Kawasaki Ninja R2 under works

Kawasaki astonished motorcycle enthusiast across the globe with the Ninja H2 few years ago. In the form of the Ninja H2, the Japanese two-wheeler giant became the first manufacturer to launch a supercharged production motorcycle. The supercharger system was developed completely by Kawasaki from the ground up. But the supercharging technology comes at a price and the Ninja H2 has been priced at a premium thereby restricting its reach among consumers even more so with the track only Ninja H2R hyperbike. It seems that the Akashi based two-wheeler manufacturer is planning to make the supercharging system more accessible to buyers in the form of the new Kawasaki Ninja R2. The Japanese manufacturer has applied to trademark the “Ninja R2” nomenclature hinting that it is working on a new motorcycle. According to reports the Kawasaki Ninja R2 will be a supercharged. 800cc displacement supersports motorcycle under development. 

At last year’s EICMA show in Milan, Kawasaki president Kenji Tomida had said that the supercharged engine technology of the H2 was always planned to be scalable to suit other applications. We can expect the 800cc in-line four engine to deliver similar amount of power output as seen on litre-class motorcycles. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the supercharged 800cc mill delivering 190PS of power and around 110Nm of torque with reasonable levels of boost. Also the reduced displacement means that weight of the powerplant will be low, which is a vital aspect in the world of performance motorcycles. The styling of the Kawasaki Ninja R2 is expected to be based on the Ninja H2 with few design influences from the updated Ninja 300 which is heading to production soon. Kawasaki has also trademarked the Ninja R2R nomenclature indicating an even more bonkers version of the stock Ninja R2 in the future similar to the Ninja H2R. The Kawasaki Ninja R2 is still in development stages and is expected to make its public debut at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show at the earliest. The wait is long but its good times ahead for performance junkies and we can expect the Ninja R2 to land on Indian shores also. 

Source: MCN