2019 Ninja H2 gets "self-healing paint"

Khodrocar - Not even close, but Kawasaki is still the first motorcycle manufacturer, to my knowledge, offering self-healing paint from the factory. Infiniti showed regenerative paint for cars in 2004, and the aftermarket grew quickly for the rest of us with our boring conventional paint. Self-healing paint comes in two main varieties: overlays and additives. Overlays are laid over existing paint, while additives are mixed with paint before spraying a body surface. Both rely on heat to rearrange the surface where a scratch, scuff, or swirl marked it. Exposure to sunlight usually does the trick, but sometimes the process can be accelerated with a heat gun or warm water. (Check with the manufacturer before attempting.)

Kawasaki hasn’t revealed how its proprietary system works, but the principle will be the same. "Soft and hard segments in the coat work together like a chemical spring, creating a trampoline effect that absorbs impacts,” according to Kawasaki’s website. To see self-healing materials in action, check out this video from Engineering Explained.

Self-healing paint has its limits and disadvantages. It can’t repair scratches that cut all the way through the paint, so don’t expect it to fix that gouge from your novelty belt buckle. In Kawasaki’s words, "The paint will not recover in the case of scratches caused by a coin or key, or zip fasteners.” I think they mean zippers, not zip ties. The process takes time, too. Although they claim it’s quick compared to options in the car world, scratches could take up to a week to heal. That’s assuming the bike is in "suitably warm ambient temperatures.” Finally, self-healing paint can lose its abilities over time, though it’ll be a few years before we know how Kawi’s formulation holds up. None of these drawbacks are deal-breakers, but it’s worth knowing what self-healing paint can and can't do.

In other news, they added 30 horsepower to the H2, a bike that’s already unrideable without computer assistance. The optimism of light scuff protection might be my favorite part of this ridiculous, wonderful motorcycle.

Source: RevZilla