Is a fast electric bike fast enough to trump a supercharged sports bike? Here’s the answer.
You’ve seen many drag races of electric commuter scooters and electric bikes going against commuter petrol-powered offerings. But what about performance electric two-wheelers going up against performance ICE two-wheelers?
Well, to answer that, Motorcyclist Magazine pit one of the fastest ICE bikes, the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2, against the fastest electric bike (at the time), the Lightning LS-218 in a drag race at a proper track. And the result was quite astonishing.
The Competitors
The first contender in this drag race is the iconic Kawasaki Ninja H2
Waving the ICE motorcycle flag in this race is the Kawasaki Ninja H2.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is the company’s fastest production motorcycle. And it earns this moniker thanks to its supercharged 998cc, inline-four engine which puts out a mind-boggling 230PS and 142Nm. The engine comes mated to a six-speed gearbox with a quickshifter and slipper clutch as standard.
With its insane power, the Ninja H2 tips the scale at around 237kg (kerb) which, though hefty, still gives it an impressive power-to-weight ratio.
Going against it is this, the Lightning LS-218 electric bike
Against the Ninja, we have one of the fastest electric motorcycles, the Lightning LS-218.
The Lightning LS-218 was first unveiled in 2014 and it churns out 200+PS and 228Nm from its IPM motor. The motor comes mated to a 12kWh battery offering a maximum range of around 160km.
The LS-218 weighs 224kg and comes only with a single direct transmission.
Kawasaki Ninja H2 vs Lightning LS-218 Drag Race
Ever wondered who’d win if you pit one of the fastest ICE bikes against one of the fastest electric motorcycles? Well, Motorcyclist Magazine has done exactly that
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get to the race.
In the really short video which is barely 2 minutes long, there’s only a single run for both bikes without any rider swap or stuff like that.
Both bikes lineup on the start line and as soon as the lights go out, the Kawasaki H2 jolts ahead to get an early lead over the Lightning LS-218.
At the end, the Kawasaki records an impressive time of 9.94 seconds. Wondering what happened to the LS-218? Well, swipe up to find out!
While the LS-218 struggles to put its power down and keep its front wheel on the ground, the Kawasaki H2 stretches its advantage, thanks to an almost perfect launch with barely any wheelies.
In the end, the Kawasaki H2 records a time of 9.94 seconds at a speed of 238kmph whereas the Lightning LS-218 took 10.05 seconds at 231kmph. To put things into perspective, both these times are in the ballpark of some exotic supercars like the Bugatti Chiron and the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
Who’s The Winner?
With a supercharged 999cc engine, it puts out 230PS and 142Nm
Well, the Kawasaki H2 wins this one and proudly waves the ICE flag. However, the LS-218 clearly didn’t get an ideal launch here and it was still just 0.1 seconds behind the H2.
So the main conclusion to draw here is that both of these bikes are extremely fast and capable machines, which sit at the top of their segments.
However, this video is around four years old, and many new electric bikes have popped up on the scene claiming to be the ‘fastest’. Time for round two with another electric bike, maybe?
Meanwhile, you can watch the video here:
Image Credits: Motorcyclist Magazine
Keyword: Kawasaki Ninja H2 vs Lightning LS-218: Fastest ICE & Electric Bikes Go To War On The Drag Strip