How fast does one need to sports “tour”? Kawasaki, it would seem, suggests you need 200-odd boosted horsepower via the H2 SX SE. If you’re anything of a power junkie, you will agree, because this bike shifts the earth beneath you like little else, and offers panniers and heated grips while you gasp for breath and try to see through the blurry world around you. If this is a taste of a mainstream supercharged motorcycle future, I’m for it!
It is a crazy idea, on paper, to create a sports tourer like the H2 SX SE from the supercharged, single-seater H2. Yes, the engine is “detuned” to a paltry 198hp [claimed], and has been made smoother and more responsive at the same time, but that’s still plenty of horses for something designed to take you long distances.
I don’t normally wear full leathers on a sports tourer, but they seemed about right for the velocity this thing incites you to taste, again and again. Power this smooth, this plentiful, is addictive. But it’s not just a super-fast two-wheeler, it has proper sports touring features, too – not just the ability to pass b-doubles at Warp Factor 9.
The numbers game
The frame, redesigned for the SX moniker, carries a remote preload adjuster, meaning you can add spring preload to suit a pillion or luggage or both. Also modified is the steering head angle [15mm further forward for stability], the engine tilted two degrees forward, and a stronger and longer subframe makes for a 195kg payload for two-up riding. The single-sided H2 swingarm is retained, but is 15mm longer and the overall wheelbase is 25mm longer.
All these changes are aimed at producing that big-bike feel Kawasaki does so well, such as the original mental sports tourer, the ZZ-R1100 and the current ZX-14R. There’s no making that acceleration feel normal, but the bike sits squat and solid in corners, no matter how quickly you plan to leave them.
The suspension is much more compliant than its angrier sibling, with the stability not impairing its ability to soak up road trauma and stay on line. It has a low-slung, squat feel to it, but none of the barge-like trends that often accompany such a feel.
It’s a good handler and importantly, up to the task of harnessing that throttle-inspired go-forward to track as stably as something accelerating at that pace can. There is plenty of electronic assistance, but the base chassis offers good mechanical stability and grip, which made me feel right at home on this bike, from the moment I got on it.
There is enough ground clearance for what it is, and the panniers aren’t there just for show – they fit stuff. They are on there solidly, too, a crucial factor with so much grunt on tap. Kawasaki reckons it tested the Givi/Kawasaki system on the Autobahn in Germany [imagine having that job…].
The same key for the ignition fits the panniers, too, which is excellent. I already have too many keys on my keyring. Customers can opt for colour-matched panels to suit the bike, though I prefer the standard black items as they are bound to get kicked as the pillion and rider climb on and off.
The screen is ample if you are okay tucking in, though it won’t help the pillion much as the pillion seat is much higher than the riding seat, so they are sitting in what can only be described as a cyclone. They do have good grab handles, but chances are an inexperienced pillion will be holding you. And screaming loudly.
Effortless power
That’s because the engine, with a quieter-than-I-expected supercharger, simply makes speed happen. I suspect the full fairings keeps the noise down, as well as the heat at bay, but things still happen incredibly quickly. Importantly, they also happen incredibly smoothly. It’s as if the entire bike is roller bearing mounted, it glides along, effortlessly making short work of the gaps between the corners, before sitting in the middle of corners like a regular sports tourer.
The throttle is particularly light and responsive, with small, sensitive movements resulting in small sensitive responses from the engine. If you are sitting on a genuinely long ride, you can thumb into the cruise control, too, though it is tempting to set it at 250km/h and see if you can hang on….
All that smoothness means it’s possible to properly crap yourself when you do get a glance at the speedo, because the bike feels so under stressed doing almost any speed, it’s hard to tell by feel which ballpark you are travelling in. Another case where the cruise control is handy, a real licence saver.
Which brings up my only real criticism of this bike: where do you use such a machine, for which its best feature is its mind-bending acceleration? In Australia, there are precious few places you can light its wick without fear of prosecution. That can be said of many bikes, of course, but this bike’s addictive rush of nose-flattening grunt simply overpowers your will to be “good”.
Luckily it’s not a one-trick pony, able as it is to impress you in other ways. Related to the engine, but not in a horsepower way, is the bi-directional quickshifter. It is excellent and simply keeps the smoothness feeling going. This is a big, powerful motorcycle that floats like a butterfly and stings like a wasp.
Display options
Another SE-only nicety is the TFT dash, with two display modes and clear and obvious visual representation of the different modes, of which there are plenty. I do question the addition of a cornering angle display, though. Chasing bigger numbers on that readout is a recipe for disaster – I’d be using the other display option…
A Bosch six-axis IMU talks to the ECU, which interprets how the Kawasaki Cornering Management Function delivers its goodness. That means the H2 SX pilot has cornering ABS, a three-mode traction control and wheel lift control [which chimes in pretty regularly on the gas!].
This is one of Kawasaki’s best-delivered systems and a welcome one with so much power on tap, for a bike that goes everywhere. You can also dumb the power down, with a 75 per cent ad 50 per cent power option, but honestly, if you run those options more often than not then you have bought the wrong bike. Otherwise, the electronics are subtle and kind to the rider.
The SE-only cornering headlights are also handy, even if only for getting home on a cold winter’s night. It’s funny how such simple tech has only just begun to catch on, Ducati’s Multistrada 1260 another to make it standard, but it honestly makes roiling into a leaf scattered, dark driveway so much easier – just because you can bloody see!
SEs also feature steel braided brake lines, machined wheel spokes with clear coat and a rear hub coupling with machined finish.
As a sports touring package, the Kawasaki’s biggest assets are its bountiful and seamless power delivery, its mid-corner manners and its nod to wind protection and useful storage with the panniers.
The build quality is at its Kawasaki best, which means deep paint, quality panel gaps and a feature set sure to appease the ache of a serious price tag. The retail price is $30,940 plus on-roads.
Summing up
The H2 SX SE is all part of Kawasaki’s plan to take supercharging to the masses, though obviously that price point is aimed higher than that. That isn’t a lean price tag, but the bike is something special and there is nothing else like it, in terms of propulsion. And propulsion is something it nails: it is the most addictive engine I have used in a while and that includes the Ducati V4S I tested recently [it doesn’t sound as good, though – nothing does].
The H2 SX SE is a crazy idea, done really, really well. It doesn’t just parade around its supercharged badge and not put any effort into doing anything else right [“I can handle like crap, and that’s alright, because I’m supercharged!”], it offers touring features on a bike that just happens to be able to almost out accelerate light.
Will pillion riders enjoy touring on this? It depends on the pilot, but if said pilot can’t help yanking its chain everywhere, then no – it’s hard enough to hold on with a set of handlebars in your fists. If there’s a proper agreement between rider and pillion, however, then yes, the hardware is there for enjoyable two-up rides: grab handles, a flat-ish seat and somewhere to put the overnight clothes.
If you don’t get the exhilaration-factor of an engine like this one, there are plenty of other sports tourers to select from, but only this one will create the kind of pub stories this supercharged monster will. Just keep an eye on that speedo – it will surprise you!
Specs: 2018 Kawasaki H2 SX SE
ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke in-line four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve Capacity: 998cc Bore x stroke: 76mm x 55mm Compression ratio: 11.2:1
PERFORMANCE Claimed maximum power: 197hp [147kW] at 11,000rpm Claimed maximum torque: 137Nm at 10,000rpm
TRANSMISSION Type: Six speed Final drive: Chain Clutch: Wet, multiplate, slipper assist
CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR Frame: Trellis high-tensile steel frame, swingarm mounting plate Front suspension: 43mm upside-down fork, fully adjustable, 120mm travel Rear suspension: Uni-Trak gas-charged shock with piggyback reservoir, fully adjustable, 139mm travel
What is the difference between H2 SX and H2 SX SE?
In terms of features, the LED headlights and the instrument cluster are carried over from the H2. Other features include cruise control and cornering-based electronic aids. On the contrary, the H2 SX SE features a full-colour TFT display, LED cornering lights, launch control and a bi-directional quick shifter.
How fast is the Ninja H2 SX SE?
Performance.
Is Ninja H2 SX comfortable?
H2 SX features the windscreen has also received a slight redesign and now sits more upright for better wind deflection. Further affirming its touring traits, the clip-on handlebars are positioned higher while the footpegs have been pushed slightly forward for a comfortable riding posture.
Is there a recall on Kawasaki H2 SX SE?
Kawasaki has just issued a recall that effects a speed display that resets mid-ride – and apparently it affects 100% of all 2022 Ninja H2 SX / SE models produced between October of last year and February of this year.