Back at the EICMA 2014 we had a chat with Andrea William Sudati, from the Italian side of Kawasaki Europe’s marketing department. The voice recorder was off because we met in an excessively noisy environment (even though the new Ninjas were still asleep) so you’ll have to take our word for the things that will follow.
The first question was answered quite quickly as we opened the press kit. Honestly, we expected more than the peak 210 hp (with RAM Air) figure. Not that we are too picky, but with all the supercharged thingie and the Ninja H2R hype, it’s probably safe to presume that everybody expected that the street version was more powerful. Still, it looks like the H2 has gotten more than enough grit to make any race a most interesting one, drag or track, and with pretty much any other street-legal machine as opponent.
Few lucky Ninja riders out there
We could expect to see these bikes delivered around mid-year 2015, but this doesn’t mean that everyone would be able to get one. Their price is anyway, only one of the things to make these bikes exclusive. Andrea mentioned some price points but made it clear that a final figure is still far from certain.
According to him, the Ninja H2R track-only bike could be delivered for around €55,000-65,000 ($68,000 - 80,000), whereas the street-ready Ninja H2 could come with a €25,000 ($31,000)price tag. He made it clear that we should treat these numbers with reserve, so this is exactly what we are doing. Truth be told, these prices are no that sky-high for someone in search of the absolute latest cutting-edge sport bikes.
Putting it bluntly, even though these two motorcycles have still a lot to prove in the real life, it just doesn’t get any more advanced bike-making technology. This and the ultra-exclusive character have their own price, so in the end, even though the Ninja H2 and the H2R aren’t exactly dirt-cheap, they offer quite a bang for the buck. In a way, it’s like getting a Koenigsegg One:1. You just pay the guys, take the car and have fun wherever, whenever you can, no more questions asked.
Ninja HS and H2R will be painfully limited
There’s power in numbers, some say, but it looks like the new Ninja begs to differ. In fact, we are told that these bikes already have enough power by themselves, and we’re most likely never get to see them flocking together.
Mr. Sudati tells us that around 100 bikes will be made, and this number comprises both H2R and H2 machines. A 50:50 ratio is expected, but this is definitely far from being certain. Either way, we’re looking at small-run machines only few lucky and well-budgeted riders will be able to claw. Apparently, pre-orders have already been placed, but the actual shipping date remains to be decided.
No supercharged supersport machines in the foreseeable future
Obviously, we asked Andrea Sudati about any plans to extend the supercharging technology to other machines, namely the ones in the 600cc-ish, Supersport class. Sadly, it looks like Kawasaki doesn’t have any such plans for the future, as it appears like the European riders kind of lost their interest in middleweight sport machines.
Maybe it was the stricter enforcement of the A2 driving license limitations, the pricing and the bevy of smaller displacement machines which have been released lately, nobody seems to have a full answer to this. Fact is that the middleweight sport bike sales have gone down, and this has also been confirmed by more guys in the industry. So if some of you hoped for a 150hp (or more) version of the Ninja ZX-6R, it’s not going to be.
As for cheaper, mass-produced liter-class bikes with an extra edge form supercharging, the Kawasaki official was also rather clear. Akashi is doing well as far as the racing program is concerned, he said. The World Supersport and World Superbike regulations forbid the use of forced intake, and developing such bikes as a parallel product line is not exactly a lucrative idea. As for adding a supercharger to the ZX-14R flagship, the question was answered with an enigmatic poker face smile we could not decipher.
Until videos of the Ninja H2 or H2R pitted against other similar bikes surface on the internet, we invite you to enjoy the videos and the photos below. These two bikes are a world premiere, as they are the end result of almost all of Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ departments working together.
Why is this important? Because Mr. Sudati was very clear when he stressed out that the motorcycle division is only a tiny, almost insignificant gear in the whole KHI assembly. That’s why Kawasaki decided to put the old industrial emblem on the bike, instead of the casual logo. And this makes everything even more saucy! Speaking of more eye-popping feats, here's a video of the H2R on the dyno. Reportedly it reached 295 horsepower. We can't wait to see where this stops!
And of course, a cinematic story for the official presentation of the H2:
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