Kawasaki's Ninja line has long been the go-to for premium, high-speed motorcycles, and with good reason. While all these bikes are speed fiends, they are also painstakingly crafted to be high-end machines sure to turn heads wherever you take them. Whether you're starting on one of the brand's friendlier entries like the Kawasaki Ninja 500 and 650 or boldly ripping down a track on the more demanding Ninja H2R, the build quality shines through. Given the sheer number of bikes on offer here, it's only
right that fans pit a few of them against each other to see what features they come with and how they perform. Two of the most talked-about and frequently compared are the Kawasaki Ninja ZX and Ninja H2.
Right off the bat, the biggest difference between these two bike lines (yes, each has several models under its banner) is that the Ninja ZX belongs to the Supersport line, while the Ninja H2 is classified as Hypersport. From this distinction, you can already tell that the Ninja H2 is a faster motorcycle. But to put it into perspective, a track-modified variant of the Ninja H2R is capable of reaching 248 miles per hour. In contrast, the Ninja ZX-14R, which ranks the highest in the ZX category, only manages 186 miles per hour (with Kawasaki's limiter installed). The numbers make one thing clear: the Ninja H2 lineup plays in a different league, but speed is only part of the equation.
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The Speed Limiter Makes All The Difference
While dissecting the H2 and ZX categories, let's start by acknowledging that both are home to some of the fastest bikes in Kawasaki's overall catalog. So, even if the H2 has the faster bikes, it doesn't mean that the Ninja ZX's lineup is by any means slow. As stated, the fastest bike among all these beautiful machines is the Ninja H2R, which features a 998cc, 4-cylinder, supercharged engine. The second best, especially when considering speed limiters, is a tie between the ZX-14R, which has a 1,441cc, digitally fuel-injected 4-cylinder engine, the Ninja H2, which features a 998cc, 4-cylinder supercharged engine, and the H2 SX, which comes with a same displacement engine as the H2 but with a balanced supercharger. These three motorcycles are limited to 186 miles per hour.
However, things start to change if you're lucky enough to get these bikes' Engine Control Unit (ECU) flashed to bypass the restrictions set by the limiter, which essentially rewrites the bike's factory programming, removing Kawasaki's electronic speed cap. In such a scenario, the H2 surpasses the ZX-14R at about 210 miles per hour. Interestingly, drag racing champion Rickey Gadson was able to hit 229 miles per hour on a modded H2 in 2017, a clear indication of what the H2 is capable of under the right circumstances. On the other hand, a modified ZX-14R typically tops out at closer to 200 miles per hour before hitting its speed limit.
The Ninja ZX Is Cheaper Than The Ninja H2
The remaining ZX models are tamer than these four bikes, but still have something that might catch your eye. One of the main reasons to consider one, aside from the fact that they are still blindingly fast, is the price, which is more affordable across the ZX lineup compared to the H2. The most affordable in the group is the ZX-4R, with a relatively accessible starting price of $8,999 MSRP. Next is the ZX-6R at $11,399, the Ninja ZX-10R at $17,799, and finally, the ZX-14R at $17,599 (all prices exclude the destination fees).
On the other hand, the Ninja H2 bikes carry heftier price tags, ranging from the Ninja H2 SX's $29,100 to the Ninja H2's $32,700, and the beastly Ninja H2R, priced at an interesting $59,100 (all excluding destination fees). Similar to the Supersport and Hypersport groupings Kawasaki has assigned to these bikes, the price points are another indicator of which bike category has speed demons in its ranks.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
