Ninjette Newsbot
September 30th, 2014, 08:21 AM
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled.jpg?itok=5xV8BM3z
Kawasaki officially pulled the wraps off its much-anticipated 2015 Ninja H2R at Intermot, and the bike didn’t disappoint. Although detailed technical info is pretty sparse at this stage, there were some specifications listed with the photos provided by Kawasaki’s US subsidiary. And the bodywork-off shots help show features that explain much of the bike’s build.
Interestingly, the H2R is designed for racing purposes only, with Kawasaki’s press info stating that, “Although the Ninja H2R will be a production motorcycle, its huge horsepower means it is only available as a closed-course model. Fitted with slick racing tires, it may not be ridden on public roads and should only be ridden by experienced riders.” So how much horsepower will the new Kawasaki be putting out in order to be described as “huge”? Kawasaki is claiming a power output in the realm of 300 hp, the highest power claim of any production motorcycle to date. And this comes from a 998cc inline-four engine.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled1.jpg?itok=7RuYJYNS This frontal shot of the Ninja H2R shows the numerous aerodynamic airfoils designed to increase stability at speed, with the entire fairing assembly made from carbon fiber. Note the lack of headlights, the cavities having been transformed into ram-air intakes for the supercharger system. The H2R is for closed course use only.
In order to achieve that prodigious power output, Kawasaki turned to supercharging, a form of forced induction that hasn’t been applied to production motorcycles yet. Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ vast industrial complex (http://www.sportrider.com/kawasaki-heavy-industries-far-more-just-motorcycles)includes an aerospace division that is one of the world’s foremost designers and developers of turbine technology, with most of the jet engines in use today using parts made by KHI. This experience with turbine design surely played a part in using a centrifugal supercharger, rather than the more common scroll (aka Roots type) or twin-screw-type designs.
The biggest advantage to the centrifugal supercharger is that it generates less heat than the other designs. Compressing air causes it to heat up, but instead of compressing the air in a fixed manner like the other positive-displacement designs (the term positive displacement describes the fact that those superchargers only compress a fixed amount of intake charge with each revolution), the centrifugal supercharger “naturally” generates its pressure by accelerating and then slowing the airflow via the compressor's internal design.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled4.jpg?itok=LJh21E5V This rear bodywork-off shot shows the "gearbox" for the supercharger, as well as the plenum leading to the aluminum airbox. Note the steel trellis frame allows a very narrow build; the single-sided swingarm is a first for Kawasaki as well. Tires for the closed-course-only H2R are Bridgestone slicks, with a 190/650 R17 in back and a 120/600 R17 up front.
Because it generates less heat in the intake charge, there is less need to cool that intake charge before it enters the combustion chamber, requiring a bulky assembly in the motorcycle’s intake system where space is at a premium. The Ninja H2R’s supercharger was “designed specifically for this application and completely in-house” according to Kawasaki.
Also notable is that the supercharger appears to be driven directly off internal gears within the engine. Patent applications from Kawasaki revealed a design using a two-speed gearbox for a supercharger, which allows the unit to spin at high speed at lower rpms for better torque and then switch to a lower speed at higher engine rpms for better efficiency and flatter torque curve.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled3.jpg?itok=yrWyYzZi Although the Ninja H2R features a taillight, the bike is intended for closed course use only and is not street legal. The rear tail section/seat assembly is all carbon fiber and self-supporting; there is no rear frame subsection. The exhaust is titanium full-race unit, since there is no need for a catalyzer and other emissions-related items.
Another unique feature (at least with a Kawasaki) on the H2R is the use of a steel trellis frame rather than the now-conventional aluminum twin-spar chassis. Designed using the latest “analysis technology” according to the press release (likely meaning finite element analysis software that allows engineers to simulate structural stresses in design), the steel trellis frame uses minimal space in its construction, a key feature with an engine that requires a bit more space like the H2R’s. Also notable is the usage of a single-sided swingarm pivoting in the crankcases, another first for Kawasaki.
The influence of KHI’s Aerospace division is further displayed by the Ninja H2R’s fairing, made entirely of carbon fiber. Numerous airfoils, including large ones positioned in the spots normally occupied by mirrors, are employed to “increase stability” in the “ultra high speed range,” according to Kawasaki. It’s notable also that the tail section—also made from carbon fiber—is entirely self-supporting, as the bodywork-off shots show their is no rear subframe attachments.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled2.jpg?itok=0nnQB6ZC This shot shows the carbon intake runners that lead from the headlight nacelles directly to the supercharger positioned behind the engine. Brembo's latest M50 calipers bite down on 320mm discs for maximum stopping power.
No price was listed for the H2R, and although the press material states that the bike is "a mass-production model", we're hearing that the new Kawasaki will be limited to 500 units worldwide. For those fretting about the fact that the H2R isn’t street legal, fear not—Kawasaki states that the street version (designated the H2) will be unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan in November. Stay tuned for more information as we get it, as well as a full story with more in-depth analysis of the H2R in the next issue of Sport Rider Magazine.
Click here for full story... (http://www.sportrider.com/sportbike-news/kawasaki-officially-debuts-2015-ninja-h2r)
Kawasaki officially pulled the wraps off its much-anticipated 2015 Ninja H2R at Intermot, and the bike didn’t disappoint. Although detailed technical info is pretty sparse at this stage, there were some specifications listed with the photos provided by Kawasaki’s US subsidiary. And the bodywork-off shots help show features that explain much of the bike’s build.
Interestingly, the H2R is designed for racing purposes only, with Kawasaki’s press info stating that, “Although the Ninja H2R will be a production motorcycle, its huge horsepower means it is only available as a closed-course model. Fitted with slick racing tires, it may not be ridden on public roads and should only be ridden by experienced riders.” So how much horsepower will the new Kawasaki be putting out in order to be described as “huge”? Kawasaki is claiming a power output in the realm of 300 hp, the highest power claim of any production motorcycle to date. And this comes from a 998cc inline-four engine.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled1.jpg?itok=7RuYJYNS This frontal shot of the Ninja H2R shows the numerous aerodynamic airfoils designed to increase stability at speed, with the entire fairing assembly made from carbon fiber. Note the lack of headlights, the cavities having been transformed into ram-air intakes for the supercharger system. The H2R is for closed course use only.
In order to achieve that prodigious power output, Kawasaki turned to supercharging, a form of forced induction that hasn’t been applied to production motorcycles yet. Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ vast industrial complex (http://www.sportrider.com/kawasaki-heavy-industries-far-more-just-motorcycles)includes an aerospace division that is one of the world’s foremost designers and developers of turbine technology, with most of the jet engines in use today using parts made by KHI. This experience with turbine design surely played a part in using a centrifugal supercharger, rather than the more common scroll (aka Roots type) or twin-screw-type designs.
The biggest advantage to the centrifugal supercharger is that it generates less heat than the other designs. Compressing air causes it to heat up, but instead of compressing the air in a fixed manner like the other positive-displacement designs (the term positive displacement describes the fact that those superchargers only compress a fixed amount of intake charge with each revolution), the centrifugal supercharger “naturally” generates its pressure by accelerating and then slowing the airflow via the compressor's internal design.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled4.jpg?itok=LJh21E5V This rear bodywork-off shot shows the "gearbox" for the supercharger, as well as the plenum leading to the aluminum airbox. Note the steel trellis frame allows a very narrow build; the single-sided swingarm is a first for Kawasaki as well. Tires for the closed-course-only H2R are Bridgestone slicks, with a 190/650 R17 in back and a 120/600 R17 up front.
Because it generates less heat in the intake charge, there is less need to cool that intake charge before it enters the combustion chamber, requiring a bulky assembly in the motorcycle’s intake system where space is at a premium. The Ninja H2R’s supercharger was “designed specifically for this application and completely in-house” according to Kawasaki.
Also notable is that the supercharger appears to be driven directly off internal gears within the engine. Patent applications from Kawasaki revealed a design using a two-speed gearbox for a supercharger, which allows the unit to spin at high speed at lower rpms for better torque and then switch to a lower speed at higher engine rpms for better efficiency and flatter torque curve.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled3.jpg?itok=yrWyYzZi Although the Ninja H2R features a taillight, the bike is intended for closed course use only and is not street legal. The rear tail section/seat assembly is all carbon fiber and self-supporting; there is no rear frame subsection. The exhaust is titanium full-race unit, since there is no need for a catalyzer and other emissions-related items.
Another unique feature (at least with a Kawasaki) on the H2R is the use of a steel trellis frame rather than the now-conventional aluminum twin-spar chassis. Designed using the latest “analysis technology” according to the press release (likely meaning finite element analysis software that allows engineers to simulate structural stresses in design), the steel trellis frame uses minimal space in its construction, a key feature with an engine that requires a bit more space like the H2R’s. Also notable is the usage of a single-sided swingarm pivoting in the crankcases, another first for Kawasaki.
The influence of KHI’s Aerospace division is further displayed by the Ninja H2R’s fairing, made entirely of carbon fiber. Numerous airfoils, including large ones positioned in the spots normally occupied by mirrors, are employed to “increase stability” in the “ultra high speed range,” according to Kawasaki. It’s notable also that the tail section—also made from carbon fiber—is entirely self-supporting, as the bodywork-off shots show their is no rear subframe attachments.
https://www.ninjette.org/sites/sportrider.com/modules/bonnier/sandcastle/images/placeholder.gifhttp://www.sportrider.com/sites/sportrider.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/2015_kawasaki_h2r_unveiled2.jpg?itok=0nnQB6ZC This shot shows the carbon intake runners that lead from the headlight nacelles directly to the supercharger positioned behind the engine. Brembo's latest M50 calipers bite down on 320mm discs for maximum stopping power.
No price was listed for the H2R, and although the press material states that the bike is "a mass-production model", we're hearing that the new Kawasaki will be limited to 500 units worldwide. For those fretting about the fact that the H2R isn’t street legal, fear not—Kawasaki states that the street version (designated the H2) will be unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan in November. Stay tuned for more information as we get it, as well as a full story with more in-depth analysis of the H2R in the next issue of Sport Rider Magazine.
Click here for full story... (http://www.sportrider.com/sportbike-news/kawasaki-officially-debuts-2015-ninja-h2r)