the supercharged ride of your life
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welcome to the
ultimate
Words: Ross Burridge Photography: Double Red
thomas bell
test ride andy sharp
Imagine an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas where you become one of the first people in the world to ride the awesome, all new, Kawasaki Z H2 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Sound like a dream? – Well, that was a reality for two of our lucky Club Kawasaki members who I took to the States earlier this year as winners of our “Ultimate Test Ride” competition.
Two lucky Kawasaki riders won the chance to sample the Z H2 in a dream ride in Las Vegas
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fter a competition was launched at Motorcycle Live last year in which customers were asked to submit a thirty second video of themselves telling us why they should be chosen, the eventual two worthy winners were Andy Sharp and Thomas Bell! Both Kawasaki fans (owning a Ninja H2 SX SE+ and Z1000SX respectively), you can imagine their excitement of being invited to this memorable event. When I arrived early one Monday morning in February at Heathrow airport, I found two very eager Club Kawasaki members desperate to find out what exactly we had in store for them…
Andy Sharp “I just couldn’t believe I had won! I’m such a huge Kawasaki fan, and had never been to Las Vegas before, so to combine the two and get to experience behind the scenes of an event not normally open to the public was just fantastic!” Thomas Bell “The chance to ride a Supercharged motorcycle on a banked circuit was out of this world! Kawasaki UK and Kawasaki Europe put on such an awesome event, it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life!”
200bhp of naked joy in an all-expenses trip to Las Vegas? Oh yes!
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orldwide new model press introductions are usually for members of the motorcycle press only and produce the images and articles you read in publications such as Motorcycle News, Fast Bikes magazine etc. However, for the first time ever customers of ours from across Europe were invited to join the final group of this historic event and truly experience what it was like to become a journalist for a few days. Thomas and Andy not only got to ride the new machine alongside the journalists, but experienced everything that goes on at a launch from meeting the Z H2 Japanese Project Leader to having direct access to a technical team tending to their every need as the machine was set up just for them. It wasn’t all about the bikes though, of course they needed a little R&R to acclimatise to the time difference! So I
set about taking the guys on a tour of the famous Las Vegas strip, visiting Fremont Street, experiencing the New York New York rollercoaster and we even squeezed in a memorable helicopter ride over the sensational Grand Canyon! Suitably relaxed, we arrived at the awe inspiring Las Vegas Motor Speedway ready to feel 200BHP of Supercharged excitement. Not content with just providing this riding experience, the track also happened to be right next to a US Airforce base, meaning that the riders were treated to the full Top Gun experience of riding bikes with fighter jets flying overhead! The Z H2 really is a bike for many different types of rider, as Andy and Thomas found out. Just as capable on track as it is on the road, whilst a Supercharged 200BHP sounds intimidating, they found out it really isn’t.
Andy Sharp “What a day! I had never ridden on an oval track before, but I want to again! The Z H2 is fantastic, so fast when you want it to be, but really composed too. It handled both the slow speed and high speed sections with ease. I want one!”
When in Vegas it would be rude not to enjoy the views over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter and watch the dancing fountains at the Bellagio hotel
Thomas Bell “The mid-range power this bike has is phenomenal, it makes it so easy to ride with minimal gear changes, even though you actually want to change gear with both the super smooth quickshifter and beautiful chirp chirp sound of the Supercharger resonating through your helmet!”
“The mid-range power this bike has is phenomenal” 31
“The route back to the hotel was genuinely the best ride I have EVER had on a motorcycle!�
Thomas Bell “That bike just keeps surprising me! With all the talk about Superchargers and 200BHP, we knew it would be a weapon on track, but out there, at relatively slow speeds on normal roads it works just as well. The route back to the hotel was genuinely the best ride I have EVER had on a motorcycle!” Andy Sharp “I have ridden a few track days in my time, but most of my riding is done on the road, so as much as the Speedway was amazing I was really keen to try out the Z H2 on the road. Due to the strict rules in the State Park, the speed limit was quite slow, but it just enabled us to really zone in on what the bike was doing and how it worked at a more sedate pace. It was a dream to ride through such beautiful landscape on such a well behaved machine. Can we go back please?”
VIP experiences had, memories made, job done!
Kar Lee
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whisked the guys back to the Mirage Hotel and a couple of hours were spent on the Roulette table looking back on a brilliant day, whilst hoping the following day would be equally as epic. It was. The Valley of Fire is arguably one of the most breath-taking State Parks in the United States, strewn with beautiful red coloured rock formations. This set the scene for the road riding element, where both Andy and Thomas rode an awesome stretch of winding smooth tarmac, on closed roads, posing for the professional photo and video team as they passed by. Access was then granted to the private Kawasaki website which gave them a selection of stunning images they can show off to their biker friends for ever more! It turned out that they enjoyed the bike on normal roads just as much as on track!
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ll that remained for myself and my two lucky guests was a ten hour flight back home to the UK, but they had had the time of their lives! I have worked at Kawasaki for nearly fifteen years and have been lucky to experience many “money can’t buy” experiences and it was truly brilliant to take a couple of great Kawasaki customers on this trip. It was a first for Kawasaki to invite customers to such an event; will we do it again? That remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Thomas and Andy are left with lifelong memories! The new Z H2 is an amazing bike, just ask the guys, but why don’t you go one step better and try one for yourself by heading to www. kawasakitestride.co.uk and booking a test ride with your local Kawasaki dealer? Ok, so it won’t be in Las Vegas, but trust me, you’ll love it. n
ZH2: DISCOVER MORE TRELLIS FRAME
LED LIGHTS
All the lights – including the headlamp, taillight as well as turn signals and license plate lamp – are equipped with LED bulbs. Low power consumption and high durability improve maintainability while providing high-light intensity and high illumination.
Able to harness the full power of the supercharged engine, the Z H2’s specially designed frame offers a combination of highspeed stability and light handing that facilitates control when riding in the city or on twisty roads – seemingly contrary characteristics. The compact frame, an ideal basis for the form of a naked model, has a high-level balance of stiffness and flexibility, allowing a wide range of riding situations to be tackled.
ENGINE
The DOHC 16-valve 998 cm3 In-Line Four Balanced Supercharged Engine generates a high maximum power of 147Kw (200 PS) while also being lightweight and compact. It produces intense acceleration unlike anything a naturally aspirated engine can provide.
INSTRUMENT DISPLAY
The instrument panel comprehensively displays various information on the full-colour TFT LCD screen. It also has functions that can help you manage daily vehicle operating status and schedule for long distance riding. Display functions include a digital speedometer, gear position indicator, shift indicator, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel gauge, remaining range, current/average fuel consumption, outside temperature, coolant temperature, clock, Economical Riding Indicator, IMU indicator, KIBS indicator, boost pressure and boost temperature.
BRAKES
The front brakes are gripped by Brembo M4.32 monobloc calipers. Machined from cast aluminium blocks, their highly rigid one-piece structures boast strong braking force. The calipers are radially mounted, further contributing to their high performance.
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