The Street Bike That Feels Civilized Until You Twist The Throttle

What makes a bike exciting is a matter that has been debated for a long time. It can be its performance, or the experiences you have because of its lack of reliability, or simply the fact that you always have a story to tell when you’re back from a ride. Whatever the case may be, you still want an exciting motorcycle over a boring one.

Here’s the thing about boring motorcycles, though: they get the job done. You don’t have to worry about getting to your destination (or back home), and you know what to expect every single time. The best thing to have then will be a combination of a boring and exciting motorcycle, one that transforms from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde when you want it to. There are a few options, but one among them stands out. This is the street bike that feels civilized until you twist the throttle.

The Kawasaki Z H2 Is The Street Bike That Feels Civilized Until You Twist The Throttle

Kawasaki is the wild child of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. It has always had the biggest, baddest bikes on sale. For a while, though, we thought it had reformed itself, but the H2 engine that debuted in the Ninja H2 reminded us that it was merely a break from the madness.

This engine, the first and only production engine with forced induction in modern times so far, does duty in a few models. The Z H2 is tuned for torque rather than power, and it still has a power figure that would make most sport bikes jealous. With the right electronic control, it is perfectly docile and well-mannered. But it is the street bike that feels civilized until you twist the throttle.

Kawasaki Z H2 Price: $21,999

As the flagship Kawasaki naked bike with all the bells and whistles, you’d expect it to cost just as much as any other premium naked – but the Z H2 is quite reasonably priced, at $21,999. And no, this isn’t a base price with a premium model lurking a few thousand dollars higher. There is only one variant, the Z H1 SE ABS, and this is its price.

Kawasaki Z H2 Engine

The Z H2 has the only motorcycle engine with forced induction currently in production. It debuted on the Ninja H2 a long time ago, and it’s been the only one of its kind for a decade. A supercharger forces air under pressure into the cylinders, and it runs in a different firing order than we’re used to seeing in a regular inline four-cylinder motorcycle engine. Kawasaki’s aerospace division helped develop it so that an intercooler wasn’t required. Special materials are used to keep things from failing under the intense loads.

You Get Almost 200 Horsepower Here

The result is 197 horsepower and 101 pound-feet of torque from 998 cc. A lot of that torque is available across the rev range, rather than concentrated near the 8,500 RPM peak. This runs a pretty high 11.2:1 compression ratio, and a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU are present.

That means all the electronic help you can get, which, given the performance, you will probably need at one point or another.

Putting the power down is an ordinary six-speed manual transmission with an assist and slipper clutch and a standard two-way quickshifter that works from 2,500 RPM onward. A chain drives the rear wheel.

Kawasaki Z H2 Chassis

A steel trellis frame has been chosen for the Z H2 because of the strength-to-weight ratio it offers. A standard two-sided swingarm is present here, unlike the Ninja H2, for lesser weight and complexity. There is only the ‘SE’ model available, which means top-shelf electronic suspension. This is the Showa Skyhook EERA suspension, so it is fully adjustable and will adjust its damping automatically if left to itself. The preload at both ends needs to be adjusted manually.

Braking is via Brembo M4.32 radial four-piston fixed calipers at the front paired with twin 320 mm discs. At the rear, a 260 mm disc and a single piston caliper are sufficient. Cornering ABS is a standard inclusion.

Kawasaki Z H2 Dimensions

This is a regular-sized bike, with an 82-inch length. It is a little high for a street bike, though, with a 32.7-inch seat height, although it enables 5.5 inches of ground clearance. It carries 5 gallons of fuel, which is quite a lot, but that’s necessary for such a thirsty engine. The 531-pound curb weight is also quite high, making this more of a ‘muscle bike’ rather than an outright streetfighter.

Kawasaki Z H2 Features

The list of features on the Z H2 is long, impressive, and useful. It starts with the 4.3-inch TFT display. This is small by today’s standards, and that is because this Z hasn’t been updated in a while. However, it still has Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. The Rideology app offers a bunch of statistics about your rides. There is all-LED lighting. There is only one color scheme available, but it has Kawasaki’s self-healing paint. Cruise control is standard, as is launch control!

Kawasaki Z H2 Competition

There is some truly strong competition here, but we need to find a competitor that can do both civilized as well as unhinged. That eliminates the KTM 1390 Super Duke Evo, BMW M 1000 R, and Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory, as these were never meant to be docile machines. That leaves us with a few options from all over the world.

The Triumph Speed Triple 1200 is unique in its own way, and a movie star to boot, but the T-plane crank might not be to everyone’s liking. A more traditional option will be the BMW S 1000 R. It can be calm when you want it to be, and it also has 170 horsepower at its disposal should you decide to wake it up.

However, the most logical alternative will have to be the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S. Ducati has made giant strides in recent years with its products, and they remain premium, but are infinitely easier to live with now. The Streetfighter V4 S has a great engine itself, with a counterrotating crankshaft, Desmodromic valvetrain, and ‘twin pulse’ firing order. It also has variable intake length funnels, which allow it to optimize torque and power across the rev range. However, you do have to pay a large premium over the Kawasaki.

Kawasaki Z H2 Vs Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

Source: Kawasaki USA