that on track? A lot of bikes’ll glow their exhausts on a dyno, especially with thin tube exhausts (my little SV’ll do it and it makes about as much power total as this thing does per piston :lol:)

If it does it in everyday use, then I declare it double plus awesome

It’s good Kawasaki are doing bonkers/mental again. life is boring without a bit of bonkers/mentalness.

I still have nightmares about an out of control time on a KX500 😯 🙂

and lets not talk about the insanity that was the KH750 😉

Haha the old 2 stroke motocross bikes.

Powerband = on or off

Simple!

I remember be scared on an old CR Honda many years ago.

Out of curiosity are there any race classes nowadays that accommodate superchargers/turbos?

I never got the KX500/CR500 thing… As a super moto on the road, I can see it (and I’m sure it would be a hoot), but that engine in an off road bike! 😯 You’d ahve to brave/skilled!

I guess they where most popular in America where you have lots of desert/open spaces to let them loose…

Out of curiosity are there any race classes nowadays that accommodate superchargers/turbos?

Not that I know of… But I’d love to see a MotoGP rider take it out and see what the lap times are compared to a GP bike.

I’m not sure if it would be accepted in the TT or not either??

Horrible looking thing. I hate the ‘Transformers’ look that all the latest Jap machinery seems to have. However …….. I’d love to have a go on one.

grenosteve – Member
I never got the KX500/CR500 thing… As a super moto on the road, I can see it (and I’m sure it would be a hoot), but that engine in an off road bike! You’d ahve to brave/skilled!

I guess they where most popular in America where you have lots of desert/open spaces to let them loose…

I had, for a fleeting moment in time, a DT400. It too was a bit mental and quite a handfull around my (old) local quarry.
I got shot of it as it too was either on or off and spat me off the back more than one occasion, I exchanged it for something more docle, a Montessa 250 Cota.

a Montessa 250 Cota.

I hope you managed to perfect the seat wheelie. 🙂

Nope, bloody shite at wheelies 😆

Enjoyed the bike for the 6mths I had it though. Have on occasion wondered about getting another but there’s nowhere to ride them these days 😥

So,

Heres a pic of a KH250 instead:

failedengineer – Member

I hate the ‘Transformers’ look

It does look a bit like it might transform into a bike, to be fair

Shirley a bike with the name H2R should be a 2 stroke triple?

Interesting that they’ve gone to a steel trellis. That engine will be properly bonkers. people will die.

I am a big Kawasaki fan but that is hideous. That said, you can’t see how ugly it is when you’re riding it.

The styling is interesting.

It’s a logical progression of what they’ve been doing since the 2003 Z1000.
But, to me, this is the first genuinely brutal Kwak road bike since the original ZXR750 and much the better for it.

Not a fan of the Transformers look usually either, but this hangs together perfectly.

Half the fast group at the average trackday I think, so that they don’t get overtaken in all the corners

Or half the inters group who launch between corners on their litres and try and hold of the 600’s which are laid on there ears and screaming round the corners.