2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R

[Prisoner6]

Kawasaki unveiled this jaw-dropping entry into the sportbike arena at INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany earlier this month ...

The fit and finish on this motorcycle appear to be incredible ... it seems Kawasaki has taken it up a notch in the sportbike segment with another ground-breaking model.



Here are just a few of the details:

998cc SUPERCHARGED 16-valve inline-4
Claimed power: 295-300 HP
Steel trellis frame
Single-sided swingarm
Brembo brakes



Carbon fiber bodywork
Specially developed mirror-finish black chrome paint created just for this model
Complete with racing slicks



The downside for sportbike riders everywhere is this: For now, this is a "closed course" model only ...

But Kawasaki claims it has plans to release a street-going version ... with HP in the neighborhood of 200 ...

If the street-legal version comes anywhere close to that number, it will be an exciting time for sportbike riders ...

Especially when that power comes with a chassis, brakes, and running gear that should be up to the challenge ...

Here is a slickly-produced short video introducing the bike with some images:

Ninja H2R - BUILT BEYOND BELIEF

[madmax-im]

Nah it looks like a transformer...

[IanDMacDonald]

Looks like razor blades! Kinda diggin' it though. I'm grasping the "new" styling cues and embracing them slowly. Part of my modern fleet, I have a 2000 CBR600, an '03 Hayabusa, '04 F4i, '06 GSX-750R, and all seem to be getting long in the teeth as far as styling. Out with the old, in with the new.

[Prisoner6]

... it looks like a transformer...

I completely agree with you, Ben ... I don't like the styling ...

But there's no denying the ground-breaking nature of this motorcycle ...

Not a bike I would own, but I can see sportbike riders salivating over this one ... Kawasaki has raised the bar again ...

[rdmcguy]

The transformer

Does kind of look like a transformer...
Twist the throttle on that baby and it will transform your underwear into a mess !!! lol

[IanDMacDonald]

^ LMFAOOOO! Good one!

[madmax-im]

Totally agree with you Marco...just giving you some BS...but its clear the HP they are offering is ground breaking...I think even 200 hp is too much for some sport bike squids that will be popping wheelies at 100 mph on the interstate highways...especially in californicated land...

[Prisoner6]

Totally agree with you Marco...just giving you some BS...but its clear the HP they are offering is ground breaking...I think even 200 hp is too much for some sport bike squids that will be popping wheelies at 100 mph on the interstate highways...especially in californicated land...

Yeah, I hear 'ya ...

Some riders out there will be getting in over their heads even with the street-going version of this bike ... the bike's limits will far exceed their own ...

But (as long as I stayed within my own limitations as a rider), I would love to ride this bike at the track at least once (or twice? ) ... I think it would be a blast!

[MaximPhil]

Does kind of look like a transformer...
Twist the throttle on that baby and it will transform your underwear into a mess !!! lol

I wonder why Kawasaki chose steel for the frame of such a beast.
Surely titanium or carbonfibre would be more in keeping with cutting edge technology ?
Phil

[madmax-im]

I wonder why Kawasaki chose steel for the frame of such a beast.
Surely titanium or carbonfibre would be more in keeping with cutting edge technology ?
Phil

prolly the cost of mass production...

[Mathh]

I'm not impressed with the trellis frame. But the biggest problem with this supercharged bike is that, except maybe for dragracing, there isn't a racing class in the world that will allow this bike. Talking about niche markets....
As for the legal version the same problem: all the horsepower in the world could not prevent the supersport sales falling back to about 10-15% of what is was in the beginning ...
So I think it is a strange decision to develop and sell this bike?

[Prisoner6]

I wonder why Kawasaki chose steel for the frame of such a beast.
Surely titanium or carbonfibre would be more in keeping with cutting edge technology ?
Phil

Hi, Phil -

Here is Kawasaki's official line on the high-tensile steel trellis frame:

"Ordinarily, high-speed stability can be achieved with a long wheelbase. However, the engineers wanted a shorter wheelbase to achieve the compact packaging and
sharp handling that were also desired. Furthermore, the frame needed to be stiff, yet had to absorb external forces encountered while riding in the ultra-high speed range.
Such conditions could easily unsettle the chassis, so a new trellis frame was developed using the latest analysis technology. It provided both the strength to harness the
incredible power of the supercharged engine, and balanced flex to help stability for high-speed competition riding."

And that's not just double-talk when they talk about "using the latest analysis technology". In the modern era, all bike manufacturers put great effort into

studying and analyzing the stiffness of their chassis (in many ways). So, this is the real deal.

Plus, the trellis frame allowed Kawasaki to keep the bike "narrow" (compared to using a twin-spar aluminum frame) ...

And I would think that the trellis frame would allow for a much greater airflow over and around the engine (compared with a twin-spar frame) ... which can be a real boost to cooling.

[webbcraft2150]

Where do you pack the drag chute?

[Prisoner6]

2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2

Several days ago Kawasaki unveiled the street-legal version of their supercharged hyper-sportbike at the EICMA International Motorcycle Expo/Show in Milan, Italy ...

And have dubbed it the H2 ... it has a suggested retail price of $25,000.00 ...



The more you read about the new Ninja, the more you realize just how proud Kawasaki is of this motorcycle ... and I believe rightfully so ...

There are so many top-shelf components on this bike ... way too many to list here.



And the fit and finish appear to be exemplary ...



Here is a "morphing" photo (too dark, but you get the idea) showing the differences between the H2R and the H2:



You can read all about it here:

2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2

And here is a review of some of the many features of the H2 (and there are lots of pics to see):

2014 EICMA: 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2 Preview

[Orange4]

I'm kind of biased but...

This is one for the collectors. (The H2R) Can't ride it on the street, no class to race in and it's a lot heavier than liter bikes so it may not handle all that well. not many track day guys who could afford it. Can you really use all that power on a track? Seems like celeb bait. But we will see. Looking forward to the vids though. It ain't ugly.

Now, the R1M... that's a bike. Good looking, No fancy wings to break off in the garage and actual race bike tech. Not that I could use it