Kawasaki Teases Ninja H2

Kawasaki announced it will unveil a new motorcycle called the Ninja H2 at the Intermot show on Sept. 30 and the evidence suggests it will be a new supercharged sportbike.

The Japanese manufacturer first announced last November it was developing a supercharged I-4 engine at the Tokyo Motor Show, and the Ninja H2 announcement suggests that’s exactly what we’ll see in Cologne.

The Kawasaki press release references the company’s expertise in the aerospace and gas turbine industries, using its “collective strength” to produce the H2.

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Kawasaki has also filed several patents for a supercharged motorcycle, using what looks like a Ninja ZX-14 as an example (though that doesn’t necessarily mean the Ninja H2 is a ZX-14 replacement).

Kawasaki also recently registered a design with Europe’s Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market for a new component for an internal combustion engine that looks to be a centrifugal supercharger.

The Ninja H2 name is an homage to the original 1972 750cc Kawasaki Mach IV H2, but Kawasaki also references the 500cc H1 Mach III and 903cc Z1 Super Four as influences.

Kawasaki will reveal more details ahead of Intermot on its teaser site Ninja-H2.com. Stay tuned tomorrow as Kawasaki promises more information on Sept. 3.

[Source: Kawasaki, OHIM]

By Dennis Chung