The Kawasaki Z400 has a new pro-street style big brother—the 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator. It marks a return of the Eliminator name, which was first used by Kawasaki in 1985. Kawasakis using the moniker have ranged in size from 125cc to 1000cc with engine configurations including singles, parallel twins, V-twins, and inline-fours. So, let’s see what motorcycle gets the Eliminator designation in 2024.
- The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator is powered by a stroked version of the engine used by the Z400 and Ninja 400 sportbikes. Kawasaki engineers lengthened the stroke by 6.8mm to bump the displacement of the Eliminator’s motor to 451cc. This puts the parallel-twin-powered pro-street cruiser’s combustion chamber volume just 20cc short of the Honda Rebel 500’s parallel twin. The Eliminator motor puts out a peak of 31.7 ft-lbs of torque at 7500 rpm, compared to the Ninja 400’s 28 ft-lb torque summit at 8000 rpm. The Eliminator gets a six-speed transmission with a slip-and-assist clutch.
- Apropos of the Eliminator name, the chassis is long and low to evoke thoughts of a dragster. The wheelbase stretches nearly 60 inches, and the rake kicked out 30 degrees. Trail is spacious, at just under five inches. Unusual for a motorcycle with pro-street styling, a trellis frame is employed.
- The Eliminator gets an unusual 18-/16-inch wheelset. Also, we rarely see IRC Grand High Speed tires, but there they are on the Eliminator. The tires are wide at 130mm in the front and 150mm out back.
- The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator suspension has a retro appearance. The fork is a non-adjustable conventional design, and the rear shocks are adjustable for spring-preload only. Damping is fixed at both ends. The rear shocks are bolted to a die-cast box swingarm.
- While disc braking is standard, ABS is optional. Nissin supplies the calipers for the disc on each wheel, and the optional ($300) ABS is Nissin.
- The Eliminator’s ergonomics skew toward standard upright. The Eliminator’s seat is a bit lower and farther back than on the Z400, while the grips are up and back with a flat handlebar bend, and the footpegs are slightly down and forward. The ergos are more upright than the 650-class Kawasaki Vulcan S. Combined, the Eliminator should be a bit roomier than the Z400, and the rider sitting closer to vertical. The standard seat height is a hair under 29 inches, with optional seats that sit at about 28 and 30 inches above the street.
- Passenger accommodations are standard on the Eliminator. If you plan on riding solo most of the time, a seat cowling is optional.
- The LCD dash is retro-round, with a modern touch—Bluetooth connectivity. The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator is compatible with Kawasaki’s Rideology The App. The owner can track how much (and how hard) the Eliminator is ridden thanks to sophisticated GPS-assisted data logging. Rideology The App can alert you when your paired smartphone gets a call or an email.
- The round headlight is LED, with the look of an incandescent bulb. The turn signals and taillight have a more contemporary look.
- There are three flavors of Eliminator. The standard version does without ABS, while—you guessed it—the ABS version has ABS. The SE ABS gets ABS, plus exclusive Candy Steel Furnace Orange / Ebony paint with its own graphics, dual-pattern rider seat cover, a color-matched headlight cowling, fork gaiters, and a waterproof powered USB-C outlet on the right handlebar. The standard and ABS versions of the Eliminator are available in Pearl Robotic White. Pearl Storm Gray is exclusive to the standard version, while you have to get the ABS model if you want Metallic Flat Spark Black Paint.
- Accessories not yet mentioned include a helmet lock, frame slider kit, tank pad, radiator trim, and a taller screen for the SE’s headlight cowling.
- All three 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator models should be at your dealers now, or very soon. The list price for the standard Eliminator is $6649. You pay $300 more for the ABS version, and add another $300 on top of that for the Eliminator SE ABS.
2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Specs
ENGINE
- Type: Parallel twin
- Displacement: 451cc
- Bore x stroke: 70.0 x 58.5mm
- Maximum torque: 32 ft-lbs @ 7500 rpm
- Compression ratio: 11.3:1
- Valve train: DOHC, 4 vpc
- Fueling: EFI w/ 32mm oval throttle bodies
- Cooling: Liquid
- Transmission: 6-speed w/ Positive Neutral Finder
- Final drive: Sealed chain
CHASSIS
- Frame: Steel trellis
- Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable 41mm fork; 4.7 inches
- Rear suspension: Spring-preload adjustable shocks; 3.5 inches
- Tires: IRC Grand High Speed GS-23
- Front tire: 130/70 x 18
- Rear tire: 150/80 x 16
- Front brake: 310mm disc w/ 2-piston Nissin caliper
- Rear brake: 240mm petal disc w/ 2-piston Nissin caliper
- ABS: Optional ($300)
DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES
- Wheelbase: 59.8 inches
- Rake: 30 degrees
- Trail: 4.8 inches
- Seat height: 28.9 inches (28.1- and 30.1-inch seats optional)
- Fuel tank capacity: 3.7 gallons
CURB WEIGHTS
- Standard: 386 pounds
- ABS: 388 pounds
- ABS SE: 390 pounds
COLORS
- Pearl Robotic White (standard and ABS)
- Pearl Storm Gray (standard only)
- Metallic Flat Spark Black (ABS only)
- Candy Steel Furnace Orange / Ebony (SE ABS only)
PRICES
- 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator: $6649 MSRP
- 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator ABS: $6949
- 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator ABS SE: $7249
2024 Kawasaki Eliminator Photo Gallery
