RF FEB 2021 ONLINE

Initially I was not keen to ride any of the Kawasaki H2’s
because I had watched the video of Kenan Sofuoglu
breaking a world record on the Kawasaki Ninja H2R over the
Osman Gazi Bridge, Turkey. He took the bike from 0-400kmh
in a record breaking 26 seconds … I know myself and know
that I would try some foolish stunt like that, so I have avoided
the H2 and the H2-R on purpose. However, when the SX,
(touring version), came out and I gave it a go and was mildly
underwhelmed by it. Yes it was frikkin’ fast and super sexy,
but it was too refined for me, too polite and had too many
good manners and just did everything so very well, but …
you know what I mean.
The Z-H2 is a different beast all together now. Firstly, for
such a compact bike it is surprisingly comfortable even for
someone of my length and weight. I love naked bikes, I love
being able to look down and see the front wheel, I love the
feeling of freedom of the wind on me and particularly love the
open, exposed look of naked bikes, they just look meaner
and tougher than fully faired bikes. Hitting the starter button
on the Z and hearing that engine come to life you just know
you are about to have a lot of fun. Blip the throttle a bit too
enthusiastically and the Squirrel mincer will whistle at you
as a warning of what is about to happen. Clicking it into first
gear I pulled away slowly a little bit nervous about the front
coming because I can’t wheelie for sh!t and the pleas of our
publisher to please behave still ringing in my ears.
Once I got moving at speed I rolled on the gas, knocked
the Z into 2nd using the powershifter, then 3rd all the while
laughing like a demented Bond villain in my helmet. Fortunately
we were on a fairly deserted road, because once that
Supercharger kicked in the Z suddenly became the
Millennium Falcon, turning the landscape into a blur and
narrowing the road ahead down to a pin prick. Then there
was no more road and I had to make a plan to bring myself
and the Z to a stop and preferably both at the same time.
Grabbing a handful of brake, stomping on the brake pedal
and kicking down through the gears with the powershifter
the Z … and I came to a very elegant stop. In my mind to the
onlookers it must have looked like the ‘Back to the future’
DeLorean appearing out of nowhere and screeching to a halt
with noise coming from the supercharger. The rest of the ride
was spent playing with the supercharger and diving in and
out of corners and just generally being a hooligan.
Looking around the cockpit everything is very easy to understand
and use. The TFT screen is a neat compact unit that
displays all the pertinent info you need at a quick glance and
is easy to read, even in bright sunlight and without my
reading glasses. As I mentioned earlier, the Z is very
comfortable with not a huge amount of stress on wrists,
shoulders and lower back. The lack of any significant form of
wind protection was not a problem to me, besides the
aforementioned reasons, I also like the fact that the wind
creates a cushion under you taking even more weight and
stress off your wrist, shoulders and lower back. Yes it does
possibly slow you down a bit, but that is a good thing because
you can get yourself into some quite precarious
situations if you become too relaxed on the Z-H2. Flicking
through the electronics package you can feel definite
difference between the rider modes, going from ‘OH MY
FFffuuu … GOSH!!” to a sensible day to day commuter in
rain mode. The Kawasaki Traction Control system is equally
as effective and the powershifter is incredibly smooth at any
speed or load on the motor and as I said the brakes are very
good and really up to the task at hand. And in parting, YES!
It did move my soul.
You really need to ride one to understand…
At your Kawasaki dealer.
KAWASAKI Z H2
Engine 998cc, Transverse 4 cylinder
Bike Specs...
DOHC; 16-valves; Supercharger Cebtrifugal; Scroll-type
Max Power 197hp / 147 kw @ 11000rpm
Torque 137Nm @ 8500rpm
Transmission 6-speed; Return; Dog-ring
Final Drive Chain
Suspension Front Showa SSF BP Forks
Suspension Rear Showa Shock - Uni Trak
Seat Height 830mm
Wheelbase 1455 mm
Fuel Capacity 19 Litres
Wet Weight 239kg