Kawasaki H2R and H2

The world is now a very different place after Kawasaki has now launched the H2 and H2 R. As a prelude to a huge feature in the magazine, here are some pertinent facts about the bike to sate the appetite for knowledge about these very special bikes.

1 / The H2 is not a stock or standard bike. It is a belter, so different to anything on the market, all thanks to that supercharged engine that develops well over 200bhp at 11,000rpm. That means that down Qatar’s straight it was hitting 300kph.

2 / The H2 R is three levels above the (non standard) H2. This bike somehow pumps out over 320bhp, and makes mincemeat of any straight going. This, however, does not make it an easy bike to ride.

3 / The detailing on each bike is out of this world. Both bikes own Kawasaki’s River mark, a badge sacred to the firm. It’s earned this through massive collaboration throughout the company, who have all contributed to make two stellar bikes.

4 / The impeller at the heart of the supercharger breaks the speed of sound at high revs. That’s why it makes a little chirping sound as you gas it hard between corners. It’s mental!

5 / Function followed form throughout the both bikes’ design. That’s why it looks the way it does. It may not be pretty but that’s because everything is so effective on it.

6 / We got through a set of Bridgestone slicks every session on the H2 R. That’s what happens when you release 320bhp at the exit of every corner.

7 / The electronics are amazing. Without them you would highside into space, so the H2’s electronic abilities are massive. There’s lots of adjustability too, and you’ll need this to get accustomed to the bike.

8 / They are loud. Very loud. The H2 R is reckoned to hit 130dB at peak, so if you’re expecting to rock up to a trackday and have a great day buzzing everyone, then that’s not going to happen – unless you come out here to Qatar again. Akrapovic is developing a can for the H2 R that should quieten things down to a more respectable 107dB.

9 / All the important bits were designed in house, not bought in. This is because Kawasaki wants to grow its knowledge base here, to produce a new range of bikes using this technology. The H2 has been a buttering up exercise to get us used to superchargers!

10 / You can still buy one! The H2 is a production model, built on its own line in the Kawasaki factory. But the UK still has two H2 Rs available for sale. You want one? That’ll be £22,000 for the H2 and £41,000 for the H2 R please!

Read more about it in the next issue of Fast Bikes!

Win BSB Tickets for Silverstone! – Enter by Sept 28th!

FB have teamed up with the Tsingtao MV Agusta BSB squad to offer you guys the chance to experience the racing from an altogether more luxurious perspective. We have two sets of a pair of weekend tickets up for grabs, for the Silverstone round on the 2nd-4th of October. But you won’t only just get through the gate, you’ll also get a tour of the MV garage, meeting both riders and machines up close and personal, and also gain access to the team’s hospitality suite all weekend, too. Can’t be bad at all, eh? And considering Tsingtao’s line of business, there may be a beer or three in it for you…

Go see the delicious F3 up close!

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of these tickets, just answer the following question:

Tsingtao beer is made from what kind of hops?

1: Yeast Hops

2: Rice Hops

3: Bunny Hops

Email your answer in a mail titled ‘BSB Ticket Competition’ to – fastbikesletters@mortons.co.uk or letters@fastbikesmag.com by the 28th of September.

New 2016 Bell Stars

Countless hours of testing went into the development of Bell’s new Star helmets, it says, from state-of-the-art wind tunnels for optimized aerodynamics to road testing. The Scotts Valley, California-based company says it tapped into several of its top ambassadors for their input, including racers Cameron Beaubier, Jake Gagne, Josh Herrin, William Dunlop and Gary Johnson.

The Pro Star is the top shelf item in Bell’s 2016 Star Series, followed up by the Race Star, made for the racer with a day job, says Bell: “It provides the same level of rider protection in a more affordable package”. Rounding out the series is the plain old Star, which “is built from the Pro Star pedigree but delivers performance at a price point the everyday rider can appreciate.”

The bottom line looks like this:

Pro Star:

• FLEX Impact Liner
• TeXtreme Shell
• Virus CoolJade Anti Bacterial Liner
• Panovision Shield with Class 1 Optics
• Magnefusion Magnetic Cheek Pads
• RaceView Orientation

MSRP: $1,199.95 – $1,299.95

Certification: Snell M2015, DOT, ECE 22.05, AS/NZ Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

Race Star:

• FLEX Impact Liner
• 3K Carbon Shell
• Virus CoolJade Anti Bacterial Liner
• Panovision Shield with Class 1 Optics
• Magnefusion Magnetic Cheek Pads
• RaceView Orientation

MSRP: $699.95 – $749.95

Certification: Snell M2015, DOT, ECE 22.05, AS/NZ

Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

Star:

• Tri-Matrix Composite Shell
• X-Static XT2 Silver Liner
• Panovision Shield with Class 1 Optics
• Street Orientation
• Bell 54 Cheek Pads

MSRP: $449.95 – $499.95

Certification: Snell M2015, DOT, ECE 22.05, AS/NZ

Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

Your VIRUS CoolJade power mesh liner is said to reduce skin surface temperatures up to 10 degrees F, and the new Panovision Viewport offers additional vertical and lateral visibility.

The Pro Star pulls its “Flex Impact Liner” from its top-of-the-line dirt counterpart, the Moto-9 Flex. Its “progressive layering” technology – a system of three unique protective materials – is “designed to deliver Bell’s most comprehensive level of protection.” Its carbon shell is reinforced by “TeXtreme”, an ultra-thin carbon fiber weave said to be 20 percent lighter than conventional carbon fiber, making it one of Bell’s lightest and strongest shells ever. Lastly, the Magnefusion magnetic cheek pad system is designed for easy washability and enables emergency responders to easily pull out the pads before taking the helmet off an injured rider, reducing the chance of neck injury.

The Race Star has all the same features except the TexTreme shell. The Star gets the new Panovision shield at least! Bell is one of the only helmet makers to offer Transitions shields for its helmets, which is worth trying all by itself. The new line-up should be available early in the new year, says Bell, at select retailers and online.

Yamaha Teases New Three-Wheeled Vehicle

It’s been a busy news day on the Yamaha front as the Tuning Fork company previews some new models for the Tokyo Motor Show. With electric motorcycles, retro beginner bikes, cars, and even autonomous biker robots, what more can Yamaha have in store for Tokyo? How about another leaning three-wheeler?

Yamaha released a teaser image showing another leaning multi-wheeled vehicle based on the Tricity platform. Yamaha has made it clear the Tricity was just the first in a new family of leaning trikes. Earlier this year, Yamaha showed off a couple of concepts called the03GEN-f and 03GEN-x, and patent filings show Yamaha considered another variant moreTMax-inspired styling.

The new teaser shows a sportier-looking model with some R1-inspired styling. Like the Tricity, the new concept model has two wheels at the front with a suspension mechanism allowing it to lean. Unlike the Tricity, however, the new model places the suspension on the outside of the two front wheels instead of on the inside. This may mean the two front wheels are closer together, which may suggest more agile handling than the more pedestrian Tricity.

We’ll have more information when Yamaha releases further details at the Tokyo Motor show at the end of the month.

Source :Yamaha

Yamaha Resonator125 Concept A Retro Bike For Beginners

Yamaha announced a new 125cc concept designed for new riders looking for a blend of the future and the past. Set to debut Oct. 29 at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, theResonator125 concept shares similar styling to the SR400 but in an even smaller package.

The name “Resonator” suggests a connection to Yamaha’s roots as a musical instrument maker. The chrome fuel tank and tail are contrasted by wood grain panels similar to the texture of acoustic guitars while engravings on the fuel tank cap, exhaust and various other parts were done using a method typically used on brass wind instruments.

The old-school styling belies some modern touches. Yamaha is saving details for the Tokyo Show, but the company says the Resonator125 uses an innovative instrument panel assembly. Looking closely, we can see the back of a very thin display about the size and shape of a smartphone with what appears to be a digital camera mounted over the headlight.

As for the engine, all we know at this point is it is powered by an air-cooled 125cc Single that looks similar to the new powerplant introduced on the Saluto 125 for the Indian market.

We’ll have more information once Yamaha reveals more details at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Watch A Bugatti Vitesse Fight Superbikes On The Street

With over 1,000 horsepower coming from its 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 powerplant, there aren’t many cars on the planet that can keep up with the Bugatti Veyron Vitesse. But what about a bike? These guys just pitted the French hypercar against a BMW S1000RR and the results are pretty interesting. If nothing else, the video shows that piloting a bike like this requires balls of steel. That much speed of two wheels is simply insane. But we love to watch it.

Kawasaki to Upgrade Ninja ZX-10R in 2016

Kawasaki is primed to up its literbike game in 2016 with a revamped, “WSBK influenced” Ninja ZX-10R. A press release and teaser photo, posted on Kawasaki’s European website, comes about a month before a scheduled media launch in Barcelona, where the green machine will be put in the hands of journalists for its first shakedown.

It’s been four years since the ZX-10R received a major overhaul, and in that time Kawasaki has gone from struggling in the World Superbike championship to its current status as the brand to beat. Kawasaki is keen to emphasize that the gains enjoyed on track are being implemented in this newest iteration of the ZX-10R, stating in the accompanying press release that it possesses “a direct link to the Superbike that Tom Sykes successfully campaigned to secure the 2013 WSBK Championship…and that was subsequently honed to take Jonathan Rea to such success in the current season.”

The Japanese manufacturer provides a few hints to watch for, including a redesigned cowling shape. Kawasaki also touts a “comprehensive upgrade of the suspension components and the adoption of a premium grade braking system” as being new for 2016.

In MotoUSA’s recent Superbike Track Shootout the ZX-10R grabbed third place overall. Our testers praised its stability and predictable, linear engine performance, but also noted its sometimes vague feel in the corners as well as its relatively basic braking package and heavier feel compared to its high-spec rivals. Suspension and braking performance left testers wanting more when riders took the machines out to the street, where the ZX-10R placed last, so upgrades in these departments promise to make the package more competitive. Engine work to liven performance and addressing the tall gearing of the bike (another point of contention for some of our test riders) would be welcome as well.

Yoshimoto Matsuda, Project Leader for KHI, said of the new ZX-10 in the press statement: “This is not a ‘clean sheet’ design as the current Ninja ZX-10R is such a good base to develop from. With the new model we have focused our development resources on an overall engineering and performance improvement. We are proud of the result; it means a significant advance in terms of both chassis and engine performance as well as providing the platform to introduce new, state-of-the-art rider aids and other technology.

“The input the KHI development team has received from the Kawasaki Racing Team, and riders, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes has created what we are sure many will feel is the most competitive and potent Ninja ZX-10R yet. A motorcycle equally at home on the race track or as a highly responsive daily riding road machine.”

Stay tuned for more details and a First Ride review of the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.