2024 Kawasaki Eliminator: Technical Review

Price: £6,600-£6,800 | Power: 48bhp | Weight: 176kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA

The name ‘Eliminator’ hasn’t been seen on a UK-market Kawasaki for years but it’s intrinsically tied to that breed of Japanese cruisers that  briefly flourished in the 80s and 90s before being all but stamped out. For 2024 it’s back with a new 451cc, parallel-twin-powered machine simply called Eliminator – and Honda’s CMX 500 Rebel needs to watch out.

Review – In Detail

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator - Price

The Eliminator isn’t due in dealers until January 2024 so Kawasaki has yet to establish its final UK price – only saying it’s expected to come in between £6,600 and £6,800.

That might not be a huge tag, but bear in mind the Eliminator is aimed squarely at A2 licence holders, so will be a first new bike for most buyers, and there’s already some well-established competition in the market, most notably from the similarly-proportioned Honda CMX500 Rebel, which slides in at £6299 or (more relevantly) £79 per month on the firm’s current finance offer. Even if Kawasaki can’t beat the Honda’s outright price, there’s going to be pressure to beat the monthly one when the Eliminator reaches dealers.

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Engine & Performance

While the official UK power figure will be announced officially nearer the end of the year, we can already be nearly certain that it will come in at 48hp. The visually identical Eliminator 400, launched earlier this year in Japan, makes exactly that much from 398cc, and the European and US market Eliminator has a 451cc version of the same engine. The fact the Eliminator is designed specifically for the A2 class means it can’t have more than that.

The engine is a revised derivative of the familiar, DOHC parallel twin already found in the Ninja 400 and Z400 models, but with an extra 53cc to hike torque and put it within 20cc of the 471cc Honda Rebel, which actually makes a fraction less power at 45.6hp despite its slight capacity advantage.

The Eliminator’s torque figure comes in at 31.7lb-ft (43Nm), an increase on the 27.3lb-ft (37Nm) offered by the 398cc Japanese version that’s commensurate with the extra capacity.

Kawasaki’s parallel twin drives through an assist-and-slipper clutch to a six-speed transmission with a chain final drive.

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Handling, weight and suspension

As you might expect, there’s nothing spectacular in the Eliminator’s suspension – just some 41mm, right-way-up forks at the front, set at a lazy 30-degree rake and allied to twin rear shocks. With 120mm of front suspension travel and 90mm at the rear, plus 150mm of ground clearance, it shouldn’t be as compromised as some more extreme cruisers but it’s clearly not targeting track days. Unlike the Honda Rebel, which has 16-inch wheels at each end, the Eliminator has an 18-inch front paired to its 16-inch rear.

One area where Kawasaki is traditionally strong is in making its bikes light, and the Eliminator is no exception. With the standard model coming in at 176kg wet, it’s a full 14 kilos lighter than the equivalent Honda Rebel. And while Royal Enfield’s Super Meteor 650 might look like a tempting alternative in the A2 cruiser class, with much more substantial, traditional looks, it’s vastly heavier at 241kg – something that’s likely to be off-putting for a lot of new riders.

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Comfort & Economy

There’s no official economy claim for the Eliminator yet, but the Japanese market version is good for nearly 90mpg, which bodes well – offering a range of well over 200 miles from its 12-litre tank.

As you’d expect from a small cruiser, the Eliminator is well suited to those with a shorter inseam. The seat height is a mere 735mm, and although that’s 45mm taller than the equivalent Rebel, Kawasaki uses an ‘Ergo-Fit’ system to allow the seat height, bars and pegs to be moved – either through adjustment or via replacement parts – to suit a range of different riders. There are two alternative seats, the lowest giving a 715mm height, the tallest raising it to 765mm.

Both the Japanese Eliminator 400 and the US market Eliminator 450, which is essentially identical to the UK model, also come in ‘SE’ form, adding extra comforts including a headlight cowl and USB-C port, as well as fork gaiters and more exotic paint schemes. We’ll find out later this year whether the SE is also slated for the UK market.

 Smartphone connectivity is standard via Kawasaki’s Rideology app, sharing info between the all-digital dash and your device.

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator brakes

A single 310mm front disc and two-piston caliper is joined by a 240mm rear disc and single-pot sliding caliper, both with ABS as standard. Not specs that promise to have your eyeballs popping out at every touch of the lever, but enough to more than match the CMX500 Rebel, which has a similar rear stopper and a slightly smaller 296mm front disc.

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Rivals

Honda CMX500 Rebel | Price: £6,299

The go-to bike for riders looking for a small, wieldy, A2-legal cruiser. Cheaper than the Kawasaki, but heavier.

Power/Torque: 45.6bhp/32lb-ft | Weight: 190kg

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 | Price: £6,799

Much more metal for the money, with a historic name and convincingly retro looks, the Super Meteor is a tempting A2-legal option, but it’s a heavy beast in this company.

Power/Torque: 46.4bhp/38.6lb-ft | Weight: 241kg

Honda CL500 | Price: £5,999

Based on the Rebel but with scrambler-ified styling and new for 2023, the CL500 is even more affordable, provided you’re not wedded to the cruiser look and can cope with a taller, 790mm seat.

Power/Torque: 45.6bhp/32lb-ft | Weight: 191kg

2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Technical Specification

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• A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
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The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.