Launched only last year, Kawasaki Ninja H2R is the epitome of innovation and engineering on two wheels. Powered by a 998 cc four-cylinder supercharged engine, which delivers peak power of 300 hp, it is twice as powerful as any street legal motorcycle on offer in the world today.
Kawasaki claims that Ninja H2R has a top speed of 380 kmph. But no one has never really achieved that speed on this beast. Majorly because to attain top speed on this machine you will need a long straight road.
Previously recorded top speed of the Ninja H2R is 348.2 km last year on an empty runway. At that time it managed to achieve that speed by making a run of 1.6 kms. Now, Kenan Sofuoglu, 31-year-old Turkish professional racer, who as of now is the most accomplished racer in the Supersport World Championship, gets behind the Ninja H2R in an attempt to set a new top speed record – 400 kmph.
Kenan started training, while his team started scouting for the perfect road where they can do the speed test. After a couple of weeks, the team found the perfect road. About 50 kms away from Istanbul, a new bridge across the Gulf of Izmit. Research revealed that an early morning attempt will have the best chance of achieving 400 kmph.
Kenan trained for 4 long months. He had to achieve the top speed in under 30 seconds, because after that the chances of tyre bursting are high. Watch the video below to see his attempt.
Kenan managed to successfully take the H2R to a top speed of 400 kmph wearing his special leather suit. Below is his official statement after the record run –
“I reached 400 km/h, the maximum speed that this motorcycle could have, after a 4 long months of training,” commented the WorldSSP superstar just after breaking the record. “I do not remember where I got this idea of the record from first, but when I signed the agreement on 2016 with Kawasaki, I liked and wanted so much this special edition bike. When I asked for the motorcycle, Kawasaki said its maximum speed was 380 km/h and that their dream was to reach 400km/h. The first time I rode it, I felt its huge power and speed, and I made small changes to the motorcycle – keeping its original settings – and did not modify it. I reached 390 km/h in my last trials and today I beat this and reached 400 km/h. I was planning to do this speed attempt for the opening but we had to catch the best weather conditions and so we did it at 5:00 am. The top speed we get to in the world championship races is about 300 km/h, so 400 km/h is a really high speed. It was a dream to reach this speed and thank god I made it. I currently hold the top place in the World Championship, and my next dream is taking the World Champion title the fifth time.”
