Supercharger v The Pyrenees

Madly twisty roads and a 197bhp supercharged Kawasaki H2 SX SE? Bring it on! Pic: Bruce Smart

A subtle clue to why the H2 is so good

There's a noise when you open the throttle on the Kawasaki H2 SX SE Tourer. It's not like the induction howl of the normally aspirated Kawasaki Ninja 1100. It's higher-pitched, quieter… even more addictive. It's the sound of the supercharger winding up. On the left of the full-colour TFT dash, the boost graphic shows how hard it's working… though the sudden and dramatic increase in shunt tells you everything you need to know. This thing accelerates like science-fiction.

I rode on the launch of the original H2 SX back in 2017 (it arrived in shops in 2018) so I know the origin story: keen to understand the sports-touring market better, a group of Kawasaki executives arrived in Germany to ride bikes down to the Alps. On the first day, they were mugged on the autobahn by a group of Porsches (they found them in a service station and showed us pictures!). They then went back to Japan and created the original supercharged, Porsche-proof H2 motor at the heart of the SX family.

How twisty do you want it? Pic Bruce Smart

That's all well and good, but the roads of the Pyrenees are a far cry from the flat, speed-limit-free expanses of the autobahns. I don't anticipate spending too much time picking off Porsches. So the question is: how will this 197bhp beast cope when confronted with crazy twisty mountain roads?

I'm just back from riding the H2 SX SE on the Chickenstrips Pyrenees tour and frankly the bike amazed me. It was fast (obviously), but also amazingly agile for such a long bike (1480mm wheelbase) and despite the long, low looks it was genuinely comfortable.

The tour started with the Brittany Ferries crossing to Santander. I far prefer the Plymouth route to the Portsmouth one – even though it's a longer haul down to the West-Country port for me. Sailing from Plymouth, you're only on the boat for one night. Docking mid-afternoon means not starting to ride until well past 4pm (after disembarking and passport-control faff), but I'll take that over the seemingly endless two-night crossing from Pompey. That one does give you a full day's ride after its early morning arrival, but still… I get restless when I'm not riding so two nights on the ferry feels like an eternity.

Twisties from the word go. Awesome!

We were straight into the twisties (okay, after 20mins of motorway out of Santander). Heading over the Cantabrian mountains to our overnight stop in La Rioja was a good warm-up – despite the world's most sluggish petrol-pump attendant when we filled up. With 15 bikes in the group, that wasn't helpful.

Our second day started by alternating between twisty and straight roads – dropping down to the plains, before getting seriously sinuous as we began the climb into the Pyrenees. To be honest, I was still feeling my way with the H2 SX. Fully fuelled, with panniers on, this Tourer model weighs 267kg. That's before filling both boxes and adding my trusty Kriega US30 tailpack. Or my bulk.

How's that for a view? Welcome to the Pyrenees! Pic: Bruce Smart

Lovely detailing on the dash and excellent screen

You'd never know the H2 SX is more than 30kg heavier than the Ninja 1100SX… Obviously there's enough shunt to hide the weight when you open the taps but it also stops and turns with fabulous agility. When called on, the Brembo monoblock calipers can deliver eye-popping stopping power, but generally I prefer to focus on smoothness, carving sharp but stable lines – and it turns out that, for all the colossal power, this bike is more scalpel than broardsword in the bends.

A lot of the credit for that has to go to the electronically adjusted suspension. As well as selecting the load (rider, rider and luggage, two-up, two-up plus luggage) you can go into the bike's settings menu to fine-tune it, dialing up the preload at the push of a button. Then it sorts out its damping according to the mode – and in Sport it was firm but yielding: just the job for accurate lines.

Stunning views from the N260 in Spain

As we zig-zagged through the mountains, into France, back to Spain, back to France, I really began to gel with the bike. This brought its own challenge: with such an addictive engine, the temptation is to work the right-hand volume control all the time; but you just can't do that when leading a group. Not on a bike that can do 0-60mph in less than three seconds… Self-control is essential if you ride one of these.

That doesn't mean I felt cheated, not unleashing the full fury of that amazing motor. I found myself loving the way it rode at mid-revs in second and third gears – legal speed (more or less), rolling through the bends without braking – except for hairpins – and just catching the flow. Even on ultra-twisty tarmac like the B402 from Campdevànol to La Pobla de Lillet, the H2 simply danced down the road.

Riding with Teapot One. Pic: Bruce Smart

Mind you, I'm not saying I didn't explore the power a little... Especially when blasting past a gaggle of Dutch Donkervoort sports cars. I knew I was on the ultimate overtaking machine. It's just a pity they weren't Porsches!

But for me the revelation with the H2 SX wasn't the power – it was the way the power didn't overshadow the rest of the package. The H2 SX SE Tourer isn't about silly speeds but about easy acceleration for effortless overtaking. Then you settle into a sensible pace, the broad saddle letting you soak up the miles in comfort. I'm a bit tall to get the full benefit of the screen without really ducking, but there was no buffeting. Overall, it really shone as a performance tourer over nearly 2000 smile-filled miles.

Back at Santander, ready to go home

Sadly, all good things do have to come to an end – which in this case meant the weather as well as the tour. Apart from an afternoon of alternating sunshine and showers (think: Noah on standby) we'd been blessed with perfect conditions for the tour… until the final day. After an overnight rainstorm, our ride back to the port was overcast, the mood subdued. I don't think any of us wanted to stop riding or go home – I certainly didn't. Not when riding the Kawasaki H2 SX SE Tourer. There's something addictive about it… it might be the noise of the supercharger. If you can, you have to experience it.

• If you'd like to tour the Pyrenees with me and Teapot One, keep an eye on my website or the Chickenstrips site for 2026 dates. If you want to do it on your own (or in a group with your mates), check out my Pure Pyrenees tour.