You read that right. This is not an H2, it’s an H2R, modified to be street legal. If you’ve, up until now, been confusing the two, let’s be clear: we’re talking about two different animals here. The Kawasaki H2 is the relatively mass-produced version of the bike, with headlight, taillight, turn-signals, a mere 200hp, and an exhaust that won’t deafen your neighbors when you start it up in your driveway. The “R” version of the bike was in no way road-legal, lacking all of the above and arriving at your door with an extra 100+hp, a set of slicks, and an ear-splittingly loud exhaust what will deafen your neighbors. While they’re on vacation. In another state.
The seller addresses this, but it’s worth noting that the guys at Performance Bikes Magazine weren’t even able to test the H2R in the UK, as it won’t meet the dB limits at any of their test tracks in stock form. So while a quieter exhaust sounds sacrilegious, tracking down a quieter (?!) Akrapovic intended for the H2 road bike might not be the worst idea, depending on your local gendarmerie.
And unlike most of the bikes you’ll likely see at your local bike night, all that surm und drang actually signifies something: 35psi of supercharged, four-cylinder fury. Seriously: the seller claims a dyno-tested 321hp for this bike.
The H2 in either form isn’t really a beautiful motorcycle, but that “dark chrome” reflective paint looks very trick, like you can see your evil twin lurking in the fairing and that single, hooded projector-beam headlight gives the bike a ton of cyclopean presence in the flesh. It’s like the designers said, “Well, we like what Bimota is doing, but their bikes just don’t have enough sharp angles and dangerous-looking projections.” The only way they could have made the H2 look more sinister would be to have added actual spikes and blades to it. Or maybe a flamethrower… Nevermind: the H2R appears to already have one of those fitted. Of course, the main thing the fins and projections on the H2R are likely to hurt is your wallet: the carbon-fiber canards on the nose will set you back a cool $1,500 each to replace if you accidentally tip the bike over, or hit a seagull at 200mph.
It’s compact, but the H2R isn’t particularly light or nimble: it’s 475lbs with fuel, but with that kind of power on tap, you might not really want it to steer too quickly. Obviously, this bike may raise some red flags with your local DMV, depending on where you live, but who cares? If you can afford this bike, you can probably afford to grease the right palms to register the bike, or can just carry a wad of cash so you can bribe any public officials you run into. Or you know, just run away from them.
From the seller: Street-Legal 2015 Kawasaki H2R for Sale
VIN 46. H2R #10. Dyno’d at the factory @ 321.1 HP. 772 trouble free miles. Conversion works just like the standard H2; turn signals, horn, lights, fans etc. All added electronics are still under warranty (not that you’ll need it). Obsessive compulsively detailed and maintained to the letter. Oil and coolant last changed at 602 miles. Fuel used always 94 octane or higher (ethanol-free, no power boosting additives EVER or oxygenated fuel) – no ethanol-blended fuel was allowed to sit in the bike for more than 24 hours per Kawasaki’s instruction. Service hour meter hasn’t moved yet – meaning the chances of you having to do any more maintenance than you would on a standard H2 (or any motorcycle) is ABSOLUTELY ZERO. (Its fifteen hours OVER 8K RPM for the first scheduled checkup – no maintenance – and 30 hours over 8K for actual service. If you ever see that day it’ll be decades from now and your adrenal gland will be deflated from overuse). Increased maintenance on the H2R is an internet myth.
Mods besides the conversion; the DNA air filter, lithium battery, Expel tank wrap and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC’s. Comes with everything including the takeoff slicks, untouched gift box, extra oil filter, lifting straps, tire warmers, shirt still new in the bag etc. Has a clean Ohio title and current registration good until 6/2017. Depending on your location the only caveat is the stock exhaust. Dealing with it would be no more/less difficult than if you bought a regular H2 that’s had its exhaust modified. The stock H2R system is glorious but if you need to pass smog/noise requirements in your location for the sake of registration you could either buy the Akro setup or swap it for a take off stock H2 exhaust. California’s requirements are likely too stringent (unless you have a ‘buddy’) but any of the other 49 should be a walk in the park. I rode it all summer and never got hassled by the cops once…and I was really trying.
I’m willing to provide post-purchase technical support up to a year for the modifications should you have any trouble (you won’t). I’ll also give you the STL file for the headlight mount and a spare pre-cut Xpel wrap for the tank (I have a template).
For more conversion info and pictures please see the thread here;
The street legal H2R conversion thread.
Here’s the eBay ad from when I ran it;
Why am I selling it? Same reason I considered selling it last year; to convert another one. I’ve got a deposit on a 2017 and plan to convert it over the winter to keep my YouTube channel going. If that weren’t the case this bike would never, ever, never, ever, ever be for sale. Ever.
When you ride it, if you don’t immediately find religion or use the F word, I will gladly take it back.
Asking price? I don’t have any clue what the market is since a street legal H2R has never been sold before. It brought $67K when I ran it on eBay 6 months ago and I know from experience I’ll have at least 70K in the 2017 by the time I’m done converting it. I’m not having a fire sale and I don’t really need to sell it – but – I also don’t need two H2Rs. I’m not intentionally being obtuse but really the market is going to dictate it’s value, not me. If you’re serious, lets talk about it.
The original H2 was an affordable musclebike from the era of cheap gas, a bike that was all engine, with a frame, brakes, and a gas tank added almost as an afterthought. The new H2 is a cutting-edge dream bike, meant to showcase Kawasaki’s engineering might and capability of out-of-the-box thinking. It offers up the blunt-force appeal of the original, with big helpings of technology and high-spec components so that owners can live long enough to parent a whole new generation of Kawasaki addicts.
So what’s this one-off monster worth? Well, an original H2R sold for $53,000 in 2015. In the minus column? Well, it loses maybe a couple points from a collectability standpoint for not being completely original. In the plus column? It’s possibly the only bike of its kind in existence and is really what the roadgoing H2 should have been from the start. As the seller says: make an offer. It’s clear from the description that this bike is about as perfect as it’s possible for it to be, has been meticulously maintained, and is probably one of the fastest road-legal bikes on the planet.
-tad
