2022 Kawasaki H2 SX Breaks Cover

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Kawasaki’s updated H2 SX sport-tourer looks to be packing a radar sensor up front. (S. Baldauf/SB-Medien/)

There are already three motorcycles on the market in 2021 that offer radar-assisted adaptive cruise control—Ducati’s Multistrada V4 S, BMW’s R 1250 RT and KTM’s new 2021 1290 Super Adventure S. Kawasaki is clearly preparing to be the next to join the fray with an up-spec’d version of its supercharged H2 SX.

It was back at the 2019 EICMA show that Kawasaki first announced it had inked a deal to buy the Bosch ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) technology, including its adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning system, and rear blind spot monitoring setups, but the company was clear in its statement that “no date has been set for the introduction of the ADAS system on Kawasaki machines or, as yet, which machines it will be featured on.”

Now we can answer at least one of those questions, as these spy shots show an updated H2 SX complete with a modified headlight and revised front styling to accommodate the Bosch radar sensor.

The headlight has been modified around the new radar sensor, and the fairing has also been changed around the air intakes on the front and side. (S. Baldauf/SB-Medien/)

The radar system itself is familiar; it’s the same setup used by Ducati, BMW, and KTM in their 2021 models. That system allows for adaptive cruise control, so the bike can be set to maintain a constant following distance behind the vehicle in front of it. Depending on programming, the unit can also be used to allow an amount of automated braking or a collision warning to alert the rider if the vehicle ahead slows suddenly.

RELATED: Kawasaki To Employ Radar-Assisted Safety Systems

In 2019, Geoff Liersch, president of Bosch’s Two-Wheeler & Powersports arm, said: “Bosch continues to make riding safer, more efficient, and fun around the world, and we are honored to supply Kawasaki as the first Japanese manufacturer with the complete advanced rider assistance systems.”

Yuji Horiuchi, president of Kawasaki’s Motorcycle & Engine division, added: “We are glad to announce that our motorcycle will be equipped with Bosch’s advanced rider assistance systems, which gives more safety and comfort to riders.”

The deal to get Bosch radar tech was first announced by Kawasaki back in 2019. As with the BMW and KTM systems, it allows for adaptive cruise control. (Kawasaki/)

At the moment all three European manufacturers look to have opted to leave the front radar sensor unit exposed, with a rectangle of black plastic clearly visible on the nose of their bikes. Kawasaki, however, appears to have adopted a more sculpted cover for the sensor, which sits below a new, much smaller LED headlight.

RELATED: Ducati Multistrada To Get Radar Safety System

The limitations of radar sensors mean that while they can “see” through plastic bodywork, their cover panels have to be smooth and uninterrupted so they don’t interfere with radio waves bouncing back to the sensor. Carmakers using the same sensors usually employ a section of smooth grille, and Kawasaki’s solution appears to be a similarly blank panel sitting below the new light. Chances are that the radar will be used only on the highest-spec H2 SX SE+ model, so on lower versions of the bike, the same area might well be used for a headlight, allowing all versions to use the same body panels.

The new headlight sits higher than the old version, with the bodywork reshaped to suit, but overall the styling of the H2 SX hasn’t been significantly altered, retaining the existing side panels with their oversize cornering lamp units and exaggerated strakes over the cooling vents.

The H2’s new TFT dashboard looks similar to the units on those other brands’ Bosch-radar-equipped bikes. (S. Baldauf/SB-Medien/)

On board, it’s possible to see that the radar-equipped bike has a new TFT dash that looks suspiciously like the unit used on some 2021 BMW models. That wouldn’t be a surprise, as it’s also a Bosch-made component that ties in with the rest of the ADAS kit.

One thing we don’t see is a conspicuous rear-facing radar sensor. At the moment, only Ducati has chosen to adopt the rear radar on its Multistrada V4 S. KTM demonstrated prototypes with the system, which provides blind spot warnings via lights set into the rearview mirrors when vehicles approach from behind, but hasn’t chosen to implement it in the first production model to use the Bosch safety kit. The Kawasaki prototype does appear to have a rear-facing camera fitted rather than a radar sensor, but the lens that’s visible just below the luggage case (which is packed with sensors and computers for testing purposes) looks like it’s part of the test kit rather than a production element. The camera could be recording what a (perhaps hidden) rear-facing radar would see. Or could be a rough test unit for integrated camera tech.

There’s no rear radar sensor on the Kawasaki as yet, just a camera that doesn’t appear to be a production element. (S. Baldauf/SB-Medien/)

The H2 SX prototype answers one of the questions that Kawasaki wouldn’t comment on in 2019—which bike will be fitted with the radar. Patents filed by the firm have also shown a radar-equipped Versys 1000, so the supercharged bike is likely to be just the first of several Kawasakis to get the kit. The second unanswered question—when will the system be available?—is still hanging, but the existence of the prototype seen here suggests that 2022 is likely to be the answer.

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