TESTED: Kawasaki Eliminator 500

WORDS: Nik Samson PHOTOS: Kawasaki EU

The A2 licence-compliant Eliminator takes its cues from the Eliminators of the 1980s, the ZL900s and 1000s and, later, the 600s, too, and there’re very definite styling cues in the rear mudguard, back light, and fuel tank to their drag-strip inspired predecessors. However, the new 500 is an all-new bike with a purpose-designed steel trellis-type frame based on that of the exquisitely handling Ninja 400, and a 451cc parallel twin engine developed from the Ninja/the Z500 retuned, of course, for low and mid-range grunt ‘cos cruisers don’t need power at high revs, do they?

It puts out 45PS (44.8 horsepower), which makes it suitable for those who’ve just passed their test and’re on an A2 licence and, thanks to a class-leading low weight of just 176 kilos, feels faster through the gears than perhaps a bike with just 44-and-a-bit hp would do normally (Honda’s Rebel 500, its main rival, tips the scales at 191kg – some 15 kilos heavier). There’s a six-speed gearbox with a ‘slipper’ so that, if you accidentally change down a gear too far, the rear wheel won’t lock, and an assisted clutch that’s just so, so light – you could pull it on with one finger if you so desire.

As the bike’s aimed at new riders (and those of the female persuasion), and because it’s a cruiser-styled bike and they traditionally have lower seats, the Eliminator comes with a nicely sculpted botty-rest that has a basic height off t’ground of 735mm. The ’bars are reassuringly narrow, so slipping through traffic shouldn’t present any problem even in our increasingly grid-locked cities, and there’re single disc brakes front and rear, with ABS naturally, for effective stopping. Forks are 41mm right-way-uppies, and the twin rear shocks have adjustable preload. Finally, the digital speedo/tacho is basic, without any bells, whistles or TFT nonsense here – speedo, rev-counter, fuel gauge, odometer, two trip meters, gear display, and clock’re all that’s needed.

There’re two models, the Eliminator and the Eliminator SE. The SE is the higher spec’ variant with different graphics (and colour obviously); a stylish headlight cowl that adds to the drag-strip look; a handlebar-mounted USB-C outlet; feature stitching in the seat; and fork gaiters to keep the krap off your khrome, and it was the SE that we rode on the launch – as it’s the one that Kawasaki’ll be pushing to sell in the UK.

So, what’s it like to ride? Well, considering it’s a fairly low-powered mo’cycle, it’s actually pretty damn good. Swinging a leg over, it feels small, definitely, but still of a confidence-inspiring size. The seat, the standard one, is low, but the gap between it and the ’pegs is enough to suit most riders (those over six foot might struggle a little… Pull in the uber-light clutch, smoothly shift into first, and… you’re away surprisingly smartly, it has to said. Yes, the motor may only be of four-hundred-and fifty-one ceecees capacity but, as I said, it’s been set up for real-world riding, not racetrack shenanigans, and the whole bike doesn’t weigh very much in the first place so it goes well.

Suspension-wise, the ride, given the basicness, is pretty good, too (mind you, Spanish roads are a LOT better than our Third World pot-holed embarrassments). The IRC tyres do a perfectly adequate job of gripping to the black stuff and, thanks to similar geometry to its Ninja 400 sportsbike sibling, it’s well behaved through the bends, too. It’s a bike you have to use the gears to get the best from.

On twisting mountain roads, second and third gears were best, allowing you to just wind open, and close, the throttle to keep the plot moving swiftly, and the whole bike felt planted and sure-footed – no mean feat for something so small and light. On larger roads and dual-carriageways I never really got the chance to push it much more than 120-130kmh (75-80mph), but I could feel there was a bit left, and the motor still felt smooth enough at those speeds without much in the way of vibration or buzziness.

Any bad points? No, not really… it’s a great bike, and one that’s perfectly suited to the market it’s aimed at. It’s low, light, easy to ride, and’d be a great town bike – exactly what Kawasaki set out to design in the first place.

Available now from Kawasaki dealers, you can get your hands on the standard for £5999 or £6399 for the SE – and there’s a four-year warranty, too.