Kawasaki Z H2 launched in India

Kawasaki has launched its supercharged hyper-naked — the Z H2 — in the Indian market. The more premium SE variant will also be available. It will be available in the Metallic Diablo black/Golden Blazed green finish. The Z H2 will be priced at Rs 21.9 lakh ex-showroom, while the Z H2 SE will set you back Rs 25.9 lakh ex-showroom.

Engine

The Z H2 is powered by the same maniacal super-charged, 998cc, inline-four as found on the Ninja H2. But it is obviously in a different state of tune, more focused on the low and mid-range considering it is a naked bike. The supercharged mill is good for an output of 197bhp at 11,000rpm and 137Nm at 8500rpm. The engine also gets a slipper clutch which is mated to a six-speed gearbox.

Chassis and equipment

In terms of braking, The Z H2 gets Brembo M4.32 calipers radially mounted on dual semi-floating 320mm discs upfront while the Z H2 SE gets top-drawer Brembo Stylema calipers. Both the variants get Showa SFF-BP forks with compression, rebound damping and spring preload adjustability but the SE variant benefits from the addition of KECS (Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension) with Showa’s Skyhook technology.

Electronics

The electronics suite on both variants is identical and comprises of riding modes, IMU based traction control, ABS, launch control, bi-directional quickshifter and cruise control. The bikes get a 4.3-inch TFT colour display and all-LED lighting as standard as well.

The Z H2 is currently the only supercharged bike in Kawasaki’s catalogue in India. The bike has no rivals in the country at present, but whenever the likes of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 and the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory do show up, it’ll be interesting to see how they stack up. We can’t wait to swing our leg over the Z H2 and see if it is just as mental as its faired counterpart.