KAWASAKI NINJA H2 SX (2018 - 2022) Review

Seat poor Suspension good when you learn to set rider mode Automatic suspension settings not bad Brakes feel lacking in initial bite but do work well Rear brake less so but ok The seating position is perfect for me @ 6 foot 15 stone with a better seat would be all day comfortable. Nice compromise between sport and tourer. No factory option or comfort seat. Not the best for pillions again a surprise for sports tourer the angle between seat and pegs being the problem.

Hard to fault, plenty of power, and really goes when the supercharger kicks in. A pussy cat up-to 6000 rpm ballistic over 8000rpm. Really nice feeling on and off power. Personally not interested in remap for more power there’s plenty for the road and the bikes weight makes it a handful in the tighter stuff. Surprised by the economy averages high 40s when you’re not too aggressive

No issues

Not yet had annual service Bike feels well engineered and built Feels special to own and ride Seat could be better for a sports tourer

The SE plus has all the extras but the dash is a little fussy to change settings love the accessories point on the dash and the screen is effective. Like the centre stand, heated grips and analogue rev counter. Screen very good and clear to read. Luggage fits well and is secure. Slightly odd shape make for an odd load but they blend well with bike and no issues at speed. Quick shifter effective but chain needs correct adjustment for it to be good rather than average. Chain adjustment easy but no standard tool from Kawasaki which is appalling for a bike if the cost and ability. S21 tyres work well and last once warm lasted me nearly 4k but trying the pilot road 5 next for year round use.

Its not mega adventure bike comfy but compared to a sports bike its absolutely fine for a good few hours. Rear brake is poor, front brake very good. Handling/ ride can be adjusted to perfection

Should be 6 stars . Have a decent remap to sort the Euro 5 nonsense out and the true bike is revealed. Its got monstrous power but all the rider aids to help you stay alive. Having a super charged bike is cool and is always a talking point, having a bike that has 230 bhp is also very cool and fun.

Everything about this bike shouts quality and it rides and feels like a premium bike. Don't spend 20k on one . Mine is 3 years old , 5k miles full service history for less than a new bog standard ninja 1000 sx .no brainer .

Great used buy . Decent MPG if riding under 8k rpm . Insurance was only £90 more than a much cheaper slower Honda Crosstourer.

Has most things I want and a few id never use. Needs back lit switch gear. Quickshifter is amazing . TFT dash is the best out there . The bike does it all and then some.

Its not super comfortable compared with a adventure bike but compared with a sports bike it's like a sofa. Handling is superb and suspension can be set to perfection. Rear brake is weak front brake is amazing .

Ok let's set this to rest a £400 remap / ECU FLASH has made my bike 230 BHP. It has the Akropovic exhaust on and it would blow a ZZ1400 / busa off the road. You can bearly hold on to the beast if you explore the redline. It can easily be tuned for more power too. So people saying its not as fast as a ZZ1400 / Busa are mislead. Its heaverly restricted from the factory for Euro 5 . Undo that and it becomes the bike it should be. I've owned a ZZ1400 and a Busa by the way and the H2 SX SE is so much better and modern, it feels lighter more agile, the electronics are in the modern era and it also looks like a modern bike should. As for speed and the super charger chirping away etc there is nothing like it on the road. for an all round bike its incredible. I paid less for a 3 year old 5k milage H2 SX se than a new normal bog standard Ninja 1000sx costs. No brainer to go for a lightly used second hand H2 sx se, its so much more bike for the money. No I'd never buy a new bike that's 20k but you don't have to, a lot of 20k bikes are brought and hardly used. Most Ducati's are 20k + these days. Crazy.

Its a very high end expensive bike and it's built like one . Looks and feels classy . Quality is as good as anything on the road.

For such an exotic bike the running cost are very reasonable. Fuel economy is better than my old and much much slower V4 Honda Crosstourer. Insurance is also very good.

Everything you need . Quick shifter is brilliant. Traction control, lean angle Abs etc. TFT screen is the best out there with an analogue rev counter- perfect in my mind. Only thing I'd like is back lit switch gear.

Can't complain. Covered 1000 miles and spent 5 hrs in the saddle, befor butt started getting a little numb. Was soft on the rear, so increased the preload to 4/5th the max (20 of 25 Clicks). As mentioned I'm a heavy fellow.

Legendary. Or will be. Easy at low revs, great pickup and midrange. Also no need to change gear when on the move and is happy at 30 in top gear and pulls really well through the rev range.

Mine had 8.7k miles,band is showroom condition. Not a hint of a rusty bolt and I've already removed the fairings to check. Fingers crossed it'll all stay that way.

I had a Ducati Multistrada 1200s before this bike and let me assure readers, in comparison to that, this is sooo much cheaper. Fluids, oil, filter, air filter, brakes are all easy for a DIY job. All bike owners should be able to do this. My Ducati cost me on average 500 a year with belts alone costing over 300 a time.

Lack of blue tooth. It's a tourer. Would have been nice especially as blue tooth isn't exactly new technology. On an 18k bike, this could have and should have been included on the 2018 model.

I've fitted BST carbon wheels which makes the bike noticeably lighter and more flickable. It's a great "do everything" bike that you can ride to the Alps in day then spend the week running the passes before riding home in a day.The adjustable suspension is surprisingly good and the front brakes are excellent. The rear brake is however, pretty disappointing.

The engine is stunning with endless grunt from nothing to the red line. I've had mine flashed to remove the throttle restrictions above 9,000rpm and it now delivers almost 220bhp. Lots of character despite the almost electric motor type delivery.

After 2 years and almost 16k miles it still looks great. No paint or corrosion issues.

Very expensive to buy new. Running costs include the big/expensive 15,000 miles service. It's a lot of money but it's a lot of bike.

So many electronics that you need a 12 year old to explain what you need to do to reset the trip meters. :-) The headlight is mediocre but the the rest of the equipment is good. The luggage is great and fits well on the bike. The OEM tyres wore not great but the Michelin Road 5s I have fitted are great for the bike.The seat is uncomfortable after as little as an hour! For a bike that does touring so well it's a real shame Kawasaki cocked up on such a simple thing.

Very good suspension set up as standard and good brakes. Comfort seat isn't comfortable!

Amazing engine but slightly rough and strange racing tickover sporadically.

Paint thin and had faulty ignition replaced under warranty as well as a few factoy recalls.

Servicing can be pricey, shop around. Insurance can be high, again shop around. Eats rear tyres.

Everything except built in sat nav.

bike very comfy did tour of Spain no problem or discomfort brakes fantastic

performance outstandingly good throughout the rev range problem on idle and slow speeds appeared after 3000 miles dealers not able to cure

finish and build very good no problem anywhere

servicing very expensive only one year roadside recovery and only covered in UK and not Europe

loads of good electronics Bridgestone tyre well up to job would have liked tyre pressure monitoring and a navigation system as an option (bike is a sports touring)

The rear brake is pretty weak on these.

The engine is as good as you'd expect. A little jerky at low speeds on fueling.

Slight corrosion on some of the fasteners.

Running costs aren't too bad. Original back tyre was squared off by 3500 miles.

The dash is clear and informative. The heated grips are effective but the operation is very confusing with one button for three settings.

Super smooth with loads of power.

Not done the big 15,000 mile service yet but 7,500 was reasonable.

Loads of extras and a good TFT dash.

Electronic suspension is a dream, once you've had it its hard to go back to a bike without. Brembos give more bite & stopping power than standard, a lot more confidence inspiring.

Super smooth, super quiet, super quick with the whirr & chatter of the supercharger. Dialling in your own settings on power, engine braking, throttle response etc makes the ride bespoke to you. Quick shifter still isn't the best, but is a blast once you've learned when & when not to use.

Generally quality is amongst the highest of all Japanese makes. Still a tad off BMW & Ducati, but not far. Exhaust downpipe will discolour quickly if used in inclement weather.

Its a lot of money for a bike, but its in a field of its own so hard to rate for value. Like all hyper bikes it'll eat rear tyres... 1500 to 2500 miles.

Pretty much all the toys in the shop. Being picky... No tyre pressure sensors.

Fantastic engine and handling (for a bike this size). Brakes cant tell much difference from last years model despite Brembo upgrade but nice to have some bling effect.

Supercharged what's not to like

Little behind latest from BMW hopefully Kawasaki will continue to develop the Rideology App

Ride quality is 2nd to none comfort 1st class at warp speed and for such a heavy bike you dont notice. Brakes are bang on I mean they stop this 260kg bike better than my 2018 R1.

Robust design and the occasional glimer of exotic over enginered parts. Kawasaki heavy industries haven't let us down in its brilliant build quality. A lot of bike for not alot of money.

Ride economicaly and the Bridgestones will last but ride like a dick the they wont.

Super charger is wow factor sounds awesome and delivers performance.

I can ride my ZZR1400 at least 600 miles in a day, with the H2 SX, nearer 350-400miles a day. Ride quality is ok, but that vague front end is scary at times. Tips in quicker than a ZZR1400, but as they both weigh the same, they corner similarly. Brakes are ok, too.

Hmm, being supercharged it pulls from tickover, but, it isn't as fast as a ZZR1400 no matter what anyone says. They maybe a tuners dream, but you could turbo a brand new ZZR1400 and still have change from the price of a standard H2 SX SE, and way more power. The engine isn't anywhere near as smooth as a ZZR1400, either. Quite a let down considering the hype.

As with any Kawasaki I have owned, the quality and reliability are second to none.

About the same as any other large capacity bike.

Plenty of equipment IF you buy the H2 SX SE.

I don’t think electronic adjustable suspension would improve it. On my MTS I used to switch it from Sport to Tour to soften it. But the throttle on the Kwak is smoother than the MTS sport setting so no need. Who bothered with urban anyway !!

Silk pure and simple on the throttle. Slams shut when shut. Thanks to Eurocrats. But much much less than the MTS I rode. The EBS helps:

Very well put together fit and finish, I’ll be fitting ZZR panels. Reliability — we will see!

3750 is too few miles but petrol usage is lower than a MTS.

What else can go on!

Not bad comfort wise, but I find the suspension very hard. Dialling it all down doesn't make an awful lot of difference. I find I do around the same mileage before a break as my previous bike, a tankful is fine before my knees hurt, but after that I can't go much further and I am used to riding all over Europe. Brakes are ok, they stop you well enough.

Well, rubbish compared to a ZZR1400 which is so smooth compared to this, which is more agricultural and low down grunt is crap. Maybe Kawasaki restricted these like they did the original ZZR1400.

As always, quality is high with a Kawasaki, but ride through the winter and you need to keep on top of cleaning and servicing like all bikes. Reliability is good with Kawasaki, I had two ZZR1400's over an eight year period with no reliability issues at all. More than 50,000 miles on them and not a single worry. I have no reason to believe that my H2 SX SE will be any different.

Value is terrible. £19,000 for this? I was mad, must have forgotten to take my meds that day. Anyone that buys one of these has more money than brains.

Only things I have have added are a sat nav and a Fenda Extenda. It has all the bells and whistles, but most of it is to sell them rather than any real world use.

Ride is superb. You don't feel the extra weight.

YES, it has been notably restricted by Kawasaki at the expense of making it a touring bike. And more practical. But what does that tell you about the engine?

This is the next level from the usual high quality from Kawasaki.

Insurance premium be a problem for some.

Love the colour TFT! 3-stage Heated grips! Quick shifter was effortless and seamless accelerating above 5000rpm. Downshifting very smooth from 6th down to 5th/4th/3rd. Cruise control very easy to use and works well. Wind protection was also very good.

A really nice stable ride, great handling & balance for the style of bike. Worth spending time dialling the suspension to your own taste.

Unfortunately it just seems so breathless low down in the range, then when the engine spins up the front wheel wants to lift. Hopefully this is something that will be addressed in future models. Quickshifter isn't the best, needs improvement.

TFT display is a bit overrated, not really sure the SE version is worth the extra, all things considered.