Watch a Kawasaki H2R race bike hit 249 mph on a public road
The
Kawasaki Ninja H2R isn't like other motorcycles. While ridiculously fast bikes put out somewhere around 200 hp, this
$50,000 beast makes 300 hp. With that kind of power, it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that the bike isn't street-legal – that's what the road-going, 200-hp
H2 is for. The H2R was engineered to
dominate any race track and, as the video below shows us, is psychotically fast in a straight line.
The incredibly brave Kawasaki-sponsored motorcycle racer Kenan Sofuoğlu piloted the H2R to 249 mph on the Osman Gazi Bridge (also known as the İzmit Bay Bridge) in Turkey. Sofuoğlu is currently the rider with the most wins in the World Supersport series and now holds the H2R speed record for his run on the closed highway. The motorcycle screams all the way up to 249 mph – an indicated 400 km/h – in roughly 26 seconds.
According to an interview with
WolrldSBK, Kawasaki told Sofuoğlu that the H2R maxes out at 236 mph (380 km/h) and it was the company's dream for someone to hit 249 mph (400 km/h) on it. Incredibly, Sofuoğlu fulfilled Kawasaki's dream and it took him, and the H2R, less than 30 seconds to do it. The fact that Sofuoğlu hit that kind of speed on a closed public highway makes this run all the more impressive.
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