How Kawasaki made the First Hyperbike
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Today we're looking at the development of the ridiculous Kawasaki Ninja H2R and H2
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⋆No one dares to challenge ZX-14R⋆
-Kawasaki: ''Fine. I'll do it myself.''
Hayabusa still better than ZX-14R imo
How though? @@eirikaustad7580
@@eirikaustad7580 Nope, ZX14R stock quartermile king still after all these years, and WAY better to ride in the twisties than the top heavy Busa. Busa is a good bike, but ZX14R is better.
@@Omnificuser
When I wrote my comment I didn't care specifically about performance and more about which bike is better, and I also think most people agree with me. Hayabusa is better both for long distance trips, and if you care a lot about speed then modify both bikes and the Hayabusa is the best performance wise once more 9 times out of 10. There is just so much more development and knowledge with the Hayabusa platform so it's rare to find a faster ZX-14R.
Kawasaki also somehow managed to make a way uglier motorcycle than the Hayabusa, and while the performance may be better they have left it to rot for ages where as the Hayabusa now has a Gen 3 which actually looks kind of nice and has all the modern amenities and even though it has less horsepower than the other generations according to Suzuki's launch video it is also slightly faster. Still doesn't beat a ZX-14R in speed but at least it ain't slower.
@@eirikaustad7580for a purely riders bike Honda has both beat the cbr1100xx started the battle and still rides better is more reliable and looks 10x better than both
It is hard to imagine that the H2 will ever be profitable nor that the company had any illusions that it would. I surmise that it is primarily a showcase for Kawasaki’s technological prowess. It is also a limited production example of industrial design, a work of art way beyond the capacity of custom bike shops. Reminds me of Ford’s “cost be damned” development of the GT40. I cannot think of anything comparable in the last five decades.
Kawasaki doesn't need the money they make from their bikes. They get their funds from their heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment and ships.
Kawasaki makes bikes because they want to, not because they need to.
@justultrra3568 much like redbull sposoring extreme sports and race teams, kawasaki does the same for brand recognition I guess. The big 4 make their true money on smaller displacement motorcycles anyway.
This is just good old fashioned Japanese bike wars folks.
Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki
Have been fighting for street bike supremacy for well over 50 years.
This is the reason why Japanese Bikes are the best on the planet, and have been for along time.
Bugatti Veyron's didn't make the Volkswagen Group any money. And oddly, they revived the Bugatti name when they had current sport car Brands.
Someone else said Bugatti, but from the same group, the Phaeton, the Clio V6 from Renault, and many others. I think Rivian still loses money on some models for example.
Honda always reminds me of your granddad: Reliable, always there for you, a real steady -Eddie
Kawasaki is like your alcoholic uncle. Sure, he's got his issues, but you always know fun is guaranteed in his company...
Suzuki = your friends with old looking fashion and weird but speed maniac riders
Yamaha = a person who plays a guitar while riding the motorcycle....
Lmao
What about Ducati?
... or ... Kawasaki is like the college girlfriend I had decades ago. Hot body and crazy fun but dangerous
in the long run and likely to give you crabs in the short run.
First generation fireblade was no grandad bike. Some journalists said it was too fast.
Your alcoholic uncle is sometimes fun for both of you, sometimes just for him.
as a kid i loved bikes but fell out it until when i was in highschool and BAM the Ninja H2R shows up out of nowhere and i was like "ILL DEFINITELY GET IT when im old".
fast forward now that i grew up and saved up from high school, started being an adult and working, i bought the ninja h2 about 2 years ago and its something ill never let go!
i love the concept of the bike period.
It feels so good to hear success stories such as yourself. I'm also planning to buy h2 but don't know when this dream will be fruitful
@@anmolsharma4049 Happy to hear that from you as well!
If you really want it and work for it, you can get it.
I think this principle applies for many things in life as well 👍
As a kid of the 60’s I was all about Honda motorcycles. You wouldn’t catch me on anything but. That is until the late 80’s when I happened upon a 75’ Z1. The seller was clueless to its legendary status much like a 69’ Camaro. I gave her every thing I had in my pocket to purchase it; a whole $50. I’ve been on Kawasaki’s ever since. Present day ride is a ZX6R, which if I was to sell it would get every penny back. The ZX6R smokes the legend. But the legends value is, what is 300 to 400 times what I paid for it. It has 5 times the value of the ZX6R. 😎
I had a '76 Z1 that also had a Pops Yoshimura kit, which was completely unnecessary. It sure was fun, though.
It's funny, as someone who only started riding in 2019, I also made the Honda-Kawasaki jump. On paper I feel like I *should* like the Honda and Yamaha offerings more but something about the Kawasakis I've had just works. Though my old CRF250L Rally still had my favorite ergos of any bike I've owned
Out of curiosity, what made you choose the ZX-6R over the ZX-10R?
There's nothing like forced induction when it's done correctly. Kawasaki accomplished this over their entire H2 line up. It all started with the H2R. As usual, great video!
I had a 750 turbo with 810cc, 1100 intakes, that made 185rwhp, and 60k miles on it when I sold it with no big issues. Clutch dampers broke down and caused me to have to rebuild the turbo. But that was it.
@@williamrobertson8962 how did you rebuild the supercharger? i thought it was a specific designs and meticilous part only made by kawasaki themselves? or did you just makeshift your own supercharger? if so how was the performance/speed, still same as you first bought it?
@@akmalrusydi2730it’s a Hitatchi HT-10B turbocharger. Charlie Evergreen in Florida is the go to for turbo rebuilds and upgrades.
Poor Honda didn’t even get a shout out. The Honda Blackbird was the bike that started this ridiculousness. Without it we probably wouldn’t have the Hyabusa or the H2.
as a honda man, i'll agree they should've been mentioned... suzuki just came in and threw another 200cc at the blackbird to get ahead and kawasaki would've quickly slapped them back down to earth if there hadn't been talk of regulation that brought on the gentleman's agreement. but the blackbird didn't start it. the zx11 was untouched by the other 3 for years, the zx10, gpz900... which suzuki came in the first time with 200 more cc's, but then was knocked out by the cbr1000f. goin back to the damn magna, which was the fastest for several years as a shaft drive cruiser... since their inception, suzuki has had 2... yamahe had a few, and some europeans here and there. but honda and kawasaki were one upping eachother for years before the blackbird. and they probably would've stayed in it. i'd damn sure take a 1200 bandit in a heartbeat, or a katana. but my long list of dream bikes is pretty much all honda and kawi from there... and some ducatis and old buells... there are more vfr's on the list than total suzukis probably... then vtr, rc-51, blackbird of course... z900, gpz900, zx10,11,12, zrx, on and on and on... suzuki had the original katana, gsxr1100, 750, bandit and busa, bout it.
Nope, the kawasaki Gpz series which was the root of NINJA FAMILY❤❤❤
@@salvadordollyparton666
"the zx11 was untouched by the other 3 for years"
You mean to say it was trying to be a GSX-R 1100 but failed
Like the ZX-12r tried to be a Hayabusa and failed and the ZX-14 tried to one up the Hayabusa but failed as well (even though admittedly being a bit more powerful, it was a bland tourer like the CBR 1100xx)
And here came the H2,... Kawasaki's answer to 2 decades of turboed Hayabusa's and not even having the balls to make the H2R street legal and having their consumer bikes still eat the dust of the aforementioned turboed Hayabusa's
In 50 years, when Kawasaki creates their first hydrogen-powered sports bike, it needs to be called H2-O
😂 That's funny
Your videos are very well put together. Some of the best on TH-cam 👍
I love how history is explained. I didn't know the supercharger in the motorcycle goes way back. Damn. ..
Bart, make one for honda vfr, please 😬
Yes, pls do the VFR, it deserves it
@@Krosis_I love the vfr, I have the Cbr400rr but the vfr400 is my dream for a small displacement sports bike lol
It's wild to see those big engines on something that today looks like 125cc bike frame
The day I got my H2 after years of waiting and savings it was an emotional ride home. Weather was perfect and it was such an experience. I stayed off other H2’s that my friends have because I wanted my first experience on my own. I’ve owned it about a month now and I’ve already swapped most of the stock parts out and my dyno number came back at 271 wheel Hp. I have more to go but you are truly king of the streets when you throw your foot over an H2.
Everyone stops and asks for a picture or the “what is that” at a local cars and coffee the h2 had a bigger crowd around it than most of the super cars even super car owners stop and talk
I’m 76yo now, but back in the day I had a 71 Mach3, then in 73 one of the very first Z1s. What a bike. I still think it’s one of the best looking bikes ever.
Ever see a Gpz ??
"Talk to me Kawi"
“I- I need to go faster. I know I can do it, I can feel it. I-“ vroooOOOOMMM *shifts into 12th gear and launches to the moon*
As if the bike isn't crazy enough there's an SX model with panniers and more comfortable ergos. So, if you want rip you face off speed but still want to carry stuff....they got that covered too.
Detuned though - May aswell get the tried and true ZX14/ZZR1400 for far less money (May be bias as an owner of one 😅)
@@DatJamesYT Always had a soft spot for the ZX14, awesome bikes.
Just like Kawasaki to bolt a roof rack on a Ferrari
Kawasaki hit th nail in the head with this one.. its like almost a decade since they released this and they are still selling as of today... Insane motorbike..
Im just curious, if they made this bike with a counter rotating crankshaft will it be more manageable?
My formative years for motorbikes was the second half of the 80's.
The age of race replicas like the GSXR750, RZ500, then all the Japanese manufacturers made a turbo bike, it probably ended with the Honda NR750 in 1992 for bikes that broke the mould.
Sports bikes these days from Japan are refinements on the Yamaha R1 in layout and formula.
Nice to see some good old flexing in this day and age from Kawasaki.
"Sports bikes these days from Japan are refinements on the Yamaha R1 in layout and formula."
The originator of the layout is the Honda CB750
The formula was set by the Suzuki GSX-R750
The impetus of increasing bore and power for supersports, was set by the Honda CBR Fireblade
There is nothing groundbreaking about the R1, the only thing they do differently these days is the crossplane crank,... which is a "Meh" development at most
@@Nightdare All good examples of bikes that made great strides in advancement over their immediate predecessors, more so than the R1 I agree.
The R1 was just the earliest bike I could think of that has all the ingredients of a modern Japanese sport bike I include styling in that selection choice.
The slender tail section the twin headlights shaped into the fairing for example.
It's a bike you could park beside a modern Japanese sport bike and it would show its lineage and much less its age compared to other bikes from 1998 and earlier.
@@Dug6666666
Styling is subjective
Personally think the VFR was ahead of that
Whenever I see a 1991 VFR 750, I'm still amazed at how "modern" it appears, and I'm a Suzuki guy
the R1 even kept it's buddyseat for a number of years while others were already doing cowlings
Put every bike over time next to each other, and you'll see the 'dating'
The R1 had a big bump in power, I'll give it that
@@Nightdare I've never owned a Yamaha, so no real reason to pick the R1 other than its a from around when I feel Japanese sports bikes stopped being original and just incremental improving clones of each other.
I got the 1986 VFR750 when it came out, great bike, a VF750 Interceptor before that.
I've been riding a Suzuki Slingshot for the past 20 yrs. I guess I'm stuck in the 80's when it comes to bikes.
The tomahawk, seriously, I had a brand new 1987 ninja 1000R back in the day, that bike was amazing, tucking into corners, I lived near a big rotary at the bottom of a big bridge, sometimes with no traffic, I'd circle the rotary many times, just to lay down the bike, incredible grip. Miss that bike, new ones are amazing. Thanks for video and memories.
H2 and H2R looks sick. Probably the most menacing and coolest looking bike with that skull like front.
I saw one of these in person over the summer and it's striking.
I'm not a sportsbike guy but goddammit is that a good looking bike. Especially the rims.
12:30 its the only picture of a motorcycle in my room except for valentino rossi, hearing you say that was perfect, i just looked at my wall and laughed.
The difference between H2 and Veyron is, that almost 2 tons is still heavy for a car.....
Your videos are always great quality and very well researched. The only thing I’d want added is a sound clip of the bike’s sound 🙏🏼
But yeah, great video thanks
Insane, this is why I love them.
The air cooled gpz 750 turbo was a great engine and had so much potential. The lil 650/750 brother doesnt get love of z1000s but i got one and its plenty fast. Allen millyards Z bikes are also something worth seeing HIS viper engine bike ACTUALLY works like a bike
I had a Kawa 250cc mach 1. Used it 3 months to daily drive to school (80km) I broke down at least once a week. But when it did not break down it was pretty "frightening" (in winter with snow) In the mean time I made one Honda CB550 out of 2 (one crashed with good engine, one with a dead engine)
My 1975 Kawasaki H1-F 500 never left me on the road once back in the day . I am still riding it by the way and it's the most reliable motorbike of any motorbike I have owned . Have a H1 ,, time for a H2 I believe ;-)
@@trip5003 140k miles on a 74 H2 Kaw had it way back then...
The progression has always been (IMO):
Sport < Super < Hyper
Sportbikes were ~600-650cc
Superbikes were 750-1000cc
Hyperbikes were 1000cc+
Apparently Harley’s are hyper bikes
Ive never owned a kwaka but have been trying to track down an H2 to buy. They are so awesome, just wish they made more of them
Brilliant brilliant video. Enjoyed every second
Awesome video bart!
I cant believe its been 10 years - buy i remember the time just before launch, and the hype was real!
I would periodically update kawasakis different medias to see if there was any news out. I remember sitting on my dads staircase watching that ferocious dyno video with the cherry red headers
That Was Great! If That Don't Make You Pucker Up, Nothing Will! Isle Of Man Guys Are Probably Saying, "Hold My Pint"! Thank You.
Thank you Bart. This was well timed.
God the njnja h2 is just so beautiful. Mechanical artistic masterpiece.
Description of Kawasaki innovation is- "they looked at what the other manufacturers were waving and decided they would make the same, but an inch bigger".
i just got the zh2 and i can tell you first hand, its incredible
My fav bike🤌🏽
Bro your h2r was here
Kawasaki always raise the bar.
I want an H2 SX something BADDD
bart please do a video on the bimota tesi h2
While Harleys still trying to fix oil leaks, our boys @ Kawasaki are making dreams a reality!😎
Great video!
In one word , ' SCARY ' .
This is on my bucket list for sure, and altho i've owned and ridden Hondas, Kawas and many many more i'm ultimately a Hayabusa fan.
Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
Currently riding a Z1000sx, my next bike's going to be the ZH2 😍
It'a shame the H2R is a track only bike, would love to ride it on regular streets
It would be cool if they could bring the performance aspect into the hybrid bikes. A 600cc 110-140 hp bike with 20-40 electric hp boost pulling from 0 like a 1200cc twin. I hear that the mere 10 hp boost their 63 hp total one has at least feels like something down low. A really high revving 250-400cc engine cranking out 65-90 hp with nothing in low revs could be fun too, supported by 10-30 hp electric to fill that torque gap.
The Japanese gentleman’s agreement gave us some sick cars and bikes.
👀aircraft aerodynamics…..Damn. Level up
i had a 79 KZ1100 with some parts and a megaphone, it was scary enough, i cant imagine this damned thing
My mate got a H2R, was absolutely bezerk. Too wild for our roads, too fast for our local tracks. Soon sold it for a “practical” Yamaha R1. Either way they’re too much for me, I’m happy on my 250F dirtbike thank you. Unrelated those hp numbers are close to a WRX and Evo I’ve had, both pretty damn quick. my life expectancy would go from 80yrs to 80sec on that Kwaka.
*H2 not the R my bad
When talking about what machine they made to overcome Suzuki you forgot the ZX14. It was kicking Busa ass long before the H2 was
Eh. Pretty evenly matched bikes
Nope th-cam.com/video/eOGYdaoVgdo/w-d-xo.html
Being 7 years newer, It barely bested the G1 Busa in power, but was 50lbs heavier and was certainly on the back foot in weight AND power when 2 years later the G2 Busa was released
Face it, the 14 was a "Meh" upgrade, and not a legend like the Busa
@@Nightdare your opinion. Go find someone who cares
@@jpoo4572
You apparently, or you wouldn't be critizing me
The 14 barely kicked the Busa's ass
and when it did, it was beating a 7 year old bike and put back in 2nd place just 2 years later
and fanboys like you are still salty about that
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
Well done
How can you of chose the old ninjas series yet no mention of the ZZR 1100 which was the original as you said "Hyperbike" not the Hayabusa
The comparison between the bikes and cars is a bit funny, because while the H2 stepped away from the norm of speed focused bikes being bulky and not that good at handling corners, the Veyron did the exact opposite. The F1 was a light agile car with a lot of race wins to its name meanwhile the Veyron is this big, heavy, kinda bloated car that's just focused at top speed
Crazy to think the H2R has 10years, yez, this thing is 2014
This skips a lot of Kawasaki's flagship performance motorcycle lineage. Kawasaki consistently set top speed benchmarks in the decades leading up to the gentleman's agreement with the Z1, GPz900, ZX10, and ZX11. This video doesn't mention Kawi's original Busa fighter: the ZX12R. Realeased post agreement, it was slightly more powerful and lighter than the Suzuki and has the reputation of being the most extreme bike of the early 2000s. Oh and Honda produced a technological showcase bike in the same vein as the H2 in 1992 with the NR750.
The ZX-12 didn't come *after* the gentlemen's agreement, that was the ZX14 (though the 12r did come *during* the agreement, so the first model year was unrestricted)
And yes, the 12r had more power, but was still slower than the Busa (That 'arguable' styling of the Busa was what made that difference, hence why the later ZX14 has 'similar' styling)
@Nightdare right, it didn't have the aero to reach the top speed of the Busa but has the reputation of being a more hairy-chested ride.
@@bk83082
Indeed, the 12 was more towards R, while the Busa was more towards GT-type of bike
there is now only one company making 750cc inline 4s suzuki and every other 750cc is a parallel twin cp2 these days
People call the original Hayabusa ugly, but I think the H2 makes it look like a work of art.
Would never own one but it's definitely cool 😎
She couldn't understand why nobody else could see that the sky is full of cotton candy.
Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.
Be your own hero, it's cheaper than a movie ticket.
TBH, the hyperbikes are taking the soul out of motorcycling, and turning it in to a social media flex fest. who cares if your bike can do 230mph, once you've done it, you've done it and it's not practical in the least.
Save the plus 200mph bracket for planes and trains, there's really no point in bikes other than bragging rights, and everyone hates braggarts
15:50 gentlemans agreement took place in japan in the 90s . thats why we talk about it. europeans in the other hand... didnt get the memo
Would you ever make a video about the Honda CBR125? It's a cult classic in the UK
You seem to not know about the xz14r that Kawasaki made to beat the Suzuki. The H2 wasn't the first hyper bike. Anyone who knows anything knows that both the Suzuki and the zx14r were called hyper bikes.
and the ZX14R still has the fastest quarter mile because the H2 doesn't know how to put the power down the pavement
Kawasaki H2 is basically a F1 car on 2 wheels that can possible go to outer space...
i always thought the front of the h2 and h2r looked like a decepticon somehow
Different between sport bike and illegal but completely registered under military contract super road bike. Introducing the H2 a full breed of their legal speed.
Pantyhose and heels are an interesting choice of attire for the beach.
ZX-14R? ZX-14R? The Busa Killa? C'mon man.
i would say its more comparable to the r35 skyline in terms of manufacturing and care
What about the y2k or the y2k 420rr? surely that counts as its a precuser to the h2r
turbo r6 better change my mind
I don't have one yet buuuut the ninja h2r aaand the Z900h2 I got my eye on, surely eeeeeeevery dude on the planet does, well all of us broke cats at least ,
I'd say the MTT Y2K is a Hyperbike
Bartholomew knows best ☝️😎
The H2 is the modern day akira bike change my mind
You didn't seem to mention the Honda Blackbird? 🤔
It’s weird how close to a Dyson vacuum the supercharger is
May I dare to suggest the VF750F Interceptor for a spotlight?
we need a vfr vid bro
superbike is a superbike is a superbike broski
❤Less is more &❤ more but better❤
After all the praise, to hear the opposite opinion of someone who has been driving for 40 years. During this time, motorcycles became stronger and faster, the amount of vehicles in traffic increased, and the restrictions tightened. In the past, the H2 with 74 hp was considered dangerous for the traffic of the time, so what is today's H2? It's a motorcycle that can't be started because it raises the front wheel wildly in every gear, its top speed is crazy, that was built only because each subsequent generation of motorcycles has to be stronger than the last and has been for 50 years. As for the appearance, most of the new motorcycles are made in the form of children's transformers, where aggression is everything, but there is no beauty, if you get used to it, you will not find it too ugly...
The old H2 was something new and beautiful, strong but not too strong, comfortable to sit on, while the new one is something completely opposite of all that. I'm not comparing features, technology has advanced in 50 years (suspension, frame, brakes), I'm comparing the meaning of such a motorcycle then and now. Just as most things are senselessly exaggerated, so it is with motorcycles, and this is the height of that, meaning the height of nonsense. It's the epitome of the idea of motorcycling! Have you read the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Riding"?
Got 71 & 91 500s .. Ben Rite at 160 MPH on Tha 92 *
I wish the h2 had two air intakes like the h2r
The H2R is surely a dead end. Built for the track yet I have not heard of it winning any races or setting any lap records.
Yes, good point. But not winning any races will be a moot point for kawasaki - show me a motorcycle racing class that allows forced induction?
It's simply not allowed, those are the rules. It's probably too powerful, but also too heavy (certainly compared to motogp bikes) for most riders.
Would love to see what Valentino Rossi could do on it though. Just for fun.
3:32 is that who I think it is?
am I tripping or is this Fluump from Rocket League
fr
It looks like a batman cowl or helmet
You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough.
I’ll seeee youuu.
I had 09 zx6r it was nasty asf
…so? And? “I Have to make this about me somehow, me me ME!”
🤦🏻♂️
@@vincedibona4687
The video is about amazing Kawasaki ability to make incredible bikes, PJB rides one, hence the comment.
@@vincedibona4687 Maybe mind your business and don't judge people for no reason
@@vincedibona4687 what do you ride besides your mom ?
Baby wipes are made of chocolate stardust.
We know from science that nothing in the universe exists as an isolated or independent entity.
249mph on a bike is banana sandwiches. I'm sure hitting 400kph was a particularly big deal outside the 'States.