For the love of whatever god, you happen to pray to, Kawasaki’s H2 is just silly — in the most satisfying, exhilarating, grin-inducing, almost poo-your-pants kind of way. It’s been more than a decade since it first landed in 2015, and in that time, it’s become a supercharged beast of mythical proportions. Even people who aren’t right into bikes know what a H2 is. I ride a lot of bikes, and it takes a bit to get me excited these days, but the H2 is a different story. The H2 is what you get when a manufacturer stops worrying about convention and just goes for it.
Of course, the engine is the star of the show; it’s what makes the bike so special. The 998cc supercharged inline-four nestled in that contrasting green trellis frame is like nothing else in motorcycling. With a claimed 231 horsepower (170 kW) and 141.7 Nm, the numbers are big, but they don’t tell the full story.
What stands out is the way it delivers it. There’s serious low-down torque — something a lot of four-cylinder sports bikes lack — and it builds into a relentless surge that just doesn’t stop. First gear is basically useless. It’s just lifting the front wheel everywhere. Get it moving, click into second as quickly as possible, and let it have its head. Shit gets real very quickly.
The supercharger whine as it spools up when you get on the power, and the flutter when you roll off, are glorious music to a hoon’s ear. Add to that the delicious cacophony of air being sucked into the combustion chamber, and you may find yourself holding a gear longer than necessary or dropping back a gear or two just to hear the fuel-injected symphony. The throttle is a bit abrupt, but with this sort of power, you’re always going to get a bit of that.
With a claimed kerb weight of 238 kg, it’s a big unit, and you can feel that straight away. You’d probably drop 20 kilos just by binning the factory muffler — a weapons-grade boat anchor — but it’s still never going to be a light, flickable thing. It takes a bit of muscle to tip it into a corner, and when you compare it to the scalpel-like BMW M 1000 RR or Ducati’s razor-sharp Panigale V4 S, which have claimed wet weights between 190–200 kg, the H2 is 40-odd kilograms heavier.
The front end is rock solid. Once it’s tipped on its side, it holds a line immaculately. Changes of direction mid-corner require effort, but the reality is that if you combined this sort of power with twitchy handling, you’d probably die pretty quick — stable is good.
Fully adjustable KYB forks and an Öhlins rear shock take care of the suspension duties. It’s premium kit with enough adjustment available to allow most riders to tune the setup to suit.Braking is Brembo front and rear with Brembo master cylinders, and it’s excellent. Not quite the absolute latest Ducati or BMW level, but still seriously strong with good feel.
Ergonomically, it’s all head down, bum up. It’s not built for comfort, especially if you’re a bigger unit, but that’s not the point. Seat height is a lofty 825 mm. It’s a big, wide, and tall missile on wheels.
Kawasaki has made some updates over the years, mainly to the electronics, but the systems lack the sophistication of the more modern setups you’ll find on today’s elite superbikes, and it’s feeling a little old-school now. With that said, it still bristles with tech. There’s IMU-supported traction control, cornering ABS, launch control, cruise control, adjustable engine brake control, and a quickshifter for clutchless up and down shifts. The TFT dash now adds smartphone connectivity through Kawasaki’s Rideology app, while the electronic rider aids do a solid job of keeping the supercharged monster pointed in the right direction when the boost hits hard.
The H2 isn’t about being the most refined or the most sensible. It’s about being something special. Something a bit unhinged. And in 20 years’ time, people will be chasing these things and paying big money if they can find one.
Even now, more than 10 years since Kawasaki shocked the world with its supercharged monster, there isn’t a bike like it, and in this world of ever-increasing authoritative oversight, there may never again be anything like it.
Enquire today at your local Ultimate Motorbikes Kawasaki H2 Dealer