Kawasaki Ninja H2R has no direct rival in the Indian market and has been strictly built for track usage
Kawasaki has announced the prices for the 2021 Ninja H2R in India. The track focussed motorcycle has been tagged at a whopping price of Rs. 79.90 lakh (ex-showroom) which is Rs 4 lakh dearer than the outgoing model. Since it has been built exclusively for track enthusiasts, Ninja H2R gets no headlights, turn indicators, rearview mirrors or a pillion seat.
Aerodynamic Design
Over the same styling of its predecessor has been carried forward. This includes notable design highlights such as aerodynamic winglets, sharp front fairing, rider-only saddle and a single-sided swingarm. The aerodynamic blades are positioned in a place that is otherwise occupied by wing mirrors.
The single-sided swingarm allows the exhaust muffler to be mounted closer to the bike centreline instead of adopting an underbelly design. The sports bike wears the same Mirror Coated Matte Spark Black paint just as the previous iteration of the motorcycle. Being a track-only bike, it is offered with an extremely committed riding posture hence features supporting pads on the saddle as back support to the rider during acceleration.
Dynamics ALA-MotoGP
For a litre-class motorcycle, it tips the weighing scales at a mere 216kg making it extremely nimble with a fuel tank capacity of 17 litres. The new Ninja H2R rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels on both ends which are wrapped around by 120/600 front and 190/650 rear sections of rubber. The steel Trellis frame underpinning H2R has suspended on 43mm upside-down forks at front and an Ohlins TTX36 gas-charged mono-shock at rear- both fully adjustable, which perform suspension duties.
The motorcycle also benefits from an additional Ohlins electronic steering damper. Braking hardware comprises dual 330mm disc brakes at front chewed by four-piston Brembo M50 Monobloc calipers and a single 250mm rotor with two-piston Brembo caliper at rear. The sophisticated track-friendly dynamics are aided by a very powerful motor underneath.
Lightning Performance
The motorcycle retains the same 998cc, inline four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that pumps out 306 bhp at 14,000rpm and a peak torque of 165 Nm at 12,500rpm. The provision of a ram air intake pushes the peak power output to 322 bhp.
This engine is coupled with a six-speed gearbox which benefits from a slipper and an assist clutch along with a bi-directional quick-shifter for super aggressive shifts. The engine required unleaded petrol with an octane rating of RON95 or higher.
Performance is further aided by a plethora of ride-aided electronics controlled by a six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sourced from Bosch. The IMU setup consists of cornering ABS, a multi-level Traction control system, slide control, launch control, wheelie control, and engine brake control. Additionally, the IMU gets a bank angle display and a recording function for maximum bank angle on the instrument cluster.
