Long Termer: 4 months on a Kawasaki Z-H2 SE

Andy Bell updates on his thoughts on the Kawasaki Z-H2 SE after four months on test. If you missed Andy’s first impressions, read part 1 here and part 2 here.

When dropping the bike off for its first service with Kawasaki on a Monday morning, I was keen to get there early as this journey for me means travelling on a fair amount of the notorious M25. I was pleased to have arrived early as when I unloaded the bike in daylight I realised it could do with a bit of a clean and luckily for me, Bruce had left some R&G Waterless bike wash in the van from a previous group test. A few quick squirts and a buff up had it looking more respectable for the handover. Don’t get me wrong, I like a clean bike but spending ages on a deep clean isn’t for me when I could spend that time riding, so this product is mint for a light clean, although after reading this and realising I have it I may have to hand it back.

While the service took place, I was able to try out the new ZX-4RR from Kawasaki. I have to admit that when I first heard about the release of this new model I was very keen to try and get a few miles on one as I used to own a ZXR400 quite a few years ago which I was very fond of. This new model is the first 400cc four-cylinder sports bike to be produced in a few decades, and while I would rather go with a larger capacity machine nowadays, I wanted to see how it would fare compared to the older ZXR screamer just for nostalgic reasons. It wouldn’t be fair to compare this to the big Zed I`d just left behind due to the power being less than half, at just shy of 80bhp with ram-air, but what I did like is the big bike styling of this 400 and the dash is the same TFT I have on mine with the most important information larger than the rest on the display. The day I had set aside for riding was sunny but still damp from the previous night’s rainfall although I had enough time to get a bit of a feel for its potential. Unlike the ZXR I had in my youth, this comes with adjustable traction control and a quick shifter for both up and down shifts that didn’t miss a gear change, which was a nice surprise as I thought this might be a cheap option to keep cost low as the bike comes in at about £8700. The suspension felt quite composed mid corner however I did find the forks were keen to dive a little too much under harder braking. One thing that I did expect to find that both the old and new 400`s have in common is the need to work the engine harder to get the best from them and using the gears even more so when overtaking as this is better done dropping down a gear or even 2 if you are on it and not being able to rely on the torque as much as you can on a bigger bike. This did come into effect while cruising through a village at the legal 30mph when I saw a car tearing up behind. Knowing there is a long straight after said village I was sizing up the car in my mirrors to see if I needed to drop down a gear or give it 2, another option could be to just let the car do its thing and pass. See me out in a bar and I`ll fill in the blanks. If the ZX4RR was around when I first bought my ZXR as a teenager in the 90`s then I would definitely have considered it as a decent step up towards big bikes.

After picking up the Zed from its service a few days later it was good to be back on it. The weight was more noticeable just to start with after the 400 but I soon felt back at home on it. The service was straight forward with nothing untoward as expected, the usual oil and filter change, check over and next stop set at 7000 miles. First ride out after getting it back I had planned to try out the sport mode setting so after a few moments playing with the buttons I got it sussed and headed out. Both the road and sport modes have full power, and I found the increase in throttle response fairly marginal but the firmer suspension that goes with this setting wasn`t welcome on the roads I was on. It did make the ride a little less comfortable and I was a little less willing to commit into corners like I usually would. I`m sure that this setting would be great to have if the bike is on track or maybe even on some roads that are much smoother but to be fair, in road mode this thing is bonkers enough. As it was with the typical English weather, a cloudy day can soon turn to rain so inadvertently I managed to try the rain mode in the same day. After previously working out how to switch modes and remembering something I read on an owners’ forum, I was able to make the transition through the modes by selecting them on a closed throttle without needing to pull over to a stop. Theres no shame in using this setting when needed as there is still so much power and the bike felt so much smoother especially after switching straight from Sport that I was gaining more and more confidence despite the rain getting heavier. I was due to head back home soon but found myself heading further away just because I was appreciating the feel of riding the bike in these conditions. I did however get one big reminder of the lack of grip when passing a slow car, whilst a little too hard on the gas and crossing a white line it still managed to cause the rear to spin briefly giving me a kick up the arse for getting cocky before the traction control told me off. This wasn’t by any means a bad thing, it actually left me feeling that I would be happy to head off for a ride out anytime only checking the weather first to see what clobber to wear for the conditions.

The following weekend was looking good and as it is getting late in the year, I thought I’d make a last-minute booking for a night away with the Mrs at Scarborough with the ulterior motive of getting some time in around Oliver’s Mount. Most of you may well know about this place but for those that don’t, Oliver’s Mount is England’s only road race track, taking in 2.4 miles of very narrow (but in places scenic) public roads. It has been described by many as a mini TT with mass starts. It is definitely worth a visit to watch the racing as there are so many places to get so close to the action, which has to be seen to be believed. There is no official luggage options for the Z-H2 so after packing my well used backpack with the essential change of underwear, toothbrush and a bloody heavy chain for locking the bike overnight, we headed out for the 2 hour ride there. Getting to the not so luxurious accommodation, we both felt the need to get straight up to the road used for the circuit. As we were both still feeling ok from the ride up and still having just enough fuel left, we dumped the bag in the not so palatial room and headed straight up the hillside to get a few laps in. I must say at this point that I was aware that the whole of the road that gets closed off to make the circuit is normally a 30mph zone but I still felt the need to make the pilgrimage there and have a bimble around to see what it is like from the other side of the fence. Despite being limited to 30 mph it was great to have a ride around the tight and twisty road where many great names have raced and won over the years. Much of it is under the trees and by now leaves had started to fall and despite the sun being out much of the tarmac was still damp. I did contemplate switching to the rain mode I had recently tried but for what I needed to do the road setting was more than ok. I cannot really comment in detail about the bike’s performance around here due to the sedate speed of the public road, however of the 3 hairpins “Mere” which is the first corner on the course is one of the stand out places to watch as it is such a tight left leading to a steep incline “Sheene`s Rise”. The 137Nm of torque made light work of this sudden elevation change from such a slow corner where I have seen many bikes over the years needing to slip the clutch to keep the revs up.

The next morning, I did end up going for one last lap and grab yet another photo as I was in the area (it would be rude not to) before filling up and heading home. This day was a bit cooler and I was still in summer gear. I would have appreciated heated grips at this point which isn’t on the bike. There is a lot of bike here with many different features but I did spend much of the ride home contemplating what I would swap out from its repertoire for the more practical grips, lean angle display?, Launch control?. It is what it is and a decent pair of winter gloves can sort that so I can keep riding as the weather gets cooler which I am hoping to do before I have to hand it back over.