rivermobster
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- May 5, 2021
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After a 50mph crash, on hard pack, and the driver and passenger just walked away?
What else do you need to know? That's impressive.
Anything else can be fixed.
Kawasaki released the Teryx 4 H2 today! 250HP
- Thread starter RiverDave
- Start date
After a 50mph crash, on hard pack, and the driver and passenger just walked away?
What else do you need to know? That's impressive.
Anything else can be fixed.
Sand Shark
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- May 5, 2021
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That is pretty encouraging knowing Kawi took the cage seriously.
Not surprised one was rolled with the press people at the wheel. Several years ago when Can Am let the press run wild with the X3 at Glamis several of them were rolled.
1HasBeen
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- May 5, 2021
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When we went to Barstow for the dealer intro/demo of the Wildcat, it was a day after the press intro and there were a few wadded up cars behind the transporter. One genius had highmarked a hill, and stopped right at the apex for a photo op... DOH!
I got a call today to come see the first H2 delivered to Fun Bike Center. They just uncrated it and finished assembling it when I got there. They were doing all the computer checks when I got there.
I was able to see it, sit in it, start it and look over the whole car. Fun Bike has 20 H2’s on order and the first 5 have deposits on them. This one is being picked up tomorrow morning. Also the first round of cars released will be 5 seaters, then 4 seaters, then base models by October.
Overall I was impressed with what I saw. The real test will be when these are in customers hands. I did see a handful of things I was not impressed with or disappointed they did not do or do differently.
Maybe I’ll do a full detail write up with more pictures on it?
I was able to see it, sit in it, start it and look over the whole car. Fun Bike has 20 H2’s on order and the first 5 have deposits on them. This one is being picked up tomorrow morning. Also the first round of cars released will be 5 seaters, then 4 seaters, then base models by October.
Overall I was impressed with what I saw. The real test will be when these are in customers hands. I did see a handful of things I was not impressed with or disappointed they did not do or do differently.
Maybe I’ll do a full detail write up with more pictures on it?
LegitDuner
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- May 5, 2021
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Looks good. The dunes need more color...
Sand Shark
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Sand Shark
Well-known member
- May 5, 2021
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Got to check one out in person today. Car is sweet and impressive in person. Fit and finish is above the rest. The dash display and GPS screen make the interior of the Pro R look outdated.
Seats were comfy and the rear seating was good. Might be a little tight for the 6’ plus guys.
Bed area is on the small side, but will fit a decent size storage box or cooler.
Love the look with the boat sides and just the stance of the car. It is well proportioned.
Seats were comfy and the rear seating was good. Might be a little tight for the 6’ plus guys.
Bed area is on the small side, but will fit a decent size storage box or cooler.
Love the look with the boat sides and just the stance of the car. It is well proportioned.
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I think they nailed it..
Sand Shark
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I agree.
Nikals first review of the H2
Part 1.
So the other day I got to see, sit, start and look over the Kawasaki H2. I got a call letting me know that Fun Bike Center just got their first H2 and if I wanted to come see it, they were just setting it up.
When I got there they were doing all the diagnostics on it using the Garmin touch screen and a laptop. Because of this I did not get to play around with the Garmin, but the screen graphics looked great.
My first impression was this thing looks really good. I’m not a fan of green, but I was impressed with the visual styling of the car as a whole. Size wise it looks good and proportioned. It definitely does not look long like a Pro R 4 seat or Can Am Mav R Max.
The lower side of the body is very boat sided. Not sure of the benefits in the open desert vs rocks? The car has 70% metal skids under the car with plastic under the front differential, engine and rear transmission. That is so they are removable for service. IMO an aftermarket UHMW skid would be a good option so you’re not cringing when you hear rocks or dirt banging against the metal plates.
Opening the doors felt easy and solid. They did not droop when you open or do you have to slam them to close. They definitely did not feel cheap. I found getting in the car was very easy. You do not have to step over a tall side like you do in the RZR Pro series. I think the Boat side bodywork makes it easier to get in and out. I like that the front seats have side door bars for some added protection, and I didn't notice or feel they were in the way entering or exiting the car. The back seats were very easy to get in & out of. The drivers seat was all the way back and at 5,11 I could fit back there with my knees just touching the back sides of the front seat. If the drivers seat was one click forward I think it would be very comfortable for an adult no problem. I’d prefer the 4 seater with the individual rear seats, but for a family of 3 kids, the 5 seater is going to rock! I felt the seats were very comfortable for stock production seats, and the side bolstering felt really comfortable. I like that they already had should openings for seatbelts. The stock retractable seatbelts would be gone first day. I’m a Simpson guy, so Simpsons would be installed day 1. I don’t see the need to replace the stock seats, but how will the stock seats hold up long term would be my only question? The seats also have a tube frame that wraps around them to make them more rigid.
Sitting in the drivers seat everything was visible and easy to reach. The stock steering wheel and buttons felt nice. The left side buttons are for shock adjustment , the right buttons I believe are for the audio system. The cage A pillars are much wider than say the RZR Pro Series where I feel you have to look through or around the A pillars. Thats one thing I have liked about the Speed, the cage was wide and gives good visibility. The H2 visibility felt good too. I got to start the car and it started easy and idled very smooth. At idle it is very quiet. Then I threw some revs on the engine and the throttle response was instant and again very smooth through the rpm’s. The engine was still very quiet at higher rpm’s, but had a good tone. I think this car might be to quiet for some, and the aftermarket is going to make allot of exhaust choices. I was not really able to get the supercharger to chirp, so I don’t know how loud that is, but from the videos and some comments, that might get annoying overtime? I hope guys like RPM or EVO come up with options. Also another nice feature of the H2 is the fact it uses a traditional key ignition and you don’t need different keys to use the 3 different engine tune modes. I was told that the Kawasaki rep said for normal open desert trail riding he suggested the second tune with 80% hp as you will still have over 200 hp, but you should get better fuel mileage and the tune does not necessarily limit the performance or speed.
Now to the cargo bed. I was not impressed overall. First I measured the narrowest part of the storage area by those cargo hooks, and its 30 inches wide. Why would they not make the cargo area fit at least a 33 inch tire? Has only Speed figured this out and is the industry not paying attention? Spare tires are a very common and a wanted accessory. So for this very reason the storage area is a big disappointment. Sure you will be able to mount a tire on top of the storage area, or maybe an extended rear bumper like many do on the Pro R’s that tilt the spare tire out the back. It might be helpful to get some weight behind the rear tires, but you’re going to add another 20-24+ inches of overall length doing this. The next thing I noticed is the cargo bed does not look easy to remove for engine access. I saw at least 6 bolts and 20 + push rivet pins to possibly be able to remove the cargo bed. I assume to access the top of the engine you would need to remove the cargo bed? This is something I don’t know yet?
Part 1.
So the other day I got to see, sit, start and look over the Kawasaki H2. I got a call letting me know that Fun Bike Center just got their first H2 and if I wanted to come see it, they were just setting it up.
When I got there they were doing all the diagnostics on it using the Garmin touch screen and a laptop. Because of this I did not get to play around with the Garmin, but the screen graphics looked great.
My first impression was this thing looks really good. I’m not a fan of green, but I was impressed with the visual styling of the car as a whole. Size wise it looks good and proportioned. It definitely does not look long like a Pro R 4 seat or Can Am Mav R Max.
The lower side of the body is very boat sided. Not sure of the benefits in the open desert vs rocks? The car has 70% metal skids under the car with plastic under the front differential, engine and rear transmission. That is so they are removable for service. IMO an aftermarket UHMW skid would be a good option so you’re not cringing when you hear rocks or dirt banging against the metal plates.
Opening the doors felt easy and solid. They did not droop when you open or do you have to slam them to close. They definitely did not feel cheap. I found getting in the car was very easy. You do not have to step over a tall side like you do in the RZR Pro series. I think the Boat side bodywork makes it easier to get in and out. I like that the front seats have side door bars for some added protection, and I didn't notice or feel they were in the way entering or exiting the car. The back seats were very easy to get in & out of. The drivers seat was all the way back and at 5,11 I could fit back there with my knees just touching the back sides of the front seat. If the drivers seat was one click forward I think it would be very comfortable for an adult no problem. I’d prefer the 4 seater with the individual rear seats, but for a family of 3 kids, the 5 seater is going to rock! I felt the seats were very comfortable for stock production seats, and the side bolstering felt really comfortable. I like that they already had should openings for seatbelts. The stock retractable seatbelts would be gone first day. I’m a Simpson guy, so Simpsons would be installed day 1. I don’t see the need to replace the stock seats, but how will the stock seats hold up long term would be my only question? The seats also have a tube frame that wraps around them to make them more rigid.
Sitting in the drivers seat everything was visible and easy to reach. The stock steering wheel and buttons felt nice. The left side buttons are for shock adjustment , the right buttons I believe are for the audio system. The cage A pillars are much wider than say the RZR Pro Series where I feel you have to look through or around the A pillars. Thats one thing I have liked about the Speed, the cage was wide and gives good visibility. The H2 visibility felt good too. I got to start the car and it started easy and idled very smooth. At idle it is very quiet. Then I threw some revs on the engine and the throttle response was instant and again very smooth through the rpm’s. The engine was still very quiet at higher rpm’s, but had a good tone. I think this car might be to quiet for some, and the aftermarket is going to make allot of exhaust choices. I was not really able to get the supercharger to chirp, so I don’t know how loud that is, but from the videos and some comments, that might get annoying overtime? I hope guys like RPM or EVO come up with options. Also another nice feature of the H2 is the fact it uses a traditional key ignition and you don’t need different keys to use the 3 different engine tune modes. I was told that the Kawasaki rep said for normal open desert trail riding he suggested the second tune with 80% hp as you will still have over 200 hp, but you should get better fuel mileage and the tune does not necessarily limit the performance or speed.
Now to the cargo bed. I was not impressed overall. First I measured the narrowest part of the storage area by those cargo hooks, and its 30 inches wide. Why would they not make the cargo area fit at least a 33 inch tire? Has only Speed figured this out and is the industry not paying attention? Spare tires are a very common and a wanted accessory. So for this very reason the storage area is a big disappointment. Sure you will be able to mount a tire on top of the storage area, or maybe an extended rear bumper like many do on the Pro R’s that tilt the spare tire out the back. It might be helpful to get some weight behind the rear tires, but you’re going to add another 20-24+ inches of overall length doing this. The next thing I noticed is the cargo bed does not look easy to remove for engine access. I saw at least 6 bolts and 20 + push rivet pins to possibly be able to remove the cargo bed. I assume to access the top of the engine you would need to remove the cargo bed? This is something I don’t know yet?
Part 2.
Now to the suspension. It looks big. The 74 inch track width looks right for the car. The Fox 3.0 shocks and springs look big especially in the front where packaging is tight. The Fox shocks have that gray cera coating on the shock body’s to protect and make them last longer. Because the front shocks are still mounted off the upper arm, the top shock mounts are probably 10 inches apart? Mounting the shocks off the lower arm allows you to stand them up. Because of the dual radiators and big fan, the front area is tight and I wonder if front shock temps could be an issue for those who run hard for longer periods of time, as the radiator fan is pulling hot air right over the shocks. Only time will tell? The tie rods and swaybar links are smaller than I was expecting. They are probably fine, but I’m sure that’s going to be a common aftermarket upgrade for many. The upper arm front pivot is a cast part welded to the press formed plates arm. I assume this is due to trying to clear the swaybar? Then look at the picture of the front arm ball joints. They look to be a good sized joint, but without actually seeing them off the car I don’t know the tapper size? But notice the upper ball joint is pressed in the arm and the lower is pressed in the knuckle. I think that is to clear the very large cv and boots.
Under the front hood there is not a whole lot of access to things, and if you have to work on the front end, it might be better to pull the body plastics off? This is only my assumption as I don’t really know more than I saw. I’ll learn a ton more at the Sand Show. Those Kawi engineers are going to hate me by the end of the day.
Now the rear suspension looks pretty good for a 4 link radius rod design. I have no idea of the track width change & scrub, but I will after the sand show! lol!
I was told the axle assembly is chromolly. I don’t know if that’s just the axles or if the cv parts are chromolly? But they are pretty big and I don’t suspect will be an issue.
Notice the rear shocks have the gray coating on the shock body’s, but they also added the stainless steel sleeves on the shock body’s for the coil sliders to ride on. This is another nice feature Fox offered and will really help stop shock body wear. The radius rods are pretty big and I don’t see needing to replace.
Rear parking brake is cable driven. Probably going to have to remove the rock & mud scrapper to fit a 15 inch wheel.
Speaking of 16 inch wheels. I’m guessing with Can Am and now Kawi, we are going to see more tire options? I still think I’d prefer a 15 inch wheel, but that’s also because Yokohama does not make a 16 inch tire yet. I did measure the stock tires and with my flimsy tape measure they measured 33 inches. But that’s a brand new tire full of air on asphalt.
Now something I was not impressed with was the thickness of the suspension tabs on the chassis. They looked way too thin, and I feel they really missed it on this. I’m thinking we will see the aftermarket make those thicker cradle brackets to triple the thickness and keep the bolt holes from ovaling out. I have a bracket kit on on my RZR. But all the H2 suspension bolts look to have 7-8 extra threads at the end, so you should not need longer bolts if adding a gusset bracket kit. Also Kawasaki does not have nice welds like the Speed. I’d say the H2 chassis welds are on par with the rest of the industry. Kinda Sad! And I don’t like the gloss black paint, but that’s just me.
Now to the suspension. It looks big. The 74 inch track width looks right for the car. The Fox 3.0 shocks and springs look big especially in the front where packaging is tight. The Fox shocks have that gray cera coating on the shock body’s to protect and make them last longer. Because the front shocks are still mounted off the upper arm, the top shock mounts are probably 10 inches apart? Mounting the shocks off the lower arm allows you to stand them up. Because of the dual radiators and big fan, the front area is tight and I wonder if front shock temps could be an issue for those who run hard for longer periods of time, as the radiator fan is pulling hot air right over the shocks. Only time will tell? The tie rods and swaybar links are smaller than I was expecting. They are probably fine, but I’m sure that’s going to be a common aftermarket upgrade for many. The upper arm front pivot is a cast part welded to the press formed plates arm. I assume this is due to trying to clear the swaybar? Then look at the picture of the front arm ball joints. They look to be a good sized joint, but without actually seeing them off the car I don’t know the tapper size? But notice the upper ball joint is pressed in the arm and the lower is pressed in the knuckle. I think that is to clear the very large cv and boots.
Under the front hood there is not a whole lot of access to things, and if you have to work on the front end, it might be better to pull the body plastics off? This is only my assumption as I don’t really know more than I saw. I’ll learn a ton more at the Sand Show. Those Kawi engineers are going to hate me by the end of the day.
Now the rear suspension looks pretty good for a 4 link radius rod design. I have no idea of the track width change & scrub, but I will after the sand show! lol!
I was told the axle assembly is chromolly. I don’t know if that’s just the axles or if the cv parts are chromolly? But they are pretty big and I don’t suspect will be an issue.
Notice the rear shocks have the gray coating on the shock body’s, but they also added the stainless steel sleeves on the shock body’s for the coil sliders to ride on. This is another nice feature Fox offered and will really help stop shock body wear. The radius rods are pretty big and I don’t see needing to replace.
Rear parking brake is cable driven. Probably going to have to remove the rock & mud scrapper to fit a 15 inch wheel.
Speaking of 16 inch wheels. I’m guessing with Can Am and now Kawi, we are going to see more tire options? I still think I’d prefer a 15 inch wheel, but that’s also because Yokohama does not make a 16 inch tire yet. I did measure the stock tires and with my flimsy tape measure they measured 33 inches. But that’s a brand new tire full of air on asphalt.
Now something I was not impressed with was the thickness of the suspension tabs on the chassis. They looked way too thin, and I feel they really missed it on this. I’m thinking we will see the aftermarket make those thicker cradle brackets to triple the thickness and keep the bolt holes from ovaling out. I have a bracket kit on on my RZR. But all the H2 suspension bolts look to have 7-8 extra threads at the end, so you should not need longer bolts if adding a gusset bracket kit. Also Kawasaki does not have nice welds like the Speed. I’d say the H2 chassis welds are on par with the rest of the industry. Kinda Sad! And I don’t like the gloss black paint, but that’s just me.
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Part 3.
The engine, trans and CVT look good and easy to do general maintenance on. The oil fill has a nice sight glass to see the oil level. Sorry I thought I got a picture of the oil filter. It looks easy to get to. Only thing I don’t like is it lays on its side. No way to prime it, but with the rear skid plate off it should be easy to crack loose and let drain. The CVT cover looks easy to access and it has a large air inlet behind the primary as it should be, and the exhaust is by the secondary with the outlet easy to get to and I don’t see getting clogged up with belt debris. But if it did you can easily reach into it. The electronics are mounted pretty high up in the engine area. I still wonder how you access the top of the engine to get to the intake or even spark plugs. Some things looks like it could be accessed from the engine side, but that looks like a PITA!
Now to the stock cage. I’m not a fan of all the bolt on cage parts or lack of triangulation. But I was able to feel the thickness of the tubes, and if it’s not .095 then it’s close. The stock cage & chassis have 10 mounting points. I’m not a fan of how the A pillar is not inline with the A pillar mounting points. They laid it back to rake back the A pillar. IMO I would make the tube clamp and tube aline and they would stand the A pillar/windshield more upright. This would also move the upper visor roof bar more forward. Doing this you could probably add an A+ tube on the cage and tie into the chassis making it way stronger in that area. Also in some bends Kawi has added formed gussets, and in some places they welded a sleeve over the tube to add strength in that bend. I still think an aftermarket cage will look much better and offer more strength. But for stock, it’s better than many others. IMO the plastic roof is hideous. But that’s just me. I’d rather have a smooth aluminum roof panel.
Notice the wonky angle change from the cage bung clamp and the A pillar tube. IMO they should stand up the A pillar and made both inline. Plus you might be able to add a A plus bar on a aftermarket cage.
The engine, trans and CVT look good and easy to do general maintenance on. The oil fill has a nice sight glass to see the oil level. Sorry I thought I got a picture of the oil filter. It looks easy to get to. Only thing I don’t like is it lays on its side. No way to prime it, but with the rear skid plate off it should be easy to crack loose and let drain. The CVT cover looks easy to access and it has a large air inlet behind the primary as it should be, and the exhaust is by the secondary with the outlet easy to get to and I don’t see getting clogged up with belt debris. But if it did you can easily reach into it. The electronics are mounted pretty high up in the engine area. I still wonder how you access the top of the engine to get to the intake or even spark plugs. Some things looks like it could be accessed from the engine side, but that looks like a PITA!
Now to the stock cage. I’m not a fan of all the bolt on cage parts or lack of triangulation. But I was able to feel the thickness of the tubes, and if it’s not .095 then it’s close. The stock cage & chassis have 10 mounting points. I’m not a fan of how the A pillar is not inline with the A pillar mounting points. They laid it back to rake back the A pillar. IMO I would make the tube clamp and tube aline and they would stand the A pillar/windshield more upright. This would also move the upper visor roof bar more forward. Doing this you could probably add an A+ tube on the cage and tie into the chassis making it way stronger in that area. Also in some bends Kawi has added formed gussets, and in some places they welded a sleeve over the tube to add strength in that bend. I still think an aftermarket cage will look much better and offer more strength. But for stock, it’s better than many others. IMO the plastic roof is hideous. But that’s just me. I’d rather have a smooth aluminum roof panel.
Notice the wonky angle change from the cage bung clamp and the A pillar tube. IMO they should stand up the A pillar and made both inline. Plus you might be able to add a A plus bar on a aftermarket cage.
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Nikals Final Thoughts.
Overall I’m very impressed with the H2, but until these cars are in owners hands being used in the wild, we won’t really know how well they perform and are they reliable? The Speed on paper is a 100%, but in reality they are at 75%. What percentage will the H2 be? I think the Plaster City triple digit temp demo ride definitely gave the car some credibility points.
These cars look good in person, have lots of nice features, like the Fox 3.0 bypass Live Valve and Garmin Tread. The fit & finish looks really good. Better than most. The rear seat room is better than a Speed, but less than a Pro or Mav. But you also get a much better wheelbase and overall length vs the Pro R or Mav R. The H2 just looks better proportioned.
A few things I did not like or think could be better. Right off the bat the suspension chassis tabs need to be thicker. I see no reason why they used such thin tabs? The cup holders on top of the dash are dumb. No ones putting a drink there. It’s going to bounce out or leak on you. All the cup holders will do it’s fill with dirt. Also why don’t these manufacturers build in a place for comms, so that you don’t have to lose a cubby, cup holders or.. just to retrofit a radio and intercom. The storage bed is a disappointment with its size and the lack of mounting a spare tire option. Plus it did not look easy to remove to access the engine. I saw allot of those plastic push pins all over the body. I personally would have preferred button head bolts. I have no idea how easy or difficult it’s going to be to added electrical accessories or to get behind the dash. Speed wins that category with its ease of dash access. And I would have liked to see a telescoping steering wheel for better ergonomics. Both Polaris and Can Am offer it, and with the steering wheel buttons I’m not sure any type of steering wheel spacer could be added or used?
Also I forgot to look and see if a aux fuel tank could be placed under the drivers seat or rear passenger seats. But I hope there is room as that would definitely be a nice aftermarket option.
Something that might make a difference or sway a buyer. The H2 is built in Lincoln Nebraska USA at Kawasaki’s UTV plant. I believe the powertrain comes from Japan, but the chassis, suspension etc.. all are manufactured & fully assembled in Nebraska.
Without knowing more or seeing these cars in the wild with customers driving them, I’d give this car a 8 out of 10 just from looking at it today. What do you guys think? I’m I close or way off? Please share your thoughts?
Overall I’m very impressed with the H2, but until these cars are in owners hands being used in the wild, we won’t really know how well they perform and are they reliable? The Speed on paper is a 100%, but in reality they are at 75%. What percentage will the H2 be? I think the Plaster City triple digit temp demo ride definitely gave the car some credibility points.
These cars look good in person, have lots of nice features, like the Fox 3.0 bypass Live Valve and Garmin Tread. The fit & finish looks really good. Better than most. The rear seat room is better than a Speed, but less than a Pro or Mav. But you also get a much better wheelbase and overall length vs the Pro R or Mav R. The H2 just looks better proportioned.
A few things I did not like or think could be better. Right off the bat the suspension chassis tabs need to be thicker. I see no reason why they used such thin tabs? The cup holders on top of the dash are dumb. No ones putting a drink there. It’s going to bounce out or leak on you. All the cup holders will do it’s fill with dirt. Also why don’t these manufacturers build in a place for comms, so that you don’t have to lose a cubby, cup holders or.. just to retrofit a radio and intercom. The storage bed is a disappointment with its size and the lack of mounting a spare tire option. Plus it did not look easy to remove to access the engine. I saw allot of those plastic push pins all over the body. I personally would have preferred button head bolts. I have no idea how easy or difficult it’s going to be to added electrical accessories or to get behind the dash. Speed wins that category with its ease of dash access. And I would have liked to see a telescoping steering wheel for better ergonomics. Both Polaris and Can Am offer it, and with the steering wheel buttons I’m not sure any type of steering wheel spacer could be added or used?
Also I forgot to look and see if a aux fuel tank could be placed under the drivers seat or rear passenger seats. But I hope there is room as that would definitely be a nice aftermarket option.
Something that might make a difference or sway a buyer. The H2 is built in Lincoln Nebraska USA at Kawasaki’s UTV plant. I believe the powertrain comes from Japan, but the chassis, suspension etc.. all are manufactured & fully assembled in Nebraska.
Without knowing more or seeing these cars in the wild with customers driving them, I’d give this car a 8 out of 10 just from looking at it today. What do you guys think? I’m I close or way off? Please share your thoughts?
rivermobster
Well-known member
- May 5, 2021
- 1,615
- 1,346
The braided steel brake lines are a nice touch.
Everything looks well designed.
Everything looks well designed.
megadesertdiesel
Well-known member
- Nov 8, 2021
- 851
- 1,217
not impressive. The Canam X3 has 100% braided lines and coupled with a shitty master cylinder the brakes are spongy. Combination of hard and braided is the ticket.The braided steel brake lines are a nice touch.
Everything looks well designed.
