MRW Issue 1

of the wonderful roads that surround the
George area. Our plan was to get as many
people on bikes and head out over the pass
again, down Robinsons Pass and through
De Rust towards the glorious Meringspoort,
or so I was told.
On this day, I would be spending all my
time in the saddle of the supercharged
beast that is the green mamba, ZH2 Kawasaki.
Complete comfort greeted me when
climbing on, a little bulkier compared to the
SF V4, but still really comfy.
I had done some street riding on the ZH2
up in JHB and loved it, so was excited at
the prospect of thrashing it around some
long bends. Instantly, as always, that supercharged
power just gets the eyes popping
and bum clinching – it really is just ridiculously
fast this thing! For sure faster than the
SF, even with its 17-19% increase.
I was very grateful that the braking system,
which is ABS equipped, works so well on
this bike, as they were put to the test more
often than not trying to stop this beefy animal.
The extra weight (around 40kgs heavier)
over the Ducati could be felt around the
turns, where the ZH2 needed some persuasion
getting into the turns. The extra weight
was welcomed out on the open straight
road where it was planted at high speeds,
but around the bends is where things got a
bit edgy. The ZH2 handles well, it’s just that
speed that makes things a bit more exciting
than you would want. This bike has so much
pace that it’s hard for the brain to keep up, I
really can’t explain how damn fast this bike
is. Hitting the brakes and getting the 240kg
plus bike stopped and around long bends is
a full-time job, and you have to stay focused
otherwise you will be taught a proper lesson.
Like we had done the night before, and the
night before that, the green mamba enjoys
its beverages, and just like a thoroughbred
racehorse, doesn’t like keeping it in the tank.
All the power comes at a price, and if you
are a trigger-happy rider, like me, then you