A couple of months back, we reported that Kawasaki had unveiled a new-gen Eliminator 400 for the Japanese market. That bike has now been unveiled in the USA, but with one key difference – it now gets a new 451cc parallel-twin engine.
- New engine is based on Kawasaki Ninja 400 motor
- Gets a new chassis and neo-retro cruiser styling
- Could come to India in the future
This motor began life as a Ninja 400 engine, but with changes like a 6.8mm longer stroke, bigger 32mm throttle bodies and a large 5.8-litre airbox. Kawasaki says the intention was to give the bike a more relaxed nature with better low speed rideability. Just how much of the Ninja’s peaky, sportbike-like character has been shed remains to be seen. The bike gets a six-speed gearbox with a slip/assist clutch.
Like the Eliminator 400 launched in Japan, this bike uses a brand new chassis. This frame comes with dual rear shock absorbers, which give it a more authentic cruiser look than the Vulcan 650 with its monoshock. The frame design enables a long and low design theme, and the new Kawasaki Eliminator comes across as a more modern, better looking version of the Vulcan S with a more pleasing set of proportions.
Like the Vulcan S, it has a large 18-inch front wheel, but the rear on the Eliminator is 1-inch smaller than the Vulcan S' 17 inches. There are single disc brakes at both ends and dual channel ABS is available as an option in the USA.
The bike has a low seat height of 734mm and, like the bigger Kawasaki Vulcan 650, this motorcycle also has Kawasaki’s ergo-fit system. This allows customers to choose from different optional handlebar and foot peg set-ups to tailor the bike to their height and comfort. Ground clearance stands at 150mm and the bike weighs in at a light 176kg in US-spec, which makes it much lighter than the 226kg (US-spec) Vulcan.
At the moment, this bike is only listed on the Kawasaki USA website, but the motorcycle has been teased for the European market as well. If Kawasaki has developed a Euro 5 (and hence BS6) compliant version, then there’s a good chance of this bike making it to our market.