Wtf?

Well, if you allow me, I will tell you my point of view.

I cannot wait to receive my H2, I have not been this excited about a new vehicle in a long time.

The marketing campaign, the really evocative videos, the secrets surrounding this machine give it a mystique in my eyes that is very difficult to obtain, they truly have done a perfect job at preparing the market for this product, at least they sold it to me this way.
I was "primed" even before ever seeing a picture, just by knowing it had a supercharged engine, then the video with the sound, then the pictures, I was and still am sold.

After 15 years since my last Kawasaki, I am ready to pay a relatively high price for a brand new motorcycle, I trust they will give me an exciting machine in return.

This doesn't mean it is perfect though, neither the product, nor the company. Their stance about this particular machine made me believe it to be a truly astonishing product, literally beyond belief, according to their own catchphrase.

The SINGLE negative post I wrote is not a rant, I hope that the language I used to write it makes it relatively clear, it is rather my reaction to one new piece of information, which is not necessarily good or bad, it is just definitely not "beyond belief", while I am still under the impression the product I am buying is supposed to be.

I have been absorbed by the campaign so much that my expectations for the final product are at the highest limits of what is commercially reasonable to produce for that sum.

Because of this state of mind, when I see those expectations met or closely approached I literally dance with joy, when instead those (extremely high) expectations are seemingly not met, then I am more saddened (at Kawasaki) than with a regular product, I hope you understand.

This seems to me a small gathering of passionate people, more passion means higher expectations, and different motivations for those expectations. Some of those will be met, some will not, passion will amplify both.

I did not count the posts, but I believe there are far more positive than negative posts in this forum, my own positive/negative ratio is certainly larger than 1.

Anything capable of causing big emotional swings like these is obviously significant... long live the H2!

Frio

@Silverbird

Painting a happy face on a bad situation doesn't resolve anything, its just putting make up over a black eye. I came here just as stoked, as positive and with as much good humor as anyone. Kawasaki undid that. You may not like my attitude but I don't like yours either. I'm impossibly frustrated at your apathy and the willingness to just take it up the a** and smile.

I don't want things to be like this any more that you do but every week Kawasaki manages to compound the problem then say nothing in their defense. If somebody doesn't speak up they'll (correctly) assume that no one cares. Perhaps they're right and I'm in the minority of people who don't take kindly to being bullsh*tted. If I said it once and dropped it nothing would happen. I had hoped a few more dissenting voices would have joined in and gotten Kawasaki to step up to the plate but alas all they saw was a bunch of sheep defending the farmer.

That's fine. I'll leave. Put lipstick on the pig and fight your own battles. But if anything does get resolved between now and release day - and I doubt it will - it certainly won't be because of anything you contributed. All you did was lay down and let the good times roll over you.

H2R...you see it one way...I see it another...IF you could show me PROOF that there's gonna be another run...fine...but you haven't.IF you could show me proof that this bike is not capable of being upped in HP,all that..fine.But you haven't.I asked...you blew right past that.WHY.If you're so dead set these are facts...then show the rest of us...I for one would LOVE to see the truth here.

We see things different.

WE have a bike here that's been programmed to meet a specific parameter...emissions,noise...all that.ALL bikes are this way from the factory.Saying they lied about these things...it's your perspective...they aren't facts.They said the stock H2 produced 197 HP.It does.They say the topspeed for the H2 as is...is 206.It is.They said(and here's a BIG clue about what it CAN do)handle stresses 1.5 to 2.0 times it's rated stats RIGHT NOW.If that isn't saying...'go for it guys'...IDK what it is.

I just think you're reaching.And I don't know why.You went from the 'false marketing' thing to 'false performance claims'...I just don't really know what you want...except for a bunch of us to start 'putting pressure' on Kawasaki to make this bike 'different'.****...you haven't even ridden it yet...but you've already determined it's a bust.I don't see how you can do this?You don't know it's handling...it's acceleration..it's abilities.How it feels riding.Yet you've taken some downward path in deciding what?That you feel stupid for jumping on the bandwagon?When it hasn't even been proven out here?

I know you don't have to answer anything I've asked...but I wish you would.Show some actual Kawasaki quotes about it's long term production run coming up...how it's gonna be available to every Joe that wants one.How they've deceived you by saying EXACTLY what they meant.I'm not even insinuating you should leave...I was talking in a general way....what I would do.


"But if anything does get resolved between now and release day - and I doubt it will - it certainly won't be because of anything you contributed"...I don't HAVE anything about this bike or Kawasaki that I feel NEEDS to be 'resolved'...you do. I trust what they said about all of it...you don't.That's NOT rolling over.To you...maybe.Your 'fight' is based on what?No wonder they haven't responded...they're simply reading your posts and thinking...'here we go again'.The orders are done.The bikes are que'd up.This is it.You bought it believing...now you don't.Okay...that's fine.You're concerned about 'bike night' and what others think?What they think is..."**** dude...you have the baddest bike ever...can I ride it just once?"

SilverbirdH2 - I entirely agree with the stance you're taking. However, your first post on this thread did make me think you're looking for an extremely high and unrealistic percentage of positive posts. We need a balance.

H2R - I've said it before, I think you're taking your stance way too far. And perhaps more importantly you string your sentences together with personal insults such as "you're like battered wifes" "you're taking it up the arse" "bunch of sheep" which doesn't necessarily make me want to listen to you. Which is a shame because you seem very knowledgeable about general matters.

Frio - I've read most of the posts on this forum and I cannot recall a specific 'negative' one from yourself so I imagine you're right in saying that you haven't been 'ranting'. The chances are (and I'm not going to trawl through posts and find it) the 'negative' one you submitted was part of a healthy debate.

So the overriding thing I would say is yes this should be a forum for people excited and generally positive about the H2.

This should be a forum to share any information that we can find about the H2 but it has to be factual. It's no good sharing a strong personal view more than once and demanding others align. There's a saying "Don't raise your voice, improve your argument"

I do think that our going in stance should be to give Kawasaki the benefit of doubt until it is proved otherwise. And when I say proved otherwise I mean (for the purpose of this forum) the majority of us are on the same page.

To finish, I'll give a personal view on where I'm at. I thought long and hard about putting a deposit down on the bike, the idea of committing to a bike that I haven't even been able to sit on never mind ride is alien to me. Nevertheless, I took the plunge and I will decide if it was worth it when I've ridden it and not before.
Before I'm sat on it, it would be good for me if I was able to hear views from those who know what the bike is about BECAUSE they've ridden it and not because they think they know what the bike is, based on something that has been written. I bought an 08 Fireblade, the bike that was proclaimed to be right there at the top by all the bike magazines over here in the UK, I didn't like it.
Now the only person I know who has ridden one (Ricky) seems to love it so that must be a positive - right ?

When I was 16 years old I had a ratty ss50, with a c70 (cub ) 3 speed step thru engine I bolted in it.

A lorry fitter mate of a mate (who was way to cool to even waste his time talking to him) had a GPZ1100 Fi Unitrack....Fastest 1/4 mile bike of its day.

Then I saw a brand new GPZ9ooR....

My bike history is listed on this forum.

My first zzr1100 that I bought 16 yrs latter gave me this feeling when i saw it. Except I was buying it and not a spotty teenager.

Fast forward another 15 years. I saw the H2 ...I'm feeling 16 Again. Which I think is a good thing as my grandson is 12 !

I instantly know that this is the deal.....