Kawasaki H2 sets world speed record at Bonneville
The production model achieved the incredible speed in the hands of Team 38
A KAWASAKI H2 has cemented the Japanese manufacturer’s position as king of supercharging after taking the world speed record for production supercharged motorcycles under 1000cc at Bonneville Speed Week.
On August 14 the Team 38-run H2 achieved an incredible speed of 211.621 mph (340.571 km/h), followed by a return run of 207.263 mph (333.557 km/h). The average speed of the two runs – 209.442 mph (337.064 km/h) – was enough to secure the P-PB 1000 class win.
Despite being an independent team, Team 38 have a few tricks up their sleeves – namely its cohort of Kawasaki engineers and test riders. It was inevitable that they would achieve impressive results at the Bonneville Salt Flats, despite the challenging circumstances. Due to the slippery salt surface, the engineers needed to find a way to suppress rear wheel spin, while the rider required a high level of skill to keep the bike on track. And due to the ‘production’ status of the class, modifications were severely limited, making the base performance of the bike extremely important.
