Suzuki Hayabusa vs Kawasaki Ninja H2R: Battle of The Bests from Japan

The comparison between Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja H2R is like that of apples and oranges. But then, the actual question boils down to this – which is the best Japanese motorcycle one can buy?

Both the Suzuki Hayabusa as well as Kawasaki Ninja H2R are indeed G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all times). The Suzuki Hayabusa recreated all the benchmarks of sport biking when it arrived first towards the beginning of the 21^st century with excellence in all the parameters. On the other hand, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R redefined the rulebook of super sport biking by something which was never heard before in the world of motorcycles – a supercharged engine.

The Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja H2R might be the best motorcycles coming out from their respective makers, but which one is the better of the two? This is one question which will be answered here. Please give this story a read.

Price

Compared to the reasonably priced Suzuki Hayabusa, which retails for Rs. 16.40 lakh, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R can be yours for a whopping Rs. 79.90 lakh. The excessively steep pricing of the Ninja H2R makes it the most expensive motorcycle currently available in India.

Engine and Performance

The engines of both the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja H2R are considered to be engineering marvels. However, the engines of both the motorcycles perform drastically different when it comes to the way they deliver power and torque across the entire rev range.

The Suzuki Hayabusa is powered by a 4-stoke, liquid cooled, inline four, 1340cc engine, the maximum power output of which is rated at 190 PS @ 9,700 rpm. Torque, on the other hand, is 150 Nm @ 7,000 rpm.

The 4-stroke, liquid cooled, inline four 998cc engine of the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is entirely different in character. It might be smaller than the engine of Hayabusa by almost 342cc, however, it makes much more power and torque outputs – 326 PS @ 14,000 rpm and 165 Nm @ 12,500 rpm respectively.

Undoubtedly, the power and torque outputs of the Ninja H2R project it as a much more powerful motorcycle over the Hayabusa. It surely gets the added advantages of supercharger and forced ram air induction technologies, both of which are not there in the more old-school Hayabusa.

However, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is a track-oriented motorcycle with full blown performance levels, something which will not be usable in road legal conditions. It is where the Suzuki Hayabusa comes into picture, with its more usable torque band, with the motorcycle having enough pulling power from speeds as low as 30 km/h to 300 km/h.

The taller gearing of the Hayabusa makes it more relaxed motorcycle to ride compared to the Ninja H2R. However, if you truly want to have an uncompromised track riding experience, the Ninja H2R with its out-worldly specs, is truly an unmatched king.

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Exterior and Dimension

The Kawasaki Ninja H2R, with its wider body, shortened wheelbase and length and lower kerb mass, projects itself as a suitable track tool. However, the longer wheelbase, length, lower seat height and lower ground clearance make sure that that Hayabusa gives a much better touring experience – something which the Ninja H2R is actually not permitted to do as well.

Design and Features

While the Suzuki Hayabusa looks more like an evolution of the now-legendary silhouette of the previous two generations of the model, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is still in its first generation with very minute changes introduced in all these years in the form of new paint schemes.

The sport tourer stance of the new third generation Suzuki Hayabusa is now well complemented with new-age features like LED lighting all around, revised all analog instrument console with a small TFT MID in between and exhaust pipes on either side.

The first glimpse of the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is enough to tell you that it is a motorcycle meant purely for tracks – no functional rear fender, no pillion seat and no wing mirrors (there are winglets in their place). All of these changes, along with a streamlined body, make it an aerodynamic design as effective as that of the Hayabusa, if not in the same sense. The Ninja H2R comes still comes with an array of modern features like LED headlight and part-digital instrument console with analog tachometer.

Chassis and Riding Aids

This is one area where the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is miles ahead of the Suzuki Hayabusa. The Hayabusa now gets a decent list of aids like cornering ABS, 6-axis IMU, bi-directional quickshifter, engine brake control, 10-level traction control, anti-lift control and different riding modes. However, the Ninja H2, while having all of these, also packs in cornering management function, back torque limiter.

Compared to conventional inverted front forks and rear monochock with double sided swingarm of the Hayabusa, the Ninja H2R gets a more premium setup in the form of 43mm inverted front forks and Ohlins TTX36 gas charged monoschok with single sided swingarm at the rear. The suspension travel in Hayabusa is longer for aiding in its touring capabilities and more practical urban rides, both of which are not the fortes of the Ninja H2R.

Verdict

Both the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja H2R are poles apart in their overall characters. While the Suzuki Hayabusa is a much more practical motorcycle with friendlier ergonomics, pillion seat and more usable performance on roads, the Kawasaki Ninja H2R is a more track-oriented machine with bonkers performance and over-the-top packaging in every aspect – be its list of electronics or its specifications.

While the Ninja H2R is a true-blue track bike with no-compromise attitude, it simply is not fit for legal road use, something which a Hayabusa can do easily. Adding to it, the Hayabusa is no slouch too when it comes to riding on tracks, havig enough poke to be in the league of other big bikes. This makes the Hayabusa a better and an obvious all-rounder over the Ninja H2R.

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