Less power for next supercharged Kawasaki Ninja?
Kawasaki’s supercharged Ninja H2 has been with us for over a decade now and led the charge past the 200hp mark for superbikes – but the next version could be reined in to bring its emissions into line with European standards.
The H2 started life with a mere 147.2kW (197hp) but was ramped up to 150.8kW (202hp) in 2017 and a whopping 170kW (228hp) in 2019. That’s still the version offered here in Australia, but the bike was dropped from European markets with the introduction of Euro5 emissions rules.
Now type-approval information in the USA, which also currently gets a full-power version of the bike, suggests it’s set to be hauled back for 2027, adopting the same engine spec as the Kawasaki Z H2 and Bimota Tesi H2 and reverting to 147kW/197hp, just like the very earliest Ninja H2s.
The approvals have been filed with both the EPA and California’s Air Resources Board, both showing the same changes and that both the standard H2 and the higher-spec H2 Carbon are included in the update.
While that means the Ninja may be set to have its power reduced, it’s a logical move on a global scale. The Z H2’s lower-powered version of the supercharged motor is already certified to the latest Euro5+ emissions standards required in Europe, so bolting the same powertrain to the Ninja H2 will enable it to return to the market over there, substantially widening Kawasaki’s opportunities to sell the bike.
The documents don’t reveal whether there will be other changes to the Ninja H2 alongside the engine swap, although after more than 10 years on the market it wouldn’t be surprising if there are tweaks to the styling or other specs.
