A MAGICAL MONSTER BOTH QUIET AND POWERFUL
... And somewhere around 3,500 rpm, it transitions to decidedly muscular
I remember vividly my introduction to Kawasaki’s supercharged H2. It was only a video, but it was positively frightening. Five-time World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu is doing a rolling burnout somewhere in downtown Turkey, revving the snot out of his H2R.
Now it’s not just what he’s doing, but also the fact he’s wearing what look like penny loafers and capri pants. Does Abercrombie and Fitch sell capri pants in the Middle East? It’s not even that he’s spinning up the rear tire — while simultaneously dragging the front Brembos — in what appears to be late-night weekend traffic. From the looks of things, he does crazy things on a regular basis. Just the month before, he hit 400 kilometres an hour on the Osman Gazi bridge (that time he wasn’t wearing loafers, however).
What got my attention is that the H2R’S open exhaust pipe literally is spitting flames. Bright blue licks, as if what passes for a muffler on an H2R had turned into an oxyacetylene torch. And believe it or not, that wasn’t even the scariest part. No, what mesmerized me was that the entire exhaust system — headers and collector — were burning cherry red. Not mildly warm, but full-on red.
I’ve seen this sort of thing on dynos before, the combination of incredible load and not enough cooling air threatening to anneal exhaust pipes. But on a street bike? Never. What sort of animal is this thing? Stay away, my then 60-year-old flight-tosafety instinct said.
Yet here I am, four years later, ready to nominate the Z H2 — in its “only” 197-horsepower guise, not the 310-hp H2R — as the best motorcycle engine of the past 10 years. And it’s not just because of all that power. It’s also so damned civilized.
It idles like a pussycat, would pass any noise test on the planet, and is clean enough to meet the frightfully stringent Euro 5 emissions standard. And not once during my week aboard did it spit any flames on unsuspecting passersby. In fact, the 998-cc four is so well mannered that, were it not supercharged, it would still be the best engine Kawasaki makes.
Of course, it is supercharged and it pumps out 197 horses and something like 101 pound-feet of torque, Kawasaki says. Even at those numbers, it is probably underrated. Under the not-sogentle ministrations of Matthew Mcbride of Riders Choice, the Z H2 dyno’d out at 182 hp and just a tad under 100 pound-feet of torque. Because motorcycles typically lose 15 per cent of their power between the crankshaft (where motorcycle manufacturers measure power) and the rear wheel (where Riders Choice’s Bazzaz dynamometer takes its reading), either the Z H2 is incredibly efficient or Kawasaki is hiding something.
So what’s it like to ride a motorcycle with 197 supercharged horsepower? Kind of disconcerting, actually. Not in the ‘Oh My God!’ way it accelerates, but rather in the nonchalance with which it generates those OMG speeds. Like I said, the darned thing is so civilized it feels easygoing. It’s sort of like Clark Kent when he’s transforming into Superman; it’s shocking how quickly milquetoast is transformed into superhero.
If you’re a biker, you know there are a few other bikes that pump out about the same power as the Z H2. But they’re all high-revving superbikes, a compendium of high-revving skittishness and twitchy power bands. Not the H2. By 2,000 rpm, the Z H2’s big four already feels healthy. Somewhere around 3,500 rpm, it transitions to decidedly muscular. And by five grand, it’s seriously steroidal.
Indeed, was it not for the fact that the top end is so silly, one might label its 998-cc as torquey. You know, like a Harley. Only somewhere around 6,000 rpm, it begins feeling like you’re trying to hold on to Superman’s cape.
This is all made worse — or better, depending on your view — by the Z’s relatively high handlebar, which makes it decidedly hard to keep the front wheel on the ground. The Z is, of course, a naked bike, and wheelies are intended to be in its portfolio. Those looking for fifth-gear wheelies — your bike has arrived. Roll on the throttle, the bike points skyward.
Riding the Z H2 is to know almost Motogp silliness mated with Harley-davidson gruntiness. It truly is a marvel of internal combustion.
As for the rest of the bike, well, it’s a classic Kawi naked. The brakes are decent, the suspension more than a little stiff (the rear especially) and the seat way firmer than it needs to be. Nothing a little suspension tweaking and a few hundred bucks tossed at Luimoto (Canada’s leading motorcycle seat upholsterer) can’t fix.
Even with those foibles, it’s still a magical monster. And the best motor in motorcycling.