The 200-horsepower naked bikes are here, so who's going to buy one?

Just last month, when the teaser video for another supercharged Kawasaki was making the rounds, I wrote that a naked H2 was the obvious thing to do but I hoped Kawasaki would give us a smaller supercharged bike instead. Even the guys running RevZilla's social media program tried to help make sure I'd be let down gently.

Lance is prepared for disappointment.

Kawasaki Plans To Blow It & I Hope It’s Small --> https://t.co/ywYtx1WA2D pic.twitter.com/CoRFpYdG8T

— RevZilla (@RevZilla) October 23, 2019

Naturally, we got the Z H2, which is no doubt a formidable bike, expected to make nearly 200 horsepower and just over 100 foot-pounds of torque and laden with all of Kawasaki's rider aids and electronic features, from lean-angle-sensitive ABS and traction control to a quickshifter and even cruise control. Plus launch control. If this bike is used as intended, you're definitely going to need launch control. All that costs $17,000 in the United States, which handily undercuts the $19,995 price of the 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 (add $4,000 for the S version) also recently announced.

The Z H2 gets the Sugomi™ (yes, Kawasaki trademarked it) styling consistent with the rest of the Z line. Not that my opinions are useful for marketing purposes, except perhaps as contrarian indicators, but the one part of the look I like best is the green trellis frame, which brings some color to the line otherwise dominated by grays and blacks and matte finishes and also highlights one of the features of the Z bikes. I enjoyed riding the Z900 we had as a test bike, especially when the price was factored in, but I didn't particularly enjoy looking at it.

Who's buying $20,000, 200-horsepower naked bikes?

The Z H2 and the Streetfighter V4 appear to have surpassed muscular naked bikes like the KTM Super Duke 1290 R and the Aprilia Tuono Factory and tickled up against the 200-horsepower threshold. I guess the era of the hyper-naked (coin your own alternative phrase as you like) is truly here. So who's going to buy a 200-horsepower naked bike?

I can envision the buyer of a Ducati Panigale V4: a well heeled enthusiast who wants to live out some Chaz Davies and World Superbike fantasies, maybe take the bike to the track where it can do some heavy breathing. I can imagine the buyer of a limited-edition Kawasaki Ninja H2: a similarly well off enthusiast who appreciates Kawasaki's performance history, wants to spread a little shock and awe at the local bike night, and enjoys owning an exclusive, halo model.

I suppose, since the Z H2 is priced considerably lower, it might expand the pool of potential customers through price and availability, but is there really demand for a naked version? Will people really be racing around town from stoplight to stoplight on Z H2s and Streetfighter V4s? As former Zillan and lifelong performance bike rider Bobby Buchsbaum commented on my previous story, weren't naked bikes supposed to be about getting back to basics and keeping it simple? I know bikes like these two are not meant to be volume sellers, but how many years will I ride around before I spot even one unleashed in the wild?

Just questions I ask myself. Oh, and one more, though I think I already know the answer. Anyone here planning to buy a 200-horsepower naked bike?