RideApart VIDEO: 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R, What's the Difference?

We recently had the opportunity to be amongst the first American journalists to check out the 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R. This American media launch was held at California Superspeedway, and Kawasaki let a select few journalists ride the H2 for limited track time on the road course.

READ MORE: The Future of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R, Deliveries Underway | RideApart

2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2 vs. H2R

See, the thing is that the supply for the H2 and H2R are so high and the production is so limited, even the media outfits are only allowed one bike per country (some having to share within their continent). This meant the US Kawasaki people were sweating bullets watching their only bike dragging pegs around the track.

READ MORE: Clearing Up the Rumors: Kawasaki Ninja H2 | RideApart

This was the launch for the H2, not the H2R—as that bike is even more limited with around 300 on the globe at the moment (Kawasaki won't openly give an exact number). We sat down with some of the engineers and examined the differences between the two bikes. The H2R is simply not an H2 with a different, more aggressive tune and stronger head gasket—far from it. It's, in fact, built in a special facility off the assembly line. All hand built with particular care, it took the plant roughly one business day to produce a single H2R.