It’s the sort of publicity that manufacturers can only dream about, but Tom Cruise gave Kawasaki not one but two huge doses of exposure in the two Top Gun movies. But what was so special about the GPz900 in 1985, and what makes the H2 equally as special in 2022?

Part 1: The Kawasaki GPz900

Red Kawasaki GPz900
Kawasaki

Kawasaki unveiled the GPz900 in 1984, following a six-year development. It was designed as the successor to the Z1, Kawasaki’s first production sports bike, released in 1972 as an answer to the Honda CB750.

It was the first water-cooled, 16-valve inline four-cylinder engine in the world and made the GPz900 the first production bike to exceed 150mph from 115 horsepower. If that sounds tame by today’s standards, at the time that was a power output that only full-blown race bikes could match.

The engine was a stressed member of the chassis, which enabled Kawasaki engineers to mount the engine lower which improved handling. It was also the first Kawasaki to wear the Ninja name.

Fastest Motorcycle In The World

Kawasaki GPz900 in green
Kawasaki

The GPz900 was, at the time of its launch, the fastest production motorcycle in the world, reaching a top speed of 151mph. It was only toppled from its perch in 1986, with the arrival of the 160mph Suzuki GSX-R1100.

But the Kawasaki wasn’t all about top speed. In 1985, three GPz900s were entered in the Production class of the isle of Man TT races, with two finishing first and second.

Related: Tricked Out Kawasaki GPz900 Fuses with the Ninja H2R to Honor The Top Gun Movies

It Broke New Ground

Pulling dust cover off a bike
TopGun

If the performance was blistering, then it certainly wasn’t at the expense of rider comfort. The full fairing gave excellent wind protection and the seat, in comparison to the wooden boards of today’s litre sports bikes, was large and well-padded. The riding position also wasn’t as extreme as today’s race replica sports bikes.

The engine, despite being an inline four-cylinder, had counter-rotating balance shafts to quell secondary vibration and the suspension had new anti-dive valving in the forks.

Tom Cruise and Top Gun

Man riding Kawasaki GPz900
TopGun

With the GPx900 holding the title of fastest production motorcycle, it was the obvious choice as the choice of fighter pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun, the movie that really made a star out of Tom Cruise and featured (for the time) breathtaking flying action sequences.

In the movie, Cruise is seen riding alongside a runway as fighter jets take off, and throughout the movie, the bike is used extensively by Cruise riding solo and, later, with Kelly McGillis riding pillion.

Man and a girl riding a Kawasaki GPz900
TopGun

When Top Gun: Maverick was announced, the trailer teased us with a brief glimpse of his GPz900, telling us that he still owned the bike. Then, in the movie proper, he did indeed ride the old GPz, pulling the dust cover off it in his aircraft hangar/man cave and setting off on it to go to work, wearing his old leather flying jacket and Aviator Ray Bans.

Related: Worst Biker Movies Ever, Part 2: Torque

Part Two: The Kawasaki Ninja H2

Black/Green Kawasaki H2 Ninja
Kawasaki

Kawasaki broke new ground in 2015, when it created a new flagship motorcycle, the Ninja H2. What made it special was the fact that it was supercharged, making the H2 the first production motorcycle to be so powered.

It comes in two versions: the road-legal H2, with a liquid-cooled, inline, four-cylinder engine producing 200 horsepower, and a non-road legal version, the H2R, which produces 310 horsepower from the same engine.

But It’s Not Green!

a6
TopGun

A bright lime green is Kawasaki’s traditional color but the H2 bucks this trend by being finished in mirror-coated black paint. The mirror effect is created by a layer of pure silver formed by a chemical reaction.

The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is the first production motorcycle to offer the mirror-coated black paint. The paint on the fuel tank is finished with a UV coat (the only layer where robot painters are used) to protect the tank’s finish.

Electronics

a9-1
TopGun

One area that the H2 differs wildly from the GPz900 is in its electronics. When the GPz900 was current, electronic rider aids were unknown so the only control over the engine’s power was the rider’s right wrist.

The H2 needs all its electronics to control all the power and comes with traction control launch control, ABS and even an electronic steering damper. It was all the first Kawasaki to be fitted with a standard quick shifter.

The Fastest Production Motorcycle in the World

In 2016, five-time World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu rode a Kawasaki H2R to a new world record top speed for a production motorcycle of 400km/h (248mph) on the Ozman Gazi Suspension Bridge in Turkey. It took a mere 26 seconds for Sofuoglu to reach that top speed!

Related: Five Motorcycling Movies You Have to Watch

Back to the Movies

Movie poster for Top Gun: Maverick
TopGun

Whilst the world record top speed was set using the non-road-legal H2R, it was obvious there was only one motorcycle for ‘Maverick’ to ride in the new Top Gun” Maverick movie. Not only would he be staying faithful to Kawasaki, but would again be riding a model that held a world record. Sort of! The bike Maverick rides in the latest Top Gun movie is actually a Kawasaki H2 Carbon, but it’s closely enough related to the H2R to still count and be the ride of choice for a fighter pilot.

Spoiler Alert: Maverick Gets The Girl… Again

Man and A woman riding the Kawasaki H2 Ninja
TopGun

As in the original Top Gun movie, Maverick once again uses his Kawasaki to help him get the girl. Again, as in the original, both rider and pillion don’t wear helmets when riding, but the girl’s hair looks remarkably neat when she climbs off and not looking like a crow’s nest!

Does she fall for our hero because of the bike? Hard to tell as she drives a rather lovely 1970s Porsche 911 and sails a not-all-that-small yacht. Maybe she likes good engineering, in which case, the Kawasaki might just melt her heart!