Kawasaki’s Ninja H2R is no less absurd today then when it was released to the world two years ago. It’s the most powerful production motorcycle ever sold (a claimed 326 horsepower if you’re getting lots of flow through the ram air intake) thanks to the supercharged 998cc engine, but you’ll only see it on racetracks or closed public roads. Here are two videos that show the best of times and the worst of times.
It was the best of times: Kenan Sofuoglu (Supersport World Championship rider) took a stock H2R with a special REV’IT suit and special Pirelli tires across the Osman Gazi bridge. The bridge is 1.5 miles long and within that distance Kenan was able to hit an indicated 249 miles per hour (400 km/h), though I don’t see any independent confirmation in terms of GPS/radar/etc. Still, he was able to do this in 26 seconds – or three seconds faster than it what it takes a Tata Nano to hit 60 miles per hour.
it was the worst of times: This unfortunate soul goes just a few feet before the front wheel comes up, and the results are not pleasant when the wheel meets the pavement again. The bike sure tried hard to get to the end of the strip, though: