When launched three years ago, the H2 was an elegant artwork of supreme violence making 207 hp, more power than any of the superbikes in competition then. Then came the rest of the chaps who caught on with the horsepower war, with the most recent Ducati V4 making 215 hp. But it looks like the Japanese Green team didn’t like losing this race yet.

So for 2019, they have bumped up their 998cc supercharged motor to produce a lathering 230 hp, and the non-street-legal H2R will be making a mind-boggling 300 hp at the crank! It will also come with a self-healing paintjob, new brake calipers, tires, TFT instrumentation and a new Bluetooth connectivity app.

STYLING

Only Kawasaki’s breed of imaginative designers could have turned a blank design canvas into the H2. That design, even though is more than a couple of years old, still manages to shock and awe every brain in that skull of mine. All due to be given for its signature silver mirror paint job and sci-fi looks, to its electric green trellis frame and Ninja star wheels.

Looks are unlike any other Ninja as the H2 panels are coated in a solution of silver ions that forms a pure silver layer giving the bike a dark and moody yet highly reflective image when standing in the sun. But as night falls, it plays tricks on your eyes; almost like a stealth bomber for the road. For the 2019 edition, it gets “self-repairing” tech that can vanish minor scratches and bumps off the surface with the help of just a little heat.

But that paint only “allows certain types of scratches to repair themselves” and not ones made by a coin or key, or zip fasteners says Kawasaki. Also new for 2019 are wheel pinstripes, a new “Supercharged” emblem with red accents and new LED turn signals and an LED license plate lamp.

Still catching from every angle of your eye is the bright green skeletal trellis frame, a piece of art defining the shape of the bike’s midriff. Welding on this is a match to none, and if you are into that sort of a thing, this is the epitome. The ‘Carbon edition’ gets every raceboy’s favorite carbon panel feature limited only to the front fairings. And the paint job dons the matte black finish. This is a limited edition of just 120 units, and each will carry its unique reference number on a plaque on the supercharger plate.

Coming to the fairings, they have major aero touches including the rearview mirrors to assist high-speed stability and downforce. And one cannot mistake the giant air intake surrounding the mono headlight projector reminding every one of the devouring spooling by the custom designed supercharger.

The LCD instrumentation is now swapped with a new TFT instrumentation we saw on the H2 SX SE. The screen gets four selectable display modes and adjusts brightness automatically based on the ambient light. All of it is accessible via hand control switches on the bar. Then there is the all-new Smartphone Connectivity - an app that can give you access to vehicle information, riding records, notifications and vehicle setting all transmitted via Bluetooth.

Overall Dimension

POWERTRAIN

Even after four years since its debut, it is still the only thing to roll out of a major factory with forced induction. Co-developed by Kawasaki’s motorcycle and aerospace division, this ‘world’s only’ supercharged hyper sports motorcycle now gets a more powerful 998cc motor, thanks to a new air filter, intake chamber and spark plugs.

This, along with better ECU mapping, puts the power rating to a massive 230 hp. The acceleration on this new Ninja H2 will put every purist into a realm of more content and less bitter. But surprisingly, this new engine maintains similar fuel efficiency as the previous models with the help of the “Balanced Supercharged technology” we saw in the Ninja H2 SX. Variable intake vanes and all to alter the airflow into the supercharger. It is also 6.6 lbs less than the previous H2/H2R engine.

The transmission has a 6-speed dog ring system found on MotoGP bikes with a quickshifter. The updated model will feature an Assist and Slipper clutch that allows the clutch lever to be lighter and assist in downshifting and preventing wheel lock. To meet Euro IV emissions, the exhaust system is revised but that does not take away any of the vibrations found in places of hell.

Engine Specification

RIDE AND HANDLING

Riding this Ninja is an intimidating experience. That is because of the fairly hefty bulk it lugs around for which one has to pull every muscle strength to heave this around corners. In simple terms, if you want to chase the stopwatch on a track, this isn’t the weapon of choice. That being said, once you have trained those reflexes, the fun and thrill keep getting a notch higher every time you urge to twist that throttle. You might feel the chassis flex lightly due to the compressed shock, but eventually, the feedback you get gives you the confidence to keep pushing harder.

Electronic rider aids include the advanced 6-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) system, updated KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control) and KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking System) that hopefully prevents you getting dangerously out of control. A 3 step KLCM (Kawasaki Launch Control Mode) will prevent wheel spin and minimize wheelies off the line. The quick shifter is now also enabled as an auto-blipper for coming seamlessly back down through the gearbox.

Also blessing this time is the Genuine Accessories kit that allows riders to get the right riding position and an updated instrumentation that comprises of bank angle display, max bank angle recording function and boost indicator as an added feature. To add a little more control and bling, the H2 gets Ohlins TTX shock offering more support and ride quality with 22 adjustment settings for every breed of riders. Updated linkage ratios apparently also improve its track manners.

Dual semi-floating 330 mm Brembo discs now get new high-grade Brembo Stylema front calipers and comes equipped with KIBS ABS. Acknowledging this frame is a short wheelbase setup with the Ninja-star rear wheel on its single-sided swingarm that adores new Bridgestone Battlax RS11 Sport Tires contribute to improved handling on the 2019 H2.

Chassis Specifications

PRICE

Pricing and availability of the 2019 Ninja H2 and H2 Carbon will be out soon. The previous model would have cost you $28,000 for the Standard H2, while the H2 Carbon would come with a $31,000 price tag.

The 2019 Ninja H2 is available in Mirror Coated Spark Black, while the 2019 Ninja H2 Carbon is offered in Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black / Golden Blazed Green with its clear coated raw carbon fiber fairing on display.

COMPETITION

Ducatai Panigale V4 S

Christened as the Panigale V4, Ducati calls it the ‘new symphony of all Italian performance and emotion.’ Powering this will be the brand’s most technologically sophisticated and compact power-plant ever created that is believed to annihilate anything in the liter class superbike segment. The crazy new ‘Desmosedici Stradale’ 1103cc plant screams at the top of its voice at 14000 rpm and pumps out a mighty 214 hp at 13000 rpm. Add the all-titanium Akrapovič racing exhaust, and you can boost the power to 226 hp.

Coming to electronics, the V4 is graduated to an even higher degree of wizardry, again gaining from the Ducati Corse touch. Debuting here are the controlled drift during braking and ABS Cornering. Other packages included three new Riding Modes, Traction Control, Slide Control, Wheelie Control, Power Launch, Quick Shift up/down, Engine Brake Control and Electronic Suspension.

Controlling the rise and fall from the massive acceleration and baking will be the 43mm Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF) at the front and fully adjustable Sachs shock at the rear. A Sachs steering damper completes the front-end package. New lightweight Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers are the evolution of the M50 and handle the decelerations pretty well. The new 5" full-TFT dashboard comes with the Ducati Multimedia System.

Aprilia RSV4 RF LE

Called as the Aprilia RSV4 RF LE (RF Limited Edition), the carbon fiber winglets on this will change the way future superbikes will look like. Underpinned by the legendary RSV4 architecture, the new machine will be a limited edition affair of just 125 units, and all of them are heading to North America.

The special livery seen here is a salute to the first world championship win in 1987 by Loris Reggiani on his AF1 250GP, which is also on the current MotoGP RS-GP prototypes. You also get the “Limited Edition” logo and the unit number laser inscribed on the steering yolk plate, and forged aluminum rims come as a standard option. The color TFT instrumentation tethered to the advanced V4-MP multimedia platform transforms your smartphone into a semi-professional “virtual” dashboard instrumentation.

The Limited Edition affair will be underpinned by the same potent four stroke, liquid cooled, V-4, 999.6cc engine with its 65° angle between the banks that made an exceptional chassis architecture to work around with. The 4-stroke, liquid-cooled mill prances with a whopping 201 hp at an exhilarating 13,000 rpm and peaks the torque map at 82.8 lb-ft coming at 10,500 rpm. This four-cylinder mill comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox, which gets the assistance of Aprilia Quick Shift Electronic System (AQS) and a slipper clutch mechanism.

The RSV4 RF receives an Aluminium dual beam chassis, Ohlins NIX forks and TIX shocks and an adjustable steering damper, Monoblock M50 Brembo units with “Race ABS” Bosch 9MP adjustable to 3 map settings. Rear wheel Lift-up Mitigation, Traction Control, Wheelie Control, Launch Control, cruise control and speed limiter, all of which can be configured and deactivated independently suitable to the three riding maps: Track, Sport and Race.

VERDICT

BMW had given the world’s first supercharged motorcycle in the ’30s that was christened as the BMW Type 255 Kompressor, and it had a Zoller sliding vane supercharger bolted to the front of the DOHC boxer twin power mill. Many turbocharged motorcycles came in between but nothing set the world running crazy as the feisty Kawasaki Ninja H2, Carbon and the H2R did.

With the 2019 edition turning the heat all the way up, it has once again left the competition high and dry. When it lands in October, its 230 hp hyper sports motor will be the most powerful street legal and street capable liter-class machine ever to come out of a major manufacturer. With the addition of the Brembo Stylema front calipers, a redesigned supercharged emblem, and Kawasaki’s Highly Durable Paint, it becomes even more exclusive for the rest to catch on.

It sounds amazing, and it is the fastest accelerating thing on 2 wheels in production. And that is why you should be bonkers enough to buy it and take a grim from everyone passing by. What a time to live in!