Kawasaki has always strived for motorcycle innovation focusing on critical areas like riding performance and engine durability. One of their key recent steps is introducing the supercharged engine which we see within the entire H2 range - capable of impressive performance and blood pumping power. We're deep-diving into the machine and its performance to review some of the remarkable engineering brilliance Kawasaki has achieved.
Scroll down for more on the H2...
"Everything in this project was difficult. Not any single part, but everything."
- Satoaki Ichi (H2 & H2R Project Leader)
Discover a new feeling of speed
The H2 range
The main aims of this engine were to give a true sense of acceleration and provide a wow factor that offers a fun-to-ride experience. Although the concept was simple, keeping in-line with environmental performance requirements meant conflicts in aspired designs. This meant the Kawasaki development team now needed to adapt and overcome. Adopting compressor technology for superchargers, Kawasaki was in development to create its own compressor to achieve new heights of motorcycle technology.
Turbochargers are commonly found within passenger cars, however because of the way these engines work it becomes difficult to achieve zero turbo lag. This means it is difficult to achieve the characteristics we would normally find and want from a motorcycle. Electric superchargers are available but require a large battery - too large in fact to be mounted in such a small space on the model. So for multiple reasons, a mechanically driven linear supercharger was selected and installed. The Kawasaki centrifugal supercharger is designed to be driven by the crankshaft, which is compact and lightweight, but has a high rotation rate - meaning it can quickly follow changes in the engine speed. Due to the complexity of the design of this engine, Kawasaki started to not only develop, but also manufacture their superchargers themselves - putting the quality control over machining, assembly, adjustment and performance into their own hands.
After producing the H2 revolutionary supercharged engine, the next step was to create a balanced version of the engine. Instead of focusing only on speed and power, Kawasaki decided to focus on fuel economy and torque within the low rev range. To do this, significant development within the compression ratio was needed from 8:5 to a more sustainable 11:2 balance. Extending from the compression ratio, Kawasaki needed to optimize the attack angle of the impeller blade to ensure a cooler running temperature was executed.
We see this balanced engine within the Z H2 - a model specifically built for road use and everyday travel.
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