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Kawasaki’s future is supercharged

2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2R supercharged top gun
Supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2R

Kawasaki will continue making the supercharged H2 and H2R motorcycles and promises to make more force-fed bikes in future.

Speaking at the 44th annual Tokyo Motor Show, Kawasaki president Kenji Tomida unveiled a new balanced supercharged engine and outlined their “Rideology strategy” for future product.

He says the H2 and H2R will remain in limited production for 2016 owing to the worldwide interest in the supercharged motorcycles.

2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2R supercharged
2016 Kawasaki Ninja H2R

They will have a new colour and paint finish called Mirror Coated Spark Black, plus a slipper clutch for the Ninja H2 as well as upgrades to the ECU settings for both bikes.

He also unveiled a concept sketch for Concept SC 01, or “Spirit Charger”, a future forced-induction motorcycle.

Kawaskai Spirit Charger supercharged
Kawaskai Spirit Charger

Stylistically, it has softer lines than the sharp-edged Transformer style of the H2 and H2R.

It may also feature their new Balanced Supercharged Engine which is still very powerful, but has increased fuel economy thanks to electronically controlled flaps at the supercharger entrance.

Kawasaki balanced supercharged engine
Kawasaki balanced supercharged engine

This allows the volume and direction of air intake to be adjusted for maximum efficiency.

Mr Tomida also outlined the company’s Rideology strategy for future models:

Firstly the need for machines to possess power and grace, secondly Kawasaki motorcycles should continue to be fun and rewarding to ride and, thirdly, the ongoing reliance on the skills within the entire Kawasaki Group harnessing cutting edge technology to enrich the lives of people worldwide.