Photo: MCN
The fact that more supercharged Kawasaki machines might be in preparation is old news, but the latest rumor brings a dash of extra certainty, if you wish. The bike pictured above is still a rendering, but it looks more credible than anything we've seen so far.
This is just the latest piece in the huge puzzle, but it makes everything look more than possible, plausible. Alongside the bevy of rumors, it looks like Kawasaki registered the Ninja R2 trademark, taking a new step towards the new generation of bikes.
Sources in Japan that are close to Kawasaki say that the R2 will most likely be powered by an engine packing around 800cc, with supercharged induction. The mill is rumored to be a more streetable (read affordable) derivation of the 998cc forced induction powerplant that animates the Ninja H2.
Kawasaki also showed their Balanced Supercharged Engine at Tokyo last year, and it looks like that lump was so much more than a mere concept. The "balance" thing is rumored to be just a marketing name, with the character of the engine being in fact a mix of usable power and torque produced at a significantly lower rpm than what the current H2 and H2R are capable of.
Finally, the upcoming generation of Kawasaki forced induction may also have superchargers with variable architecture, with the blades of the intake unit changing pitch and a computer controlling the speed and the amount of air that's being fed to the engine. Also, an intercooler is also rumored to be a part of the new bike tech wave that is said to arrive from the house of Akashi.
Whether we get to see these new machines at the end of 2016 at the Milan or Tokyo shows or they are scheduled to make appearance in 2017 is still a thing of mystery.
Sources in Japan that are close to Kawasaki say that the R2 will most likely be powered by an engine packing around 800cc, with supercharged induction. The mill is rumored to be a more streetable (read affordable) derivation of the 998cc forced induction powerplant that animates the Ninja H2.
Kawasaki also showed their Balanced Supercharged Engine at Tokyo last year, and it looks like that lump was so much more than a mere concept. The "balance" thing is rumored to be just a marketing name, with the character of the engine being in fact a mix of usable power and torque produced at a significantly lower rpm than what the current H2 and H2R are capable of.
Smaller supercharged engines may also arrive
Last year, many rumors indicated that a whole new generation of 600cc forced induction motorcycles may arrive, possibly taking the place, one step at a time, of the current supersport machines, a bike industry segment in decline. Apparently, these rumors are not that far-fetched, as MCN reports relying on the same sources, albeit without the degree of plausibility of the 800cc-ish machine.Finally, the upcoming generation of Kawasaki forced induction may also have superchargers with variable architecture, with the blades of the intake unit changing pitch and a computer controlling the speed and the amount of air that's being fed to the engine. Also, an intercooler is also rumored to be a part of the new bike tech wave that is said to arrive from the house of Akashi.
Whether we get to see these new machines at the end of 2016 at the Milan or Tokyo shows or they are scheduled to make appearance in 2017 is still a thing of mystery.
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