Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1372981
P102 QUICKSPIN I 2021 KAWASAKI Z H2 SE charged 998cc inline four-cylinder motor is utter insanity. It's so damn fast it beyond belief, and it was the ferocity of the motor which put the microscope on the chassis and suspension in the first place. As mentioned, you have four modes at your disposal to help soften or increase the punch from the motor, but you can dress it however you want—you can't hide the fact this engine is on the very edge of what is acceptable in modern riding. It's not particu- larly docile at low revs, either. It feels like it's always wanting to go, always waiting for you to crack open the throttle, get the super- charger impellor spinning up and unleash tons of arm-twisting torque to the rear tire. Accompanied by the spooky sound of the supercharger, the ride is unlike anything else on the road today. There are mod-cons like a quickshifter, cruise control and ABS, mated to excellent Brembo Stylema calipers and a halfway decent master-cylinder so you can feel everything at its most needed, but this is without doubt the motorcycle incarnation of a heavyweight UFC fighter in a tank top at the beach. Ready to party and ready to fight in the same sentence. The cockpit position for my 6'1" frame is a touch on the cramped side as I feel the handlebar is too narrow and too close for attack-stance naked-bike riding, although to be honest, it's not that bad. It's certainly something you don't notice as much as the adrenaline of trying to hang onto the thing. Kawasaki's Z H2 is probably the gnarli- est a company will make a naked bike. It's barely on the side of sensible, barely, and for that, Kawasaki needs to be congratu- lated. It's not overly practical (we got 22 mpg out of it on our test), nor is it going to win any beauty pageants, but the ride is undeniably engaging, and one that keeps us coming back for more. CN 2021 KAWASAKI Z H2 SE ($19,700) ENGINE Supercharged, 4-stroke, inline 4-cylinder DISPLACEMENT 998cc BORE X STROKE 76 x 55mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.2:1 POWER 197 hp (rpm not quoted) TORQUE 101 lb-ft (rpm not quoted) COOLING SYSTEM Liquid TRANSMISSION 6-speed, Dog-Ring CLUTCH Wet multi-disc, manual CHASSIS Trellis, high-tensile steel FRONT SUSPENSION Showa SFF-CA fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION BFRC Lite shock, fully adjustable FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL 4.7 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL 5.3 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual semi-floating 320mm discs w/radial-mount Brembo Stylema 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 (WET, MEASURED) 534 lbs. COLOR Gilden Blazed Green/Metallic Diablo Black S P E C I F I C AT I O N S