VOLUME 57 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 25, 2020 P91
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
2020 KAWASAKI Z H2 ($17,000)
ENGINE: .........Liquid-cooled, supercharged,
four-stroke, four-cylinder
DISPLACEMENT: .................................. 998cc
BORE X STROKE: ........................ 76 x 55mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: .......................... 11.2:1
POWER: ................................................197 hp
TORQUE: .............................................101 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: ............... 6-speed, dog-ring
CLUTCH: .................. Wet multi-disc, manual
CHASSIS: ............... Trellis, high-tensile steel
FRONT SUSPENSION: .......Showa SFF-BP Fork
with adjustable compression and rebound
damping, spring preload adjustability
REAR SUSPENSION: ........................ Uni-Trak,
Showa gas-charged shock with adjust-
able compression and rebound damping,
preload adjustability
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ........................4.7 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ......................... 5.3 in.
FRONT BRAKE: .. Dual semi-floating 320mm
discs w/radial-mount Brembo M4.32
4-piston calipers
REAR BRAKE: .... 260mm disc with 2-piston
caliper
FRONT TIRE: ............ Pirelli Diablo Rosso III,
120/70 R17
REAR TIRE: ............... Pirelli Diablo Rosso III,
190/55 R17
STEERING HEAD ANGLE: ........................65.1°
WHEELBASE: .......................................57.3 in.
SEAT HEIGHT: .................................... 32.7 in.
FUEL CAPACITY: ................................ 5.0 gal.
WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED): ............. 527 lbs.
COLOR: ........ Metallic Diablo Black/Metallic
Graphite Gray/Mirror Coated Spark Black
taneously a bit bland and a bit ugly for a flagship
bike that Kawasaki says they want to steal busi-
ness from the Europeans with. Team Green's
trademark Sugomi styling doesn't work for me
here, and the U.S. only gets one colorway option:
a green frame with varying shades of grey/black
bodywork. The rear looks much better than the
front—good thing that's what most people will be
seeing when you're on the boost, anyway.
Besides, you won't be worried about the style
when you're behind the bars. You'll be too busy
admiring how well the Z H2 works. With the
Streetfighter V4, 1290 Super Duke R, and even
the MV Agusta Brutale 1000, 2020 is going to be
a very good year for people that like to go fast on
naked bikes. But only one of them has a super-
charger. CN
