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The H2GT is the name of the latest bike rumored to add to the supercharged Kawasaki family. Frankly, this whole thing related to finding ways to fit the H2 forced induction machine into the existing motorcycle classes is starting to look funny. But what if...
Of course, there is no way we can simply disregard anything that deals with the new supercharged motorcycles the house of Akashi might deliver.
The motorcycle industry is integrating more and more the platform concept, because it proved to be very lucrative, so seeing Kawasaki using the same strategy for their supercharged bike would only confirm our suppositions instead of being a surprise.
We saw both Honda and Yamaha using the platform approach, while Ducati preferred to update and "recycle" some of their engines, but to the same profitable result. The street-legal 200+ horsepower supercharged superbike took the industry by storm two years ago and having multiple machines using at least its engine would only be natural.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a thoroughbred sports machine, but thanks to the generous amount of electronics aboard, its behavior can be modified fairly easily. A different map that lowers the peak torque point would make sport-touring rides much more fun.
More so, a slight revision of the riding position would make spending long hours in the saddle a less fatiguing experience. Taller bars replacing the sport clip-ons can also address this, and adding hardshell cases on the options list would make it a worthy choice for overnight (or longer) trips.
Perhaps the Kawasaki Z1000SX would be a great starting point when thinking about how the H2GT could look like. And yes, a bike like the H2GT could go for a lower price if the fancy silver-mirror paint is dropped. Akashi, anybody home?
The motorcycle industry is integrating more and more the platform concept, because it proved to be very lucrative, so seeing Kawasaki using the same strategy for their supercharged bike would only confirm our suppositions instead of being a surprise.
We saw both Honda and Yamaha using the platform approach, while Ducati preferred to update and "recycle" some of their engines, but to the same profitable result. The street-legal 200+ horsepower supercharged superbike took the industry by storm two years ago and having multiple machines using at least its engine would only be natural.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a thoroughbred sports machine, but thanks to the generous amount of electronics aboard, its behavior can be modified fairly easily. A different map that lowers the peak torque point would make sport-touring rides much more fun.
More so, a slight revision of the riding position would make spending long hours in the saddle a less fatiguing experience. Taller bars replacing the sport clip-ons can also address this, and adding hardshell cases on the options list would make it a worthy choice for overnight (or longer) trips.
Perhaps the Kawasaki Z1000SX would be a great starting point when thinking about how the H2GT could look like. And yes, a bike like the H2GT could go for a lower price if the fancy silver-mirror paint is dropped. Akashi, anybody home?
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