Kawasaki’s Fiercest Motorcycle Engine Just Found a Shocking New Home

Back in 2015, Kawasaki took the world by storm with the release of the first factory-supercharged motorcycle in the form of the Ninja H2R. With 310 horsepower, it also made for the industry’s most powerful production bike. 

Though Kawasaki has since extended the application of its supercharged Ninja engine to the road-going Ninja H2, a naked Z H2 and a two-up Ninja H2 SX touring model, Team Green has yet to put the powerplant in something with four wheels. That is — until now.

Kawasaki

With the launch of the supercharged, 250-horsepower Teryx H2, Kawasaki just kicked the UTV segment into high gear. Here’s why.

Supercharged side-by-side

For starters, it builds on the Ninja H2R’s accolades by becoming the first supercharged side-by-side to hit the market. Moreover, with 250 ponies and 146.2 lb-ft of torque on tap courtesy of its boosted 999cc inline-four, the Teryx H2 is also the most powerful — it outguns anything coming from Can-Am or Polaris.

As was the case with the streetbike, Kawasaki utilized its in-house centrifugal-style blower that spins at 13.6 times the engine speed. In practice, this means that when the Teryx H2 revs to its 9,500-rpm redline, the supercharger’s impeller shaft is spinning at almost 130,000 rpm. 

Kawasaki

Kawasaki says that this increases pressure “to as much as 2.4 times atmospheric,” thereby delivering “immediate power on demand.” Put another way, running a supercharger avoids the dreaded lag that often comes with turbocharged forced induction setups. 

Of course, dropping the engine into a four-wheeled platform required some critical modifications to keep the supercharger working at its best. Along with ditching the single throttle body typical of side-by-sides for a set of four individual 40mm units, Kawasaki also gave the Teryx two sets of injectors for improved low- and mid-range response.

Kawasaki

The complete package

That’s not all. Beyond fitting the Teryx H2 with a supercharged four-cylinder engine, Kawasaki has also worked hard to ensure that its new side-by-side is the complete package. 250 horsepower is nice and all — but only if there’s some semblance of driver control.

So, in addition to a trick continuously variable transmission (CVT), the Teryx H2 also boasts electronically selectable four-wheel drive, a lockable front differential and three-way adjustable power mode selection.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki even optimized the chassis to handle the demands of the supercharged engine, incorporating its rollover protection structure (ROPS) along with a strengthened driveshaft and some extra beefy A-arms and trailing arms. Suspension comes courtesy of some Fox 3.0 internal bypass shocks while a set of 270mm disc brakes provide stopping power.

Rounded out by a roomy interior with high-backed bucket seats, a seven-inch full-color TFT screen featuring smartphone connectivity and storage provisions inside and out, the Teryx H2 can only be improved by the abundance of off-road adventure accessories that Kawasaki offers.

Kawasaki

Choose your adventure

Kawasaki is offering its Teryx H2 UTV in three trim levels: a base Teryx 4 H2, an upgraded Teryx 4 H2 deluxe, and a five-seater Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe. If you’d like to learn more about what separates each model, they’re currently listed on the brand’s website.

Per Kawasaki, the Teryx 4/5 H2 will be available at dealers starting this month. Pricing starts at $37,199 for the Teryx 4 H2, $43,199 for the Teryx 4 H2 Deluxe and $43,699 for the Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe.

Kawasaki

2026 Kawasaki Teryx H2

• Starts at $37,199

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