Supercharged Kawasaki Sport Tourer Coming

[Spud]

https://www.motorcycledaily.com/2017/10/kawasaki-will-introduce-supercharged-sport-tourer-next-month-with-video/

 

[El Toro]

Some may remember the days when several companies offered bikes with boost. Barber has several on display. There was also st least one Wankel powered bike.

Maybe this is Kawasakis answer to the new Euro emissions regulations. Like Ford - use boost instead of displaced volume to get your peak power.

 

[Craigar]

Interesting, just the insurance rate hikes alone for a supercharged motor. Has me already giving up my spot in line to another potential buyer. But the hooligan in me is very interested in seeing what they unveil. I look forward to following this thread.

 

[dcarver]

I sure hope it's better than the 650 Yamaha Seca. JSNS!

Oh, my bad, that was turbo.

Never mind!

 

[FJRay]

I sure hope it's better than the 650 Yamaha Seca. JSNS!
Oh, my bad, that was turbo.

Never mind!

I'm surprised you don't have one in your collection. They went pretty good with the boost up. Just don't try to stop or go around a corner.

 

[El Toro]

The Seca 2 was not turbo, and it was a nice little bike. I think it was the XJ600S.

I used ride mine with a guy who had an SV650. It was always neck and neck. Even at full throttle.

 

[Niehart]

Turn up the boost to 10 or 11 lbs and it was a lot of fun in a straight line. Not so much fun when it kicked in on a corner.

 

[Ludwig61]

https://www.motorcycledaily.com/2017/10/kawasaki-will-introduce-supercharged-sport-tourer-next-month-with-video/

I'm betting a 650 Ninja as the base bike. Build it off a 1000 and they'll cannibalize Concours sales.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Turn up the boost to 10 or 11 lbs and it was a lot of fun in a straight line. Not so much fun when it kicked in on a corner.

Fabulous. I had an 82 Seca Turbo, professionally painted black. (It had the free Yamaha fix to increase power. Washer welded into one exhaust exit, and an updated pressure relief valve). And you are spot on with your assessment. Twist the grip, watch the boost gauge, and get ready for the slingshot. In that way, it was like riding a two-stroke. Get caught in the wrong gear, and your buddies would leave you for dead. And yes, awful in the corners. Plus, I'm pretty sure the brake pads were oak or maple, maybe hickory. Standard procedure when coming into a corner hot was to bang a couple of downshifts and slide the back tire a little bit, since the brakes were so poor.

Amazingly, the riding position is unbelievably close to that of the FJR. Slight forward lean, nice seat/bar/peg position. Better wind protection on the Turbo, too. They blended the front turn signals into the outer edges of the fairing, right in front of where the grips are. Tank bag and soft saddlebags, we toured many fun miles together. Thanks for the memories!

 

[Walter]

I just wonder with more brands offering a high HP touring bike what will be Yamahas and Honda's responses to keep up with the HP war? I could easily see one or both companies either upping the power or keeping cost down and going for a more cost centric market.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Remember, they are not supercharging a 1300cc motor to make 300bhp in an ST bike. As said above, I'd bet it's a 650 or 800cc motor with the SC added to bring it around 140+/-. Superchargers are different than Turbos in the way they deliver power. BUT, look at what the cat manufacturers are doing. 2.0L turbos, and Ford's Ecoboost in a 3.5L Turbo, even in the F150s and Raptors. What I'd like to see is a 6.2L turbo that makes around 600bhp, but that would kill the powerstroke market. The bigger motors are making close to the same HP numbers as the small turbo versions, and at Ford, many like the 5.0 over the Ecoboost. Simpler motor, and no spooling time.

Naturally aspirated engines will be relevant for a very long time. Hell, even the MPG figures aren't that much better for SC and turbo engines. Also, SC and turbo engines require premium fuel. Personally, sometimes, I think it sounds cooler than it really is, most of the time. JMHO...

 

[Walter]

The article I read said their gonna use a retuned h2 1000cc. The h2 street model pushes 200 hp so even a retune for flatter touque and good rideing could still mean 160 to 180 hp if the 1000 cc mill is used.

 

[Craigar]

Here's a link I found.

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2017/october/kawasaki-supercharged-ninja-h2-sx/

 

[Old Guy]

https://www.motorcycledaily.com/2017/10/kawasaki-will-introduce-supercharged-sport-tourer-next-month-with-video/

I'm betting a 650 Ninja as the base bike. Build it off a 1000 and they'll cannibalize Concours sales.

I read in another article that Concours production has been stopped. Does that mean it's being discontinued?

 

[Walter]

Yes concourse production did stop due to euro emisions requirements. Forced induction, direct injection and higher compression ratios help to overcome it. Several bike companies that sell in the EU market have discontinued several bikes or revised the engine's to meet euro 4 standards.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.motorcyclenews.com/amp/news/2016/january/mcn-plus---emissions-impossible-what-euro-4-really-means/

 

[xcsp]

Kawasaki has the Concours 14 listed for 2018 on their website.

https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2018-Concours-14-ABS