despite the Z also coming with
the Kawasaki/Showa electronic
suspension. As you can imag-
ine, I didn't venture back in the
medium power mode after that
first month.
There's such a spread of
torque on offer with this super-
charger that it makes nearly
every imaginable form of riding
easy. A simple cruise to the
shops where the revs never
leave 3000 rpm is just as plea-
surable as hitting up Palomar
Mountain near San Diego and
winding the green meanie out.
Kawasaki has clearly fixed the
gatling gun-like throttle response
issues that plagued the first gen-
eration of supercharged motors
up to your standard. This will be
especially useful if you're riding
two-up with full luggage, as the
base settings might max out by
the time you load everything up.
I rode in the medium power
level for the best part of a
month, happy to leave a little in
terms of absolute power on the
table. However, stick the H2
motor into the full power mode
and the SE + really comes alive.
Although the power units are
identical between the Z H2 SE
and the SX SE +, the SX SE +'s
application of propulsion when
in the highest setting is not as
abrupt as the Z's. Drive seems
to come in smoother and the
chassis seems more planted,
bike ego intact. From the com-
pany that brought you bikes like
the ZX-10RR, the H2 SX SE +'s
raised clip-ons, rubber-lined foot-
pegs and super-wide rider and
passenger seat give it a couchy
feel for long-distance touring, one
you can make as soft or as hard
as you like when you delve into
the electronic suspension modes
for the Kawasaki Electronic Con-
trol Suspension (KECS).
As most of my riding during
my tenure was done solo, I used
the Sport setting for the major-
ity of the rides, although you
can delve into the Rider mode
and make manual setting adjust-
ments yourself in case you feel
the programmed settings are not
RIDE REVIEW I 2021 KAWASAKI H2 SX SE +
P100
Your peripherals liquify pretty quick on an H2.
