Rumours, hearsay, skinner – call them what you will, but you can’t ignore them. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is keeping mum about any future supercharged two-wheeled offerings they may have in the pipeline, but you can’t shut the media up, and word is spreading that there will be more tasty greens with plenty of beefsteak coming our way – possibly at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of this month. What is known, though, is that the factory has registered a “Kawasaki R2”trademark, and Japanese motorcycle magazine Young Machine claims that it’ll be a lower-spec version of the H2. Then, the rumourmongers mutter in muted tones, there’s also the S2 which they conjecture will be loosely based upon the current 650cc Kawasaki twin-cylinder engine as used in the ER-6 and Versys range.
“The Kawasaki Ninja R2 resembles the Ninja H2 in almost every aspect and comes across as a red variant of the mirror paint finished supercharged motorcycle,” says Motoroids.com
“That being said, the new Ninja R2 is rumoured to be an affordable supercharged motorcycle and is likely to carry a relatively cheaper price tag than the Ninja H2. Kawasaki has already trademarked the R2 nomenclature so a motorcycle with the same tag is confirmed to enter the market. However, we are not sure whether it will be a cheaper alternative to the Ninja H2 or something completely different altogether. The second motorcycle that the folks at Young Machine are claiming to be on its way from the Japanese two-wheeler maker is a middle-weight motorcycle which will get a supercharged shot in the arm. Tagged as the S2, this rumoured motorcycle (supposedly has) a 600-650cc power plant and is likely to draw its design from the Ninja 650. A naked variant, based on the ER-6n is also rumoured to follow.”
So, imagine a middleweight machine with bucketloads of power and torque, that’s also fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. The technology is certainly there, and it works well in small cars that deliver big-car punch. We don’t know if there’s any truth in this, but can’t wait to find out more…
THIS ARTICLE IN NO WAY REFLECTS THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF KAWASAKI MOTORS SOUTH AFRICA. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE MERE SURMISAL BY THE AUTHOR BASED UPON RUMOUR AND HEARSAY!
by Gavin Foster.