Third Video Teaser for Supercharged 2020 Kawasaki Z H2
Latest Teaser Video Confirms Kawasaki Z H2 Name
Kawasaki released another video teasing its latest supercharged motorcycle, showing a glimpse of the bike’s silhouette and confirming it will be called the Z H2.
UPDATE: a reader tipped us off about leaked photos of a Kawasaki Z H2 still in its crate, posted to Z900Forum.com. The pictures show gray colored bodywork with a red trellis frame that does not appear to match the frame of either the H2 or H2 SX.
From this side view, the Z H2 indeed appears to be a naked Ninja H2, lacking the aerodynamic fairing and employing a headlight unit resembling the look of Kawasaki’s Z models. Behind the small flyscreen, we can see upright handlebars that are higher than the controls on either the H2 or the H2 SX.
The fuel tank has a different shape than either of the existing H2 models, while the tail section curves upward at a similar angle to the H2, suggesting they may use the same subframe as opposed to the flatter but more substantially reinforced subframe found on the H2 SX. Unlike the H2, however, the Z H2 has a pillion seat and passenger pegs.
But let’s go back to the bike’s name for a second. While there was speculation that the model might borrow names from Kawasaki’s past such as H1 or Z2, (some even posited the name Z1000, despite the name still being used on an existing model in Europe), the “Z H2” name seems a little, I don’t know, lazy perhaps. But when you consider how Kawasaki names its models, Z H2 shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Z1000, for example, is the naked version of the Ninja 1000; same goes for the Z650 and Ninja 650, the Z400 and Ninja 400, and, in markets outside North America where they are sold, the Z125 and Ninja 125. It seems obvious, then, that for this new model, Kawasaki simply swapped “Ninja” for “Z” to change the Ninja H2 to Z H2.
Barring another teaser video, we’ll have to wait until Oct. 23 when the 2020 Kawasaki Z H2 debuts at the Tokyo Motor Show for more information.
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