Is there a more glorious sound in the whole of the production motorcycle world than the whirl and chirp of a supercharged Kawasaki at full noise? If you haven't experienced this, you simply must, and the Japanese manufacturer's Z H2 hypernaked hoon machine makes that experience all the more accessible compared to the high-dollar H2, rich man's plaything H2R, and the saucy H2 SX sports tourer.
I'll be honest, the Z H2 is not the most powerful, lightest, best-handling or best-stopping hypernaked on the market, but with its supercharged 998cc powerplant, it is arguably the most entertaining, engaging and addictive. And the Z H2 is all about the engine, that marvellous engine. The supercharged inline-four engine makes 147kW-that's a bee's you-know-what short of 200hp in the old money-at 11,000rpm and 137Nm at 8500rpm. Power builds progressively and brutally from low in the revs, and when it hits 6000rpm the front end wants to point to the sky. It's addictively fast, yet smooth and refined-an everyday hooligan.
And then, as I mentioned, there's that sound. The chirp and flutter of the supercharger is utterly intoxicating, and if you're anything like me, you'll be holding gears longer or skipping the quickshifter just to hear the Z H2's glorious sounds.
The green trellis frame is eye-catching and tuned to provide a bit more flex than its H2 sibling, which makes it a far better and more comfortable roadster. It's by no means the class leader in the handling stakes, but it does handle well-ultra-stable mid-corner with loads of front-end feel. It needs some muscle in tight twisties or fast direction changes, and a softer-than-ideal rear end does lead to some understeer if you're aggressively powering out of corners. The rear suspension, like the front, is fully adjustable, but you'll need tiny hands and a miner's lamp to get to the adjusters. A small problem though, as most of the time if riders set up their suspension at all, they do it once and then forget it.
Front suspension duties are handled by a set of fully adjustable 43mm Showa SFF-BP forks that's going to be bang-on out of the box for most people. The forks are brilliant, and there is somewhat of a mismatch between the front and rear suspension performance and quality.
Braking is sorted with Brembo M4 Monoblocs up front and Nissin kit out back. As you'd expect from Brembo kit, the brakes are fantastic-again, not class leading-but there's good lever feel and power.
The Z H2 comes loaded with tech: a colour TFT dash, cruise control, cornering ABS, traction control, ride modes, lean angle display, Bluetooth phone pairing and more-all managed via the Rideology app if you're that way inclined. The dash is mounted high for easy reading, though the lack of backlit switchgear is a pain in the dark with such busy switchgear. Fumbling for cruise control on a night ride is no fun when you're trying to keep your eyes on the road.
There are four ride modes: Sport, Road, Rain and a customisable mode. You can adjust traction control on the fly, and switching modes is painless.
The ergonomics are solid. The upright, relaxed riding position is great for most riders, though taller ones may find their knees rubbing on the frame a bit. The bike looks aggressive and muscular and is uniquely Kawasaki.
Lighting is all LED, and the headlight looks mean. Low beam works well, but high beam doesn't add much. Small niggle, but worth noting if you do a lot of night riding.
In the end, the Z H2 gives you 90% of the H2 experience in a package that's comfier, cheaper, and more practical for day-to-day fun. Kawasaki's delivered a bike that's fast, refined, tech-heavy, and dripping in character. You'll keep riding it just to hear that damn chirp again-and isn't that what riding's all about?
