TOP TRUMPS
As sportsbikes' popularity declines, high-powered naked bikes have seen a sales increase. UK riders still want big performance, the latest rider aids and technology, but no longer want to emulate World Superbikes or suffer the realities of hard seats and uncompromising ergonomics, which force your feet up near your backside.
This means the market is awash with attractive, aggressive, scaled-down naked sportsbikes, offering similar handling and performance to their racy sportsbike relatives. Rip the bodywork off your superbike, add some straight bars and hey-presto you've yourself a naked superbike.
In this field of exotica, two bikes stand out. They are not at the top end of this pricey sector, and neither are a scaled-down version of a race bike. There is no KTM superbike, and yes, Kawasaki's Z H2 has a sporty sibling, the formidable H2, but you'd never see a supercharged Kawasaki H2 leading a race; the Z H2 isn't a scaled-down ZX-lOR.
It's an intriguing comparison as both manufacturers have chosen very different routes of development. KTM has built the KTM 1290 Super Duke R from the ground up. Now in its third incarnation, it has grown from 990cc to 1.3 litres in a bid to chase horsepower and stay Euro compliant.
Kawasaki has attempted to climb Everest the hard way and is the only manufacturer to choose the supercharged route. Capacity remains at 998cc, but the supercharger puts it on a level playing field with the larger competition. But which would you want to see in your garage on a Sunday morning ahead of a blast to the coast? Only one way to find out.
KAWASAKI Z H2
Kawasaki's first supercharged bike, their H2 (and track-only H2R), was launched in Qatar back in 2015, and I was one
