Coming soon: Supercharged Kawasaki Ninja R2

A new Kawasaki Ninja R2 supercharged superbike for the masses is reportedly under development for 2017.

(Main image credit: MCN)

Japanese motorcycle powerhouse Kawasaki is reportedly working on a new supercharged superbike for the mass market that’s destined to debut very soon. Reportedly christened as the Kawasaki Ninja R2, it will see much of the manic Kawasaki Ninja H2 hyperbike’s forced induction technologies being applied into its powertrain.

Kawasaki insiders were cited in a recent report by MCN about this new supercharged offering from Team Green. The report also included a render that’s based on hints dropped by said insiders from within the manufacturer. Fuelling this too is the fact Kawasaki had filed trademark patents for several names that included the Ninja R2 amongst others.

Besides the confirmation of its supercharged powertrain, further details of the upcoming Kawasaki Ninja R2 are still scant for now. MCN’s report did highlight hints from insider sources from about the Ninja R2 being a supercharged middleweight bike with a capacity of just over 800cc. This would likely see it stand as an alternative to the current and popular crop of litre-class superbikes.

Adding to this possibility is Kawasaki’s disinterest of applying its supercharged engine technologies into the world of racing just yet. This would grant Kawasaki the freedom to develop a mass-market bike that is limited by typical litre-class conventions and trends or racing homologation requirements.

Though much of these signs are signalling towards a supercharged engine just over 800cc, MCN also reports of another version with a smaller could follow soon after to slot just below the Kawasaki Ninja R2.

The Ninja R2 will reportedly be the first from a series of three bikes that Kawasaki is allegedly developing that will adopt its supercharged forced-induction technology. Hints of this came as early as last year when the marque unveiled the Kawasaki SC-01 and SC-02 concept bikes, signalling Team Green’s plans on how widely it wishes to apply this technology through its offerings.

Furthermore, Kawasaki also unwrapped a second generation supercharged four-cylinder engine during the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Called the ‘Balanced Supercharged Engine’, it had a smaller capacity than the Ninja H2’s 998cc mill but had a bigger displacement than 600cc figure many initially predicted. Many believe this unit will power the upcoming Kawasaki Ninja R2.

The only question left is when will the Kawasaki Ninja R2 be unveiled to the world. Based on how long Kawasaki took from trademarking the Ninja H2 name and its actual revealing, best estimates suggest an unveiling towards the end of 2016, however we reckon it would only be shown next year in2017 instead.

Source: MCN