**Why Add an Intercooler?
And How Much Horsepower Does It Really Give?**
The short answer: an intercooler doesn’t directly add horsepower — it protects it. When a supercharger compresses air, the air heats up. Hot air is less dense, holds less oxygen, and reduces power. Kawasaki avoids fitting an intercooler from the factory due to cost, complexity, and weight, so instead they rely on ECU‑based protection strategies. When intake temps rise, the ECU cuts power — sometimes by up to 30% — to prevent engine damage.
An intercooler solves this by lowering intake charge temperature below the ECU’s intervention threshold, allowing the engine to maintain full power at all times. This becomes even more critical when increasing boost with supercharger gears, because higher boost = higher temperature = earlier ECU power reduction.
More boost without an intercooler is counterproductive. You gain pressure but lose power because the ECU steps in sooner. With an intercooler, you keep the boost and the power.
About the Kit
Developed in partnership with multi–land‑speed‑record holder Greg Watters (Black Art Racing), this system was engineered to meet the extreme demands of his Kawasaki H2 LSR project. Testing showed a dramatic 35–50°C (95–120°F) reduction in intake charge temperature depending on ambient conditions.
Since release, our H2O Intercooler Kit has been used on high‑horsepower, competition‑winning Ninja H2 and H2R builds worldwide, including:
- Andy Freeman – Australian Land Speed Record, MPS‑BG1000 212.867 mph – Lake Gairdner, 2018
- Damon Emillien / CMP Ninja H2 – Texas Mile World record 230.8 mph – 2017
- Cengiz Mize Performance (Turkey) – World’s first & most powerful turbo‑converted Ninja H2 >500 RWHP
With proven results across real competition environments, you can trust our H2O Intercooler Kit to deliver consistent performance and reliability under the harshest conditions.
Design Overview
Our system is a water/air intercooler built around the largest core that can physically fit within the H2 chassis. The core is housed inside a fully CAD‑designed, CNC‑machined billet aluminium two‑piece plenum.
How the System Works
- A dedicated pump circulates coolant from our one‑piece pump/reservoir/fill unit
- Coolant flows through a front‑mounted heat exchanger
- Heat is transferred from the intake air to the coolant inside the intercooler core
- The warmed coolant returns to the reservoir and repeats the cycle every 6–10 seconds
This is a stand‑alone cooling system, independent from the motorcycle’s main coolant circuit. While the overflow/header tank is shared, the intercooler system rarely uses it.
New Developments & Continuous Improvement
2024 – 3D‑Printed Velocity Stacks
Refined high‑RPM fueling and smoother airflow for improved top‑end performance.
2021 – Airflow Diffuser Plate
CFD analysis and real‑world testing revealed up to 10% additional intercooler efficiency by adding a diffuser plate inside the plenum. Precisely sized holes distribute airflow evenly across the core with no measurable pressure drop. This diffuser is now standard on all kits.
Updated Velocity Stack Profiles
Redesigned trumpet geometry for improved high‑RPM airflow and power stability.
Now included in all kits for optimized internal flow management.
FITTING
All parts required to fit the system are included in the kit, although you will require some basic hand tools to install the system plus a good understanding of your motorcycle & mechanical knowledge.
TUNING
ECU Re tuning is also recommended to take advantage of the cooler charge temperature & the different internal plenum dynamics. This can also be combined with increased boost pressure for additional horsepower gains.
NOTE: Tuning changes may affect compliance with EPA regulations, please check with your local authorities before performing any tuning modifications.
What's included in the kit
- CNC machined billet two piece plenum with pre fitted intercooler core , 3D printed Velocity stacks & AN-8 water fittings
- Front heat exchanger (radiator) with laser cut aluminium brackets that mount to the bikes OEM radiator
- CNC machined billet water pump housing/fill point /reservoir with quality high capacity pump, laser cut stainless steel mounting bracket & AN-8 fittings
- Quality AN-8 rubber hose & black anodised fittings
- Quality blow off valve (BOV) return hose & spigot with spring clamps & grommet
- Silicone OEM BOV return point cap with spring clamp
- Quality rubber signal hose for the BOV & header tank hose with tee piece
- Plug in water pump patch harness & 15A Fuse
- Custom tool for the AN fittings
- AN fitting thread sealer/lubricant
- Fitting hardware & loctite
- Full fitting instructions with photos
Coating options
Some customers may wish to have a more stealth look on their bike or add some extra protection against heat soak, so we are offering some coating options.
- Anodizing is a hard wearing coating that adds a very cool satin black finish to components.
- Ceramic coating adds extra protection against heat transfer (soak) from the engine to the plenum, especially when being used in a drag racing situation where the bike will sit still for long periods between runs.
- High temp coating is used on the front heat exchanger to give a more stealth look without affecting its performance.
Please note: Anodizing & ceramic coating will add approximately 1-2 weeks to the production time
BOV upgrade
Some customers may wish to change the BOV return system to a vent to atmosphere type.
We've had this Turbosmart Kompact unit custom built to suit the H2, not only is it
much higher quality & more compact it looks a lot better than the OEM unit also, oh & the sound.
Note: The return hose for the OEM BOV is not included when selecting this option
Pre-order details
*Reserve only*
We have added this option for people wanting to pay a $1000 deposit to reserve their Ninja H2 intercooler kit.
** Please note: this deposit is NON-refundable & balance owing plus any shipping charges will be payable within 1 week of you being notified that your kit is ready, otherwise we reserve the right to sell the kit to someone else on our waiting list**
Prices shown are Australian dollars to view in a different currency please click the currency tab at the top of the page ^^
Please do not reserve a kit if you are unable to complete the purchase.
Shipping priority will be given to fully paid pre-purchases, these will be shipped as soon as they are ready.
Full installation video coming soon but here's a teaser.
Customer Un-boxing Video
