Kawasaki H2

[TheBear]

So the H2 accelerates faster than the Hayabusa? This is what I wanted to know, bacause if the H2 were not faster than the Hayabusa, then where would it be better?

Is your measure then acceleration speed alone?

[2-Stroke]

So the H2 accelerates faster than the Hayabusa? This is what I wanted to know, bacause if the H2 were not faster than the Hayabusa, then where would it be better?

Yes, and faster than the ZX-14R, which many people preferred to the Hayabusa. What I will say is that I wish they had offered slightly more comfort to the H2, although then it would tread on the toes of the 14, and I imagine Kawasaki want to avoid that.

[Rough Rider]

I think that everybody is missing the point of this bike, or should I say the engine. This may well be the start of a new evolution in bike engine design. Can you imagine a 250 twin producing the same performance as a 600 supersport engine, or 150 matching a 450 MX engine? The size and the weight of these will be significantly less than their counterparts.

[subie]

There can only be one (in my heart)   

[mox]

 

[2StrokeDan]

So the H2 accelerates faster than the Hayabusa? This is what I wanted to know, bacause if the H2 were not faster than the Hayabusa, then where would it be better?

Yes, and faster than the ZX-14R, which many people preferred to the Hayabusa. What I will say is that I wish they had offered slightly more comfort to the H2, although then it would tread on the toes of the 14, and I imagine Kawasaki want to avoid that.

Thank you for a decent answer, and this is my point; theH2 does not seem to be a significant upgrade on the ZX14 as a sport-tourer, in fact you reckon it lacks comfort.
Neither does it handle with the ZX10/R1 etc.
So, except for a "production SC" , which has been fitted to private bikes 100's of times, does it really offer anything to make it an significant upward move?

The only plus would be if they start SC'ing smaller capacity engines. I really do not think the 1000cc fours need it so much.

[TheBear]

The only plus would be if they start SC'ing smaller capacity engines. I really do not think the 1000cc fours need it so much.

Why did you ignore this discussion a few pages back in this thread?  It could have been interesting with your input as well.

[2-Stroke]

So the H2 accelerates faster than the Hayabusa? This is what I wanted to know, bacause if the H2 were not faster than the Hayabusa, then where would it be better?

Yes, and faster than the ZX-14R, which many people preferred to the Hayabusa. What I will say is that I wish they had offered slightly more comfort to the H2, although then it would tread on the toes of the 14, and I imagine Kawasaki want to avoid that.

Thank you for a decent answer, and this is my point; theH2 does not seem to be a significant upgrade on the ZX14 as a sport-tourer, in fact you reckon it lacks comfort.
Neither does it handle with the ZX10/R1 etc.
So, except for a "production SC" , which has been fitted to private bikes 100's of times, does it really offer anything to make it an significant upward move?

The only plus would be if they start SC'ing smaller capacity engines. I really do not think the 1000cc fours need it so much.

I remember opening the throttle on the Hayabusa in top gear at the speed limit, and it felt good.

It felt nothing like the H2 though.

[Tom van Brits]

What would one call a 'petrol head' in biking terms?
Petrol head is commonly used in the automotive industry
What ever you call a 'biking petrol head', you will know if you are one
Then a bike like the H2 makes sense....otherwise I am afraid you will not get it
It is in the heart

[TheBear]

What would one call a 'petrol head' in biking terms?
Petrol head is commonly used in the automotive industry
What ever you call a 'biking petrol head', you will know if you are one
Then a bike like the H2 makes sense....otherwise I am afraid you will not get it
It is in the heart

Well said.  It is like I said earlier,  you cannot explain it.  It just is.

[subie]

So the H2 accelerates faster than the Hayabusa? This is what I wanted to know, bacause if the H2 were not faster than the Hayabusa, then where would it be better?

Yes, and faster than the ZX-14R, which many people preferred to the Hayabusa. What I will say is that I wish they had offered slightly more comfort to the H2, although then it would tread on the toes of the 14, and I imagine Kawasaki want to avoid that.

Thank you for a decent answer, and this is my point; theH2 does not seem to be a significant upgrade on the ZX14 as a sport-tourer, in fact you reckon it lacks comfort.
Neither does it handle with the ZX10/R1 etc.
So, except for a "production SC" , which has been fitted to private bikes 100's of times, does it really offer anything to make it an significant upward move?

The only plus would be if they start SC'ing smaller capacity engines. I really do not think the 1000cc fours need it so much.

I remember opening the throttle on the Hayabusa in top gear at the speed limit, and it felt good.

It felt nothing like the H2 though.

Nou het jy my sommer klaar bang gepraat 

[2StrokeDan]

What would one call a 'petrol head' in biking terms?
Petrol head is commonly used in the automotive industry
What ever you call a 'biking petrol head', you will know if you are one
Then a bike like the H2 makes sense....otherwise I am afraid you will not get it
It is in the heart

Lots of bikers hate 2strokes. Do they not get it?

Inthe end it's actually all in the head.

[Ganjora]

What would one call a 'petrol head' in biking terms?
Petrol head is commonly used in the automotive industry
What ever you call a 'biking petrol head', you will know if you are one
Then a bike like the H2 makes sense....otherwise I am afraid you will not get it
It is in the heart

Lots of bikers hate 2strokes. Do they not get it?

Inthe end it's actually all in the head.

Oom Danie,
both you and hillman are wrong.
it is felt in the testicles.
it took my new to me XRR for a blast today,  whilst buying house upgrades for my wife, and my testicles are still buzzing.
if the wife cooks a hot dinner,  and serves a few more zamaleks, she may still get lucky....

[zacapa]

A BMW GS1200 HP2 Enduro also accelerates faster 0-100 than a Hayabusa 

[Bensien]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

[2StrokeDan]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

Precisely my thoughts, really great bike, but not one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Such machines are few and far between, and I can think of Suzuki T500,
Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha RD350, Suzuki GSX-R 750 "pre-sling". These were all a huge step forward.

[2-Stroke]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

Precisely my thoughts, really great bike, but not one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Such machines are few and far between, and I can think of Suzuki T500,
Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha RD350, Suzuki GSX-R 750 "pre-sling". These were all a huge step forward.

The original CB750 wasn't a huge step at the time. It was outpaced and out handled by many of the Italian and British models, yet it led to what we now know as the superbike.

Instead of calling the H2 a huge step forward, shall we rather say that it is, hopefully, the beginning of something big? I see that the CEO of Ducati says that the company is already looking into the supercharged or electric turbo option for future models, and I can imagine that many of the other manufacturers are doing the same.

In years from now, we will look back and say that it all started with the H2.

[Tom van Brits]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

Precisely my thoughts, really great bike, but not one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Such machines are few and far between, and I can think of Suzuki T500,
Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha RD350, Suzuki GSX-R 750 "pre-sling". These were all a huge step forward.

The original CB750 wasn't a huge step at the time. It was outpaced and out handled by many of the Italian and British models, yet it led to what we now know as the superbike.

Instead of calling the H2 a huge step forward, shall we rather say that it is, hopefully, the beginning of something big? I see that the CEO of Ducati says that the company is already looking into the supercharged or electric turbo option for future models, and I can imagine that many of the other manufacturers are doing the same.

In years from now, we will look back and say that it all started with the H2.

Yes, just as we now look back and refer to some beasts of the past like the two stroke GP bike era, the various trip two stroke bikes and even the legend RD350 - we thought back then it can't really get any better......and it did get better, a lot!

The H2 sure is in the spotlight weather you like it or not

[2StrokeDan]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

Precisely my thoughts, really great bike, but not one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Such machines are few and far between, and I can think of Suzuki T500,
Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha RD350, Suzuki GSX-R 750 "pre-sling". These were all a huge step forward.

The original CB750 wasn't a huge step at the time. It was outpaced and out handled by many of the Italian and British models, yet it led to what we now know as the superbike.

Instead of calling the H2 a huge step forward, shall we rather say that it is, hopefully, the beginning of something big? I see that the CEO of Ducati says that the company is already looking into the supercharged or electric turbo option for future models, and I can imagine that many of the other manufacturers are doing the same.

In years from now, we will look back and say that it all started with the H2.

Yes, just as we now look back and refer to some beasts of the past like the two stroke GP bike era, the various trip two stroke bikes and even the legend RD350 - we thought back then it can't really get any better......and it did get better, a lot!

The H2 sure is in the spotlight weather you like it or not

As a big Kawasaki man I like it, I like it a lot!

[2StrokeDan]

If you disregard the hype,the H2 is an excellent bike. It is not the fat pig some people claim it to be. It only weighs about 212 kg without fuel and from reports it handles very well. It also has class leading performance and fresh, original styling.

Unfortunately it does not measure up to the hype. There is nothing new or ground breaking about it. All the technology has been applied before and while the performance is class leading, it does not put it in another class altogether. The same or better can be achieved for less money and with a lot less complexity.

If this bike is the beginning of a new wave, one would be foolish to pay the very high asking price .  If the others manufacturers respond, it will soon be eclipsed. For a forced induction 1000cc bike, it does not set the bar very high.

And the H2R does not make any sense. It can't be used on the road and is not eligible for any racing class. For much less money you could also build a turbo Busa or ZX14 with double the horsepower.

Precisely my thoughts, really great bike, but not one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Such machines are few and far between, and I can think of Suzuki T500,
Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha RD350, Suzuki GSX-R 750 "pre-sling". These were all a huge step forward.

The original CB750 wasn't a huge step at the time. It was outpaced and out handled by many of the Italian and British models, yet it led to what we now know as the superbike.

Instead of calling the H2 a huge step forward, shall we rather say that it is, hopefully, the beginning of something big? I see that the CEO of Ducati says that the company is already looking into the supercharged or electric turbo option for future models, and I can imagine that many of the other manufacturers are doing the same.

In years from now, we will look back and say that it all started with the H2.

The CB750 was indeed not ahead because of it]s performance or handling, but in the way it sanitised motorcycling. Reliable electrics, smooth engine with zero oil leaks.