Turk Kenan Sofuoglu hits 400 km/h on Kawasaki H2R

2016 Kawasaki H2R - Kenan Sofuoglu speed 400 kmh (1)

Kawasaki’s hyperbikes, the supercharged H2 and track-only H2R, have aroused curiosity about how fast they can actually go, in terms of top speed. Kawasaki has officially said the unrestricted, 300 hp H2R will do 380 km/h, but no one’s actually seen anything near that figure.

World Supersports champion Kenan Sofuoglu has answered that question with a run of 400 km/h on an “adjusted” 2016 Kawasaki H2R during the opening of the Osman Gazi bridge that spans the Gulf of Izmit. Sofuoglu crossed the 2.68 km long span of the bridge in about 30 seconds.

Preparation for the top speed attempt began four months earlier in Turkey, and the successful run was made two days before the official opening of the bridge. Previous trials saw Sofuoglu reaching speeds of up to 390 km/h before the 400 km/h number was reached.

“I reached 400 km/h, the maximum speed that this motorcycle could have, after a 4 long months of training,” said Sofuoglu. “The top speed we get to in the world championship races is about 300 km/h, so 400 km/h is a really high speed. It was a dream to reach this speed and thank god I made it.”

Sofuoglu – who rides for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing – is currently at the top in the World Supersports standings, and is gunning for his fifth world title. It should be noted that a second speed run in the opposite direction was not made within the stipulated one-hour limit, thus precluding the run from being taken as a “record” attempt. Additionally, the speed reading was takne off the Kawasaki H2R’s speedometer, and not with a calibrated radar gun.

Watch a video of the 400 km/h run below.


GALLERY: 2016 Kawasaki H2R

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Mohan K Ramanujam

Coming with diverse and extensive experience in heavy engineering, Mohan enjoys making anything with wheels go fast, especially motorcycles. His weapon of choice is the Desmoquattro engine, and he has a penchant for anything with a dash of Italian design. Strangely enough, he insists he's a slow rider.

 

Comments

  • gaviny on Jul 04, 2016 at 11:34 am

    just staying on the bike itself is an achievement

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 2
  • Heng Lee on Jul 04, 2016 at 12:55 pm

    -No radar pistol or light barrier messurment
    -No second speed run in the opposite direction

    My EX-5 has a top speed of 210km/h if I care about the non-calibrated speedometer only.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 23
  • takata on Jul 04, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    Holy moly!. the real speed should be about 360km/h. Still freaking fast for a stock bike.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • Not motoman on Jul 04, 2016 at 10:53 pm

    Looked at the way speedometer keep increasing progressively…it seems that this bike can go faster than that. Impressive!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Robert Parameswaran Kuppusamy on Jul 05, 2016 at 8:56 am

    A hell of an achievement :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Bernard on Jul 05, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    Quote from a msian biker …. Jika gua dapa 1 biji, seluroh kl gua kontrol :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
 

Add a comment

required

required