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Top test Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE (2018)

Compressor sports tourer in check

There is a charged atmosphere in Germany. Kawasaki and the compressor-equipped Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE form a great coalition of speed and touring: It drives with suitcases and a main stand Tacho 299. But the Über-Kawa is fast and good on tour?

Presumably the drowsy Audi driver suspects nothing bad at 180, 200 km / h when the badly punctiform single LED projection headlights appear in the rearview mirror. The A7 is finally making way and the left lane opens. The way is clear! Shift down once and hold on tight. 230, 240, 250, the shift light flashes wildly yellow. Quickly into sixth gear, operated without the clutch using the shift assistant. The needle in the tachometer continues to turn as if unleashed. Below you a compressor scoops cubic meters of air into the combustion chambers. It just doesn’t want to falter, the brilliant propulsion. The four-cylinder turns, turns, turns, up to over 12,000 rpm, offers endless thrust! She vouches for highly distilled acceleration Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE.

Top test Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE (2018)

Compressor sports tourer in check

Video from the top test of the Ninja H2 SX SE

Wind protection okay at very high speeds

There are 299 in the digital speedometer, and the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE is marching even further. According to the test bench, they are real 291 km / h. You make yourself small like a matchbook in a two and a half hurricane. The wind protection behind the high-arched plexiglass pulpit is okay: despite minus five degrees with a clear blue sky, you won’t freeze, your heart is warm. A yellow ice warning lights up in the cockpit. Before that, you could ride 200 “comfortably” in a very relaxed manner. Your helmet lies calmly in a laminar flow, your shoulders also get some wind. Depending on your stature, you only have to duck down from 230, 250.

Tourer

Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX / SE 2018 in the driving report

Simply superior propulsion

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Even if it compresses the fork badly when you brake hard: the rear wheel always stays safely on the ground, just prancing a little.

Oops, was that slight curve ever so tight? Take good bearings, look far! At top speed, the world flies by at 81 meters per second. 299: Suitcases are only that fast in an Airbus taking off. Just glance down at the perfectly readable, high-contrast TFT color display: the on-board computer reports 31.6 liters of current consumption at full throttle. Hmm, then the 19 liter tank would be empty after 60 kilometers, after less than 20 minutes at full throttle. With optional, empty 28-liter suitcases, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE moves slightly around the steering head. Not bad, just noticeable in the handlebars. As if the front wheel was getting a little light.

Downforce is the be-all and end-all at such a speed

You can really feel expansion joints on motorway bridges as a very slight twitching of the handlebars – no steering damper. But don’t worry: the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE holds its line as if lasered on. Welcome to reality: the next speed limit, long-term left-hand drivers, traffic jams out of nowhere follow a little later. Regardless of whether it is the A 5, A 8 or A 43: If you carefully maneuver at slow speed through long traffic jams, the 263 kilogram heavy ninja is hand-tame, easily manageable in the traffic chaos. Power meets karma and character.

Kawasaki

The colored TFT display is rich in contrast and easy to read.

The better equipped “Special Edition” (SE) has a main stand, higher windshield, blipper, launch control and heated grips on board as standard. Furthermore, it drives up a lot of goodies with cornering lights, steel braided brake lines, the color display in the cockpit mentioned, finely milled wheels and a striking green and black color dress. Get off the track and enjoy yourself. First fill up, a full 17.76 liters of good Super Plus (better safe than sorry) after 178 kilometers. That is just under ten liters to 100 if you turn the 40 throttle valve on full flow as often as possible. Yes, the new Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE is a great device, that much is already clear. But there is also no alternative for 22,000 euros?

In-house competition?

After all, there are two more MPs from the Sport-Touring and Speed ​​parliamentary groups for the Greens. On the one hand, there is the 142 PS strong and 236 kilos lightweight Z 1000 SX for around 13,000 euros and also has a top speed of 249 km / h. And then there is the ZZR 1400 Performance Sport power bike for a good 19,000 euros, with a full 1,441 cubic meters of 200 hp. Just like the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE. Thanks to the guys from Moto Dreams in Schorndorf for the test ZZR! The two Kawasaki coalition members also largely agree on weight (267 kilograms) and wheelbase, a stable 1.48 meters here and there.

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Good goods: radially screwed four-piston stoppers on the 43 mm upside-down fork.

The question literally comes to mind: Do you need the compressor? We drive this out in the south of France. Here you can and must drive a constant 130 on the motorway. Cruise control in the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE and off for it. It works electronically and allows one to two km / h to deviate from the target value on inclines or slopes. After hours of driving at four degrees Celsius, the forced-ventilation motor approved a tolerable 6.2 liters per 100 kilometers. Moved tame on the country road – mostly at 90 km / h, rarely at 100 or 70 km / h – the H2 SX is content with five liters; the 1400 vacuum cleaner in the ZZR cups half a liter more.

Sitting position in comparison kommoder

The government statement follows: Passports up and down. Curves, hairpin bends, Kawasaki. You sit much more modern, comfortable on the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE: more integrated, more front-wheel-oriented, closer to the action. You drive to the machine intuitively with an intimate feeling, assembled-compact, suitable for touring-sporty. The fairly upright upper body (the handlebars are 96 centimeters high!) Provides a good overview. Even if the bulbous tank spreads its legs a little. The ZZR does that even more, forcing you into a more recumbent position in the old-fashioned way. The 1400s seem less comfortable when jerking around: Here, more weight presses on the wrists. It’s just an old school speed bike.

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When driving slowly, the entire crew crouches relaxed, quite upright. The passenger sits fairly elevated, with moderately high footrests and a little little contact with the driver.

The 1400 vacuum cleaner sounds fuller, duller and more voluminous from the noble Akrapovic bags laid on both sides. It’s a bassy hiss. The small rear silencer of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE has a large front silencer. The exhaust sounds pleasantly quiet, fully socially acceptable. This sound backdrop mixes irregular chirping and hissing when the blow-off valve quickly releases excessive pressure from the intake tract. Happened when downshifting before corners. There the H2 SX shines, drives nice and light-footed. At best, when you turn in, you can feel the 263 kilos a little. Once in a lean position, the supercharged tourer rolls wonderfully homogeneously, remains accurate, reliable and predictable in the curve carousel. Compliment, compressor kawa!

Curve queen among the speed bikes

If the curve tightens, the 1000 takes course corrections at any time, drives tighter lines, hits more jagged hooks. Agile and stable. The fearful nipples soon touch down under the footrests. The on-board computer stores an incline of 50 degrees on the first day of the journey. On the second it’s 52 degrees, left and right. Without grinding crucial parts. Compared to the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE, the ZZR 1400 likes to drive outwards when exiting a curve, needs a stronger hand and more physical effort. So it feels heavier than it is.

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Front and headlights look small. If the angle is large, the bottom LED lights up, and if the angle is smaller, the top LED cornering light lights up.

An IMU with a lean angle sensor from Bosch records acceleration values ​​along the longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE. The ABS curve management system and the traction control system, which is finely regulated in stages two and three, feeds this data. Depending on the lean angle, one of the inner LED cornering lights is activated in ten-degree steps from top to bottom. The new Ninja can be braked far into the bends with a wonderfully soulful and sensationally little setup moment. It is clearly the queen of curves among the speed bikes! Extremely transparent, easy to dose and yet powerfully, radially actuated and screwed Nissin monoblocks bite into the 320 discs. The ZZR’s Brembos need more hand strength.

Bridge between sport and touring

Bridgestone S 20s on the 1400 convey a lot of feedback and trust at two degrees Celsius on roads that are still damp in the morning. Bridgestone’s touring athletes S 21 top this with special “F” code on the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE when they are warm. The Nippon tires adhere well and give good feedback. The bridge stones harmonize perfectly with the new Kawa. The 190 rear drawn with a more curved 55 mm cross-section (ZZR: 190/50) makes a good contribution to the smooth handling of the 1000 series. On the H2 SX, the less experienced rider can easily stick to the more experienced rider on the 1400! In addition, there is high suspension comfort of the compressor Kawa, Gran Turismo!

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Optional 28 liter suitcases nestle close to the rear and each hold a full-face helmet.

The 1000er sweaters its course smoothly dampened. The USD fork is a poem, speaks very finely, works very comfortably and offers plenty of reserves. The shock absorber with expansion tank and practical handwheel also creates a bridge between sport and touring in a very conventional way, without electronically regulated valves. So does the engine. The ZZR 1400 gives more power in the lower speed range. But that is deceptive. In fact, the extremely powerful H2 SX pulls through better in sixth gear. At first, the supercharged engine simply, gently and firmly pushes, almost unspectacular. But then he gets down to business all the more forcefully. Your senses are sledding. Despite its immense performance, the good-natured 1000 conveys complete trust and total control. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE storms from 140 to 180 in the sixth faster than from 100 to 140 and here again faster than from 60 to 100. That shifts perception. The atypical high compression at low boost pressure makes the compressor engine suitable for everyday use. So relaxed quickly, so quickly relaxed. What happens beyond the 9,000 or 10,000 tours is pure madness, too much for country roads. Zero to 200: 7.4 seconds! Phew, how that bites. The compressor compresses air. But also the experiences.

Loving details round off the Kawa

In level one of the traction control, you let the animal out of the cage. Then the rear wheel likes to stand sideways at the exit of a curve, spinning before the machine seamlessly turns into a remarkable wheelie. It’s only for intrepid professionals. So rather "two" and "three"! Gold switch to driving fashion M with 75 percent peak power or L with half power in adverse conditions. The launch control of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE limits the speed to 6,250 tours in the first two gears. Don’t get too fast! You have it in your hand. In the literal sense.

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Thumb training: switches for heated grips, assistance systems and cruise control.

Fine-pixel vibrations can sometimes be felt as tingling in the fingers after getting off. It’s a Kawasaki. The hydraulic clutch (actuated radially like the brake) can be pulled and fine-tuned smoothly. You only need it to start off and in town: from 2,500 tours the blipper helps with upshifting and downshifting. You won’t want to be without it soon, it clears your mind. With or without the clutch: upshifts the transmission more smoothly, smoother than down. With the Kawasaki H2 SX SE, many well thought-out, even loving details fit perfectly into the puzzle of a great, high-quality motorcycle.

Most powerful sports tourer of all time

These include tight-fitting, easy-to-use cases (886 euros surcharge), angled valves on the wheels and the on-board socket in the cockpit. A point of honor: Both hand levers are adjustable, the screws of the spring elements are easily accessible and the adjustment range of the mirrors is pleasingly large. There is an optional lower driver’s seat. After a good 270 kilos (the suitcases weigh 7.8 extra kilos), the ninja still feels like maneuvering. Even jacking up is easy. The super strong Kawasaki H2 SX SE is a system, the whole more than the sum of its parts.

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The design is characterized by sharp edges, lines and beads. Striking: beautiful five-star rear wheel, small rear silencer.

You don’t have to storm every new technology. But the extremely broadband, powerful compressor motor in the all-round successful chassis, with good equipment and comfortable ergonomics, is fantastic to drive. It sets superlatives, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE not only shows a clear edge: As the strongest sports tourer of all time, it is also the most agile speed bike. Kawasaki has built a great motorcycle. The ZZR 1400 now looks astonishingly old. The grand coalition of both-and-machines has a new head of government – unlike in political Berlin, the Greens are now the chancellor of sports tourers!

MOTORRAD conclusion on the compressor kawa

Great, Charger! The Über-Kawa drives enthusiastically sociable, round and homogeneous. As futuristic as its design is, it is not a riot brother. But confident, strong and balanced. Big compliments for this fantastic sports tourer! It combines performance and luxury, speed and comfort, can race and travel. This concept turns on.

More articles about the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX / SE

More articles on the sister model Kawasaki Ninja H2

Technical background to the compressor motor

From the 205 hp Ninja H2, Kawasaki took a lot of effort to develop the new Ninja H2 SX with a lavishly stocked SE version. More powerful power output in the lower and middle speed range as well as lower consumption were important development goals for Kawasaki. In the compressor, which is driven by a toothed chain and planetary gear, a compressor wheel rotates (unchanged with a diameter of 69 mm and a ratio of 9.2 to 1) with slightly longer blades. Together with the changed control of the blow-off valve, it builds up less boost pressure and scoops less air into the cylinders. Instead, the compression rose sharply, from 8.5 to 11.2 to 1. The crankshaft, reinforced pistons (cooled by only one spray oil nozzle), cylinder and cylinder head have been completely redesigned. The camshafts have less valve overlap: the intake closes twelve degrees earlier and the exhaust eight degrees than with the H2. The throttle valve diameter was reduced from 50 to 40 millimeters to promote torque.

Kawasaki

Long snorkel to the compressor and stronger frame of the H2 SX than the H2.

The airbox, which has been reduced in volume from six to five liters and now equipped with a diffuser, is adapted to a lower air flow rate. The gasoline is atomized by a total of eight twelve instead of four-hole injection nozzles. A new exhaust system with thinner stainless steel manifolds and a smaller silencer saves weight, as does the 0.5 liter smaller oil volume. The tubular space frame is reinforced by increased tube cross-sections and additional struts, especially in the rear area for pillion passenger use. The single-sided swing arm is 15 millimeters longer than before, the wheelbase has grown by 25 mm and the tank capacity has increased by two liters. Because uncompromising performance is not everything, the design and purpose have to match. The MOTORRAD issues 1/2018 and 5/2018 highlighted more technical changes.

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