Kawasaki's H2 Superbike

Interesting comparison shots to give an idea of just how compact the bike is. Top picture is Sykes' WSBK ZX10R, and the bottom is of course the H2R.

He looks more stretched out on the H2R in comparison. Can tell if that would be comfortable. Thamks for the pics Duck41

Phl said:

i am looking forward to a track shootout by some magazine:


1199SL vs. H2 vs. SUPER HP4

3 bikes on three different tracks


that'd be it.

i'd even volunteer as rider

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I am as well, but I expect Honda - and possibly Yamaha - to enter this fight before all is said and done. The next 5-10 years is going to be an incredibly exciting time for sportbike riders.

Claymore said:

You did miss something. There are two versions. The 300 hp version is track only and the lesser version will be a road bike.

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Found one article on the street version...

Is this the New 2015 Kawasaki H2 street version teaser video? | Sport Rider

The bike has a lot of length forward of the bars....

b9009b said:

He looks more stretched out on the H2R in comparison. Can tell if that would be comfortable. Thamks for the pics Duck41

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No problem at all.

I agree about him appearing more stretched out. Both his hands and feet seem to be placed lower, his back is more linear, and his arms seem to be extended further forward as indicated by his elbow being closer to 90 degrees.

That may not necessarily be true. Take a closer look at the zx10 photo n his seat positioning. He still has a few inches he could move back on the seat whereas on the h2r, it appears to be that he's as far back as he can go.

double0 said:

That may not necessarily be true. Take a closer look at the zx10 photo n his seat positioning. He still has a few inches he could move back on the seat whereas on the h2r, it appears to be that he's as far back as he can go.

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Good point.

Duck41 said:

The next 5-10 years is going to be an incredibly exciting time for sportbike riders.

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before they get banned (too dangerous) and/or the streets / traffic / transportation will be all automated and interconnected and bikes won't fit in any more ....

BTW - kawasaki got 100% of my attention for this but also 100% of disagreement for the marketing scheme and my immediate loss of any intent to purchase a bike from them in the future. not even a 250 for racing.

Phl said:

BTW - kawasaki got 100% of my attention for this but also 100% of disagreement for the marketing scheme and my immediate loss of any intent to purchase a bike from them in the future. not even a 250 for racing.

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Phil, what specifically has bothered you in regards to the marketing used?

I'm impatient.

The fact that they made a big deal out of it.
Yeah, it's fast strong awesome superb blahbla ugly...

Just release it
And don't play games.

Kindergarten ...

They've taken a page out of Ducati's book. Didn't they do the same .... with the SL?

Maybe you should never buy another Ducati again.....using your current logic of course.

double0 said:

They've taken a page out of Ducati's book. Didn't they do the same .... with the SL?

Maybe you should never buy another Ducati again.....using your current logic of course.

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yep. for sure not the SL. LOL - with all the "social" and internet media hype ...., i bet there won't be a "normal" product release in the future - at least not for emotional products like bikes.

same thing with the scrambler... that's a bunch of BS. have a nice bike?
put out the specs and some test pics, then release it. done.

all the gibberish rumoring and playdoh figures stuff - meh...

Phl said:

yep. for sure not the SL. LOL - with all the "social" and internet media hype ...., i bet there won't be a "normal" product release in the future - at least not for emotional products like bikes.

same thing with the scrambler... that's a bunch of BS. have a nice bike?
put out the specs and some test pics, then release it. done.

all the gibberish rumoring and playdoh figures stuff - meh...

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You will hate this then....


MV Agusta MY 15 Teaser - YouTube

Phil, I know what you mean; but as you and Double-O have both mentioned, this marketing method is becoming increasingly common amongst many manufacturers and is unlikely to discontinue anytime soon.

Apple ruined it for all consumer products with their "teaser" and "hype" marketing leading to major event "reveals". Just because they sell millions of phones and tablets to the sheeple out there, manufacturers now have to follow their marketing play book or they're not following "best practices".

Great comparison shots with Tom Sykes. I bet there is at least 1.5 if not 2+ inches of wheelbase on the H2 vs a ZX-10R. If you're trying to unleash 300 hp at the back wheel you're going to need the longer swing arm and overall wheelbase to keep it from looping - that is - without the necessary wheelie control keeping the output below 220 hp or so.

Here is just the video :
http://youtu.be/154xGajMOXU

Power-to-Weight Comparisons

Here's an interesting thought I calculated just for grins. Let's assume that the H2R will put about 270 hp to the rear wheel (10% drivetrain loss from 300 hp at the crank - a bit less than usual for motorcycles). Let's also say that the H2R's SSSA, supercharger and associated plumbing makes the bike weigh about 20 pounds more than a street-legal ZX-10R, despite the carbon fiber bodywork and no lights, at about 460 pounds. Put on a 165 pound rider with 15 pounds of helmet and safety gear, and compare the following chart of Power-to-Weight ratios (with minimum weights provided by each racing series and rwhp estimated from reliable sources):



If these assumptions are anywhere close to reality, then the H2R is actually going to accelerate faster than Tom Syke's Championship Winning ZX-10R WSBK, but nothing on 2 wheels that can make a U-turn on the road is going to come close to a MotoGP Prototype (thank goodness!).

The last column makes some predictions about the street H2. With lights/signals and non-exotic bodywork, it should weigh at least another 20 pounds more. With a 10% drivetrain loss of the estimated 250 crank hp to the back wheel, it still will provide an other-worldly level of acceleration compared to the current paradigm of sport motorcycles. I think I might be interested after all...