Playing power games
Can 197bhp make sense on the road? Our man goes in search answers
I can remember the day I found out that the Kawasaki Z H2 was going to be my longterm test bike, I couldn’t help feeling a little bit of trepidation. I had watched footage of the launch of the H2R in Qatar back in 2015, with it on full tilt and the sound of the supercharger’s waste gate dumping any unwanted pressure.
I never got to have a go on the 310bhp R, so could only imagine what the Z H2 was going to be like. Even though it’s 113bhp down on the Z H2 R, 197bhp was never going to disappoint. My anxiety about this bike soon melted away on the first rideout, as the Z H2 is such a well-mannered machine, but the darker, more brutal side was available with a quick twist of the throttle.
The past 10 months living with the Z H2 actually proved that the bike was much more versatile than I had first thought. Kawasaki had very cleverly built a bike that would be happy bumbling around on back roads, allowing time to take in the views, or going warp factor 10 giving you the ride of your life. The only thing with going quick was that I soon found myself having to replace the 19 litres of fuel it had inhaled.
It was a shame Covid put the kybosh on travelling further afield. I only managed trips away on the Z H2 that ran into the 100s of miles instead of into the 1000s. The addition of the larger (but still very small compared to some) screen really helped when I wanted to get a few miles under my belt, the idea of a naked bike on a motorway makes my neck ache thinking just about it. But it was surprising the amount of pressure was reduced by the addition of this small-butperfectly-formed screen.
On my trips I managed to stow a fair amount of kit on the back of the bike with the aid of my 48 litre SW-Motech Legend tail bag (£263.45). Putting luggage on a bike like this can be a real pain, but this tail bag is a joy to fit and doesn’t move around.
In 2800 miles I have to say the electronics on this bike made the riding experience an absolute pleasure, with almost seamless intervention to keep the front wheel on the ground and the back end from stepping out. My only regret is that I never got round to trying out the launch control, oh and giving it back!