Kawasaki's H2 Superbike

Duck41 · Oct 3, 2014

wilkson said:
That's great I am sure he is quite capable . I still don't get your point but I am only a dumb as .... Australian .

You're being far too modest, Wilkson.

My point is simply that it's a bit early for anyone to make any far-reaching generalizations about what this bike is capable of, and who it will appeal to. So far I have seen interest in this bike expressed from professional racers, canyon riders, drag strip junkies, general motor enthusiasts, and motorcyclists affiliated with many different brands.

No production bike has come anywhere near this new H2 in terms of outright power, and those that have are mostly built to optimize straight line performance at the expense of maneuverability. Kawasaki apparently put much effort into breaking that mold here, and they deserve a great deal of credit for being the first to do so. I think it's going to take a while for people to wrap their head around this kind of power being available in a proper sport bike configuration.

Duck41 · Oct 3, 2014

chrissa said:
This sounds like the bike that Casey Stoner has been asking for.

Stoner may have been onto something after all.

Many have theorized electric motors will be the new frontier of motorcycling, and that may be so - someday - but I believe there is ample time for forced induction to make its mark in the motorcycle industry, and particularly in the sport of motorcycle racing.

I would love to see forced induction spread to other application, and I would be extremely interested to see MotoGP reduce weight and scale down overall engine size while incorporating forced induction to maintain or exceed current power figures. Give these guys substantially more power, less weight, less electronics, and let their skillsets separate the champions from the mere contenders.

Trauma · Oct 3, 2014

Thank you mods.

reganc · Oct 3, 2014

Duck41 said:
I figured most of you would recognize the picture. That is Jeremy Toye and the ZX10R he used to set a record while winning the 92nd running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the premiere Open Class. He also happens to be the same chap who is currently test riding the H2 for commercial filming (several of his tweets were quoted earlier in this thread )

Here is the POV vid of his Pike's Peak run. He really seems like the kind of guy who is only good at pinning it on the straights, which makes sense considering he seems to be very pleased with the H2. ; )

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Quf-vWRMBvY

Hardly surprising that Kawasaki are hiring a pro rider for testing and even more unsurprizing that the paid rider is saying good things about the bike

He's hardly going to tell the world that his paymasters bike is a dog

Trauma · Oct 3, 2014

reganc said:
Hardly surprising that Kawasaki are hiring a pro rider for testing and even more unsurprizing that the paid rider is saying good things about the bike

He's hardly going to tell the world that his paymasters bike is a dog

He could have been being honest just as easily. Everyone else will test it soon enough. But no matter what anyone says, it is a game changer. Others will have to follow forced air or always be behind.

Duck41 · Oct 3, 2014

reganc said:
Hardly surprising that Kawasaki are hiring a pro rider for testing and even more unsurprizing that the paid rider is saying good things about the bike

He's hardly going to tell the world that his paymasters bike is a dog

Kawasaki could have elected to hire a professional drag racer. Considering the proper rider is often matched to the bike in scenarios such as these, I think it's telling Toye was hired.

Additionally, he could have just as easily gone about his business quietly and professionally - I sincerely doubt posting photos and comments on his Instagram like a giddy school kid is something he is contractually obligated to do. The guy knows what a proper sportbike feels like, and he seems to be enjoying himself on this new H2. That's an overall good sign as far as I'm concerned.

Jello · Oct 3, 2014

Trauma said:
He could have been being honest just as easily. Everyone else will test it soon enough. But no matter what anyone says, it is a game changer. Others will have to follow forced air or always be behind.

I agree it's a game changer, but I'm not sure others will be compelled to follow on the forced air trend. The most important aspect of this is that it is something different and aspirational. If the media attention and goodwill from having a halo bike turn into sales within the rest of their product line, then others will be incentivized to make a halo product of their own - but not necessary with forced air.

So hopefully we all win by seeing a variety of top end bikes with different characteristics (most powerful, least weight, etc). With even more win if there is trickle down tech to the rest of the product lines.

Stw · Oct 3, 2014

Jello said:
I agree it's a game changer, but I'm not sure others will be compelled to follow on the forced air trend. The most important aspect of this is that it is something different and aspirational. If the media attention and goodwill from having a halo bike turn into sales within the rest of their product line, then others will be incentivized to make a halo product of their own - but not necessary with forced air.

So hopefully we all win by seeing a variety of top end bikes with different characteristics (most powerful, least weight, etc). With even more win if there is trickle down tech to the rest of the product lines.

So what are we thinking for the new R1???? Insane machine ala H2..or something more akin to the S1000rr??

Jello · Oct 3, 2014

Stw said:
So what are we thinking for the new R1???? Insane machine ala H2..or something more akin to the S1000rr??

We'll see if Yamaha gets into the game. If they do, based on the direction the R1 is already headed in, my guess is they will answer the call Kawi put forth by putting on winglets and go for full fledged wings on the R1 to clinch the record for "widest sportbike in history" or something

Phl · Oct 3, 2014

Trauma said:
Thank you mods.

For what?

Stw · Oct 3, 2014

Jello said:
We'll see if Yamaha gets into the game. If they do, based on the direction the R1 is already headed in, my guess is they will answer the call Kawi put forth by putting on winglets and go for full fledged wings on the R1 to clinch the record for "widest sportbike in history" or something

Lol...I guess I was wondering more about power than wings.....

outhouse · Oct 3, 2014

VAST said:
that those that can afford this bike are most likely to kill themselves on it as function of stats in general...

Agreed.

Just not what I was addressing in context. And your stats are not demographic to this bike or my statement.

Love ya brother

VAST · Oct 3, 2014

outhouse said:
Agreed.

Just not what I was addressing in context. And your stats are not demographic to this bike or my statement.

Love ya brother

i need to school all of u again ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ jesus was my obliteration of Jello last night not enuff ¿ ¿ ¿

Stw · Oct 3, 2014

VAST said:
i need to school all of u again ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ jesus was my obliteration of Jello last night not enuff ¿ ¿ ¿

Ok...Subject of the thread is the Kawasaki H2.. Please don't forget that..Moderation in moderation is something I prefer to exercise....

Duck41 · Oct 3, 2014

Stw said:
So what are we thinking for the new R1???? Insane machine ala H2..or something more akin to the S1000rr??

The new R1 may land somewhere in between. The circulating rumor suggests 230 HP (highly unlikely unless they've developed a forced induction option of their own), and judging from the leaked preliminary drawings, I'd say it's due for a fairly substantial redesign - they certainly have a lot of room to improve in the weight category. EICMA will be interesting.

Duck41 · Oct 3, 2014

Trauma said:
He could have been being honest just as easily. Everyone else will test it soon enough. But no matter what anyone says, it is a game changer. Others will have to follow forced air or always be behind.

I have a feeling Honda will be the first to step up to the H2 challenge. My guess is by this time next year, they'll have a hat to throw into the ring.

Mitchlguzin · Oct 3, 2014

If I lived in Germany and right off the Autobahn or down the road from the Salt Flats, I'd have a boner... But since I live nowhere near either and my 1199S still scares the .... out of me, I'm caring less and less about this...

Trauma · Oct 3, 2014

Phl said:
For what?

Vast knows - he thought he was selecting a thumbs down sign

stanmart · Oct 6, 2014

While were all hating wondering how the hell this bike could ever be track ridden heres a video of the damn thing looking very comfy on the track. Haha

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wGPqIv8ppqY

wachuko · Oct 6, 2014

I must have missed something... this bike is for track only, correct? I don't see any headlights on it.

Kawasaki's H2 Superbike

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