Kawasaki H2SXSE

[runnerhiker]

I bought one of these two weeks ago, I traded in my Kawasaki ZH2 so this is my second super charged Kawasaki in a row.

This is a great engine, I am ready to declare it the best engine of any bike I've ever owned.  It is smooth, it is powerful, it is torquey.  There are no drawbacks to this engine.

I made the trade to get the newest electronics, specially the electronic suspension.  I never could adjust the manual suspension on the ZH2 to my liking.

Price: more expensive than BMW's!  $27.5k without panniers and with a chain drive.  Panniers are another $1200.

Electronics:  on a par with BMW although there are some pluses and minuses.  It does not have self cancelling turn signals but it has everything else and more.  It has adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning on the rear view mirrors (like cars), forward collision warning, cornering lights, vehicle hold assist, keyless fob, quick shifter, heated grips (no heated seat), traction control.  About 190 miles to low fuel light.

Kawasaki has chosen to go with the TFT navigation on this bike, similar to the BMW's with the 10" TFT.  It sucks, I don't like it, it's even a little worse than the BMW which I also don't like.  Garmin is not loosing any sleep at night in fear of these new navigation methods.

The ergonomics are more sporty than I like, I already put bar risers on it which makes it similar to my RS before bar risers on it.

It is an absolute hoot to ride!  I am really enjoying it.

   
   
   

[darrell]

That is the perfect color for that bike.  Love it.  Bet eventually that RS will be least rode of the herd in the garage.

[Grumpy Goat]

This is a great engine, I am ready to declare it the best engine of any bike I've ever owned.  It is smooth, it is powerful, it is torquey.  There are no drawbacks to this engine.

Can't beat a Japanese engine for smoothness and refinement. They have perfected these characteristics and there are some of us who appreciate that. These are the most endearing features of my Tracer's triple. That said, the RS's engine's lumpy roughness is part of its character and suits it well.

Electronics:  on a par with BMW although there are some pluses and minuses.  It does not have self cancelling turn signals but it has everything else and more.  ... About 190 miles to low fuel light.

The lack of self-cancelling signals would be a non-issue for me since mine take so long to cancel that I always manually cancel them anyway. The features included in your Kawi are nice and the price is for the exclusivity that the supercharger provides.

Also the fuel economy is decent if you are getting 190 miles before the light comes on with a 5 gallon tank. That is about the same as my Tracer and way better than the S1000R I used to have.

Kawasaki has chosen to go with the TFT navigation on this bike, similar to the BMW's with the 10" TFT.  It sucks, I don't like it, it's even a little worse than the BMW which I also don't like.  Garmin is not loosing any sleep at night in fear of these new navigation methods.

I don't think Garmin has anything to worry about when it comes to a go / no-go decision on GPSs. I have heard no good reports regarding navigation using built-in systems that are based on manufacturer's apps - cars or motorcycles. Also, the advantage of the purpose-built GPSs is the legibility (brightness and size) especially for people whose eyes are aging, not to mention the lack of reliance on cellular signal for those not using downloaded maps. Sure you can rig up a bracket for your Nav VI, which is what I did for the Tracer - works great (as long as the Nav VI behaves, but that is another issue).

Thanks for sharing the photos and the follow-up.

[mspratz]

Congratulations Ron, looks like an awesome bike!

[MrVvrroomm]

Ron, can I ride it?

[runnerhiker]

Ron, can I ride it?

Yes, you bet.  Come on over.  It's redlined at 12k rpm, at about 10k it'll give your Tesla a good run for its money.

[runnerhiker]

Bet eventually that RS will be least rode of the herd in the garage.

I think you'll be right about the RS getting the least rode, I was thinking about that.  and I don't have a good explanation.  But I think it goes something like this:  the RS is still great, it's still the one bike I would keep if I could only have one, but when it comes time to go for a ride, the other two are more interesting.

[runnerhiker]

Wayne, re GPS. I love Apple Car Play in the car, it is the best, both of my cars have a built in GPS and Apple Car Play. If I need navigation to go anywhere, I'll use my phone and Apple Car Play because it is so easy to enter a destination into the phone, much easier than entering anything into any GPS.

With the BMW app, you can enter a destination into the phone and have the bike's TFT take you there - that's ok but using a phone while on a bike is still a no go. The Kawasaki app won't let me do that, I would have to enter a destination using the TFT, one letter at a time. THAT'S RUBBISH! We all want Apple Car Play on our bikes TFT but that's currently not available on BMW or Kawasaki. I already voted with my wallet on my K1600 GT, I installed a Zumo XT on it.

[Liteitup]

Ron, can I ride it?

Ditto!

Holy smokes!

WOW!






congrats!!

[Grumpy Goat]

Wayne, re GPS.  I love Apple Car Play in the car, it is the best, both of my cars have a built in GPS and Apple Car Play.  If I need navigation to go anywhere, I'll use my phone and Apple Car Play because it is so easy to enter a destination into the phone, much easier than entering anything into any GPS.

We have Apple Car Play in my wife's Golf and I do like it there. I was recently tempted by a low mileage 2019 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport ES DCT and one of the features that interested me was the Apple Car Play. But someone bought it before I could get over to have a test ride.

[runnerhiker]

At 1500 miles, a brief update.

This bike now has the smallest chicken strips of any bike I have ever owned. Something about its nature and how it works fits me better than anything else I have owned. And I have owned some that, on paper, are more sporty than this bike, specially a Honda CBR1000RR and a Honda VFR 800. It came with Bridgestone S22 sports tires and they work great in dry Colorado canyon roads; but are terrible in black asphalt snakes on the road.

The adaptive cruise control has one unusual feature: it detects bicyclist on the shoulder if I am riding on the right hand side of my lane. Since I am going 60 mph and they are going 20 mph, it hits the breaks pretty hard. But since I've figured this out, I move closer to the centerline, on the left hand side of my lane, and then everything is ok.

It's a pleasant surprise that I am getting 45 mpg and I get a range of 190 miles before the low fuel light comes on.

In general, the electronics work well, but ease of use is a notch below BMW. There is no magic wheel nor joystick (like KTM).

It weighs 590 lbs but it feels like the 525 lb RS. It's very easy to put on the center stand, it's easy to move around the garage, it's easy to slow ride around a gas station.

I am pretty happy with it.

[Grumpy Goat]

Nice update. Especially surprised at the fuel economy.