Kawasaki H2 Sx Se

Two of our group were on standard SXs. I rode most of the time with the faster lad and every time we filled up he was putting in more than me for the exact same mileage. Think he was using a lower gear and more revs than me to ride at same pace . Makes sense given the extra grunt of the H2 version .
His bike was shod with Pilot4s and they’ve hardly worn.

That does'nt suprise me in some respects Arsey; they are quite rev happy ; the mothership ZZR is doing a ton at 6,100, and its starting to get into it's sweet spot, at 6 thou on the SX it's 85; i know it's all academic in the grand scheme of things; but it does make the bike feel a little short geared; i think the gearbox ratios are the same as the unfaired stunt monkeys Z1000. I've not used Michlens for years; although they have some good write ups; along with the road tec Metzlers. As you know tyres are a personal feel thing; so that and being able to use them with comfort till they are finished are the main things for me; there's not much out there that suffers grip issues; unless you are in the fast group on track days.
 
That does'nt suprise me in some respects Arsey; they are quite rev happy ; the mothership ZZR is doing a ton at 6,100, and its starting to get into it's sweet spot, at 6 thou on the SX it's 85; i know it's all academic in the grand scheme of things; but it does make the bike feel a little short geared; i think the gearbox ratios are the same as the unfaired stunt monkeys Z1000. I've not used Michlens for years; although they have some good write ups; along with the road tec Metzlers. As you know tyres are a personal feel thing; so that and being able to use them with comfort till they are finished are the main things for me; there's not much out there that suffers grip issues; unless you are in the fast group on track days.

We swapped bikes one morning and the standard SX did seem a bit under geared .

On the H2 SX you’re doing 80 ish at 5000 rpm with supercharger on about 1/3 boost but ready to give you a smooth kick up the arse if you open the taps . The motor has been a revelation . Much smoother than expected yet by far the quickest bike I’ve ever ridden ( apart from short test ride on Pani V4S)
 
Main stand touches terra firma at 45 degs lean on left handers.

Should take it off but it does come in handy .

Love the bike though . Bloody ballistic and very planted

If you don't get the recall notice for the centre stand then it may well decide to part company anyway :eek: - problem solved! ;)
 
I’m just heading home having done just over 2000 miles on the bike in the last 9 days.
My impression of the bike, as I know Skyman is very interested 🤪

The overall finish is superb .
The paint on the SE is gorgeous.
Everything works well. I like being able to swap the TFT display from Sport to Touring mode to show data relevant to the style of riding .

The motor is sublime . Ultra smooth yet insanely powerful . With traction control set to 1, the front will lift under hard acceleration but set to 2, you can literally open it up in 2nd gear and the front stays planted whilst you are propelled forward at a stupid velocity .
As an example I was riding with one mate who has an 18 plate XR that has been to Hilltop and the H2 would pull away , though not by a huge amount to be fair .

The only minor issue with the engine is the fuelling is a tad fluffy with a closed throttle, a victim of Euro4 bollocks, no doubt !

Fuel economy over 2000 miles-45.4 mpg .

With a 19 litre tank , range is 165 down to one bar leaving about 35 miles in reserve .

Sat at 90 mph on autoroute, that drops to 145 plus reserve .

The two standard SXs in the trip were burning more fuel than me !!

Tyre wear is heavy . My rear is shot after 2700 miles.

Handling is very planted and on rails . Not flickable like a sports bike but much lighter than a Busa/K1300S etc .

The main stand does limit ground clearance, touching down on one hairpin at 45 degrees left lean . It’s staying on though for the convenience plus I don’t ride as hard with other mates .

Brakes are utterly fantastic with loads of stopping power and feedback.

Suspension is quite firm but coped fine, even riding gnarly single track passes in the Picos

Comfort ? I did the same trip on my KTM1290R last year and the H2 was better.

I’m 6’1” and the high clip ons combined with lowish pegs and good screen mean no weight on lower back like you get on an adventure bike.

Seat is very comfy and knees only complain after a solid 6+ hours in the saddle, though my knees are fucked so that’s more down to me than the bike .

Luggage carrying is good with the usual Kwak panniers . They don’t hold a huge amount but fit very neatly and don’t upset the bike even at very high speeds .

Heated grips are very good, cruise control is very smooth and the best I’ve ever used .

Not sure what else to say really !

It’s a great bike and is much more rideable than you might think when it’s supposedly putting out 207bhp. For me it has better comfort that the standard SX, has better fuel economy despite the extra 70bhp and you will never get bored of the bat-shit crazy acceleration that is always waiting !!

Heavy tyre wear aside ? Brilliant sports tourer with an emphasis on the sports !!!!

60df4de5a958b8a2e8e5f26251b56470.jpg
 
Great looking bike, if I still fancied a sporty bike it would be one of two, the other being a ZZR1400 as I had one before and liked it.

The main problem is I find the 1090 has more than enough performance to get me in licence losing trouble, the 1190 is outright difficult to keep contained within the parameters of our crappy speed limits.

When I get a big lotto win and can just get the chauffer to run me about every time I get banned I will get some more sportsbikes.
 
I’m just heading home having done just over 2000 miles on the bike in the last 9 days.
My impression of the bike, as I know Skyman is very interested ��

The overall finish is superb .
The paint on the SE is gorgeous.
Everything works well. I like being able to swap the TFT display from Sport to Touring mode to show data relevant to the style of riding .

The motor is sublime . Ultra smooth yet insanely powerful . With traction control set to 1, the front will lift under hard acceleration but set to 2, you can literally open it up in 2nd gear and the front stays planted whilst you are propelled forward at a stupid velocity .
As an example I was riding with one mate who has an 18 plate XR that has been to Hilltop and the H2 would pull away , though not by a huge amount to be fair .

The only minor issue with the engine is the fuelling is a tad fluffy with a closed throttle, a victim of Euro4 bollocks, no doubt !

Fuel economy over 2000 miles-45.4 mpg .

With a 19 litre tank , range is 165 down to one bar leaving about 35 miles in reserve .

Sat at 90 mph on autoroute, that drops to 145 plus reserve .

The two standard SXs in the trip were burning more fuel than me !!

Tyre wear is heavy . My rear is shot after 2700 miles.

Handling is very planted and on rails . Not flickable like a sports bike but much lighter than a Busa/K1300S etc .

The main stand does limit ground clearance, touching down on one hairpin at 45 degrees left lean . It’s staying on though for the convenience plus I don’t ride as hard with other mates .

Brakes are utterly fantastic with loads of stopping power and feedback.

Suspension is quite firm but coped fine, even riding gnarly single track passes in the Picos

Comfort ? I did the same trip on my KTM1290R last year and the H2 was better.

I’m 6’1” and the high clip ons combined with lowish pegs and good screen mean no weight on lower back like you get on an adventure bike.

Seat is very comfy and knees only complain after a solid 6+ hours in the saddle, though my knees are fucked so that’s more down to me than the bike .

Luggage carrying is good with the usual Kwak panniers . They don’t hold a huge amount but fit very neatly and don’t upset the bike even at very high speeds .

Heated grips are very good, cruise control is very smooth and the best I’ve ever used .

Not sure what else to say really !

It’s a great bike and is much more rideable than you might think when it’s supposedly putting out 207bhp. For me it has better comfort that the standard SX, has better fuel economy despite the extra 70bhp and you will never get bored of the bat-shit crazy acceleration that is always waiting !!

Heavy tyre wear aside ? Brilliant sports tourer with an emphasis on the sports !!!!

60df4de5a958b8a2e8e5f26251b56470.jpg

:tears

Saw Shane last night here in Tokyo (as you know). I said 351! (sad, I know but we count down the days until next year's picos tour). I said, before we know it we'll be sitting in that bar in San Vicente saying: "Do you remember when we were saying we had 351 days to go?". Having said that, it seems sooooooo far away.

Seeing that picture brought a little tear to my eye. Too soon, Arsey!!! Too soon!

I think he's riding down with you next year so you'll have company. See if you can't come down and arrive on the Saturday or Sunday. I got a little bored on my own for 3 days this year.

Great picture, BTW.

:beerjug::thumb
 
Great stuff Arsey... I'm smitten with that... so much so I think I may actually sell some BMWs (not a moment too soon according to my wife) to make way for one. I followed your lead on the Guzzi 1400 and didn't regret that so think I might do so again...
 
Great stuff Arsey... I'm smitten with that... so much so I think I may actually sell some BMWs (not a moment too soon according to my wife) to make way for one. I followed your lead on the Guzzi 1400 and didn't regret that so think I might do so again...

Do it ! But get the SE as much better than the standard H2 SX
 
For 2019 there’s now an SE+ version with semi-active suspension and Bluetooth connectivity etc.
More to go wrong and don’t like the colour as much :

dd49bd437673902f7d508b99cf319f65.jpg
4705bb470ef164f218b82970cc1336c8.jpg
650fc8139daed8e4bc52bf1ad3d55f0d.jpg
 
if the semi active is as per the new zx10r it will be good, i like the colours a lot.
 
For 2019 there’s now an SE+ version with semi-active suspension and Bluetooth connectivity etc.
More to go wrong and don’t like the colour as much :

dd49bd437673902f7d508b99cf319f65.jpg
4705bb470ef164f218b82970cc1336c8.jpg
650fc8139daed8e4bc52bf1ad3d55f0d.jpg

I dont think it looks to bad ; much better than the dealer specials our local dealer had done. Green and white H2; and a silver and green Sx; i almost asked if they had cobbled a couple of smashed bikes up. At least that looks like they wont be stuck to the showroom floor.
 
But then it is not your “current” bike! Try not to be so partisan.
 
Had a Fekit moment the other day, deposit down,cant pick it up till post lockdown,2 more weeks, still , Touring pack ordered, it's a year old,1200 miles and spotless.
Insurance was pretty good, went with Kawasaki insurance at £340 quid, Other lowest was 780 and above.

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