2014 INTERMOT: Kawasaki Ninja H2R officially unveiled

The 2014 INTERMOT show couldn’t have asked for a better as the much awaited Kawasaki hyperbike made its debut. But unlike the H2 that was expected, Kawasaki stunned two-wheeler aficionados by unveiling the Kawasaki Ninja H2R hyperbike. The biggest talking point of the new motorcycle is its supercharged powerplant which looks like a technology that almost all major two-wheeler manufacturers will adopt in the near future in their pursuit of more power output for their bikes. Powering the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is a supercharged 998cc, in-line-four motor that churns out a mind boggling 300PS of peak power. This means the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is on its way of becoming the most powerful production motorcycle on planet Earth. 

The Kawasaki Ninja H2R isn’t a street legal motorcycle and has been developed as a track-specific model by the Japanese two-wheeler giant. Kawasaki engineers say their primary focus on the H2R was brisk acceleration and for this purpose they employed a supercharger that was developed from Kawasaki’s extensive knowledge with turbines. 

Talking about design the overall styling of the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is edgy and sharp with a bit of design inspiration from the Ducati Panigale. The instrument cluster is part-analogue-part-digital with the tachometer taking center stage and looks visually attractive. One of the interesting bits is the various winglets crafted from carbon fibre on the bike. Kawasaki claims the winglets aid in improving the stability of the bike at high speeds which allowed them to employ a shorter wheelbase. The shorter wheelbase on the Kawasaki Ninja H2R unlike the Ninja ZX-14R means that the handling dynamics wouldn’t be compromised in pursuit of high speed stability. Also heavy use of carbon fibre is evident to keep the weight of the bike as low as possible.

The Kawasaki Ninja H2R will employ a trellis frame and single-sided swingarm, features that are something normally not associated with the Japanese two-wheeler giant. The new bike employs Brembo sourced disc brakes at front and rear, a first for any Kawasaki motorcycle. The Kawasaki Ninja H2R is a technological marvel and showcases the capabilities of Kawasaki Heavy Industries in general. Production of the Kawasaki Ninja H2R will be restricted to maintain exclusivity with each unit carrying a sticker price of a decent luxury sedan.

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Although a halo product for now, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R gives us a preview of future superbikes and it has to be one of the biggest launches of 2014. The Kawasaki Ninja H2R will compete against the Ducati 1199 Superleggera which is a glowing example of lightweight and performance oriented hyperbike. Kawasaki has also developed a street version of the H2R hyperbike that will be christened H2 and it will most likely make its world debut at the 2014 EICMA motorcycle show.