2024 Kawasaki H2R ABS

To say that the motorcycling world was blown away (pun intended) by Kawasaki’s audacious release of its supercharged hypersport Ninja H2R back in 2015 is a bit of an understatement. For a Japanese Big Four manufacturer to build a limited-production, very expensive hypersport bike that produces around 300 hp—and is not street-legal to boot—was a very bold move. That the Ninja H2R is now in its ninth year of production (albeit hand-built to order by specialized personnel at the Kawasaki factory) shows that the concept continues to have merit.

Granted, the Ninja H2R is no ordinary high-end hypersport motorcycle. Utilizing the extensive compressor turbine technical knowledge from parent company KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, whose aerospace division designs and manufactures the compressor turbine blades used in most commercial airline jet engines), Kawasaki fit a centrifugal supercharger unit to the 998cc inline-four that is efficient enough to not require a bulky and heavy intercooler to cool the pressurized intake charge. Helping put that power to the ground is a six-speed transmission featuring a MotoGP-inspired dog-ring design (utilizing lighter and smaller dog engagement rings instead of gears for quicker and easier shifting) along with a powerful Kawasaki-built software rider electronics suite using a five-axis IMU to monitor and control the immense performance potential.

A trellis-type tubular steel chassis saves space and allows for better engine cooling, with Kawasaki’s first-ever single-sided swingarm transmitting power through a big 190/65ZR-17 Bridgestone V01R rear slick (remember, the H2R is not street-legal, so no DOT tires required…). Suspension is handled by Kayaba’s latest 43mm AOS II fork, with a fully adjustable Öhlins TTX 36 shock with remote spring preload adjuster out back. Huge 330mm discs and Brembo’s Stylema Monoblock four-piston calipers up front and a single 250mm rear disc and two-piston caliper handle bleeding off the tremendous speed generated by the forced induction powerplant.

Long before aerodynamic appendages appeared on other production sportbikes, the Ninja H2R was the first to feature separate downforce winglet assemblies on each side of the three-quarter fairing, along with larger winglets where mirror stalks would normally be on a street-legal machine. And the Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black paint that uses a chemical reaction process to create a layer of pure silver for its deep reflective properties also has a “self-healing” feature that allows it to fill in minor scratches by itself over time.

Like its street-legal H2 brother, the Ninja H2R requires an order accompanied by a nonrefundable deposit during a specific order period each year.

The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja H2R ABS is available in Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black for $58,100.