Kawasaki brought back the Eliminator as a 451cc light cruiser in its lineup last year. The Eliminator is based on the Z400/Ninja 400 platform but uses a slightly larger engine with a stroke of 58.6mm, giving it a 451cc displacement. Kawasaki has announced that since the release of the Eliminator late in 2023, the Z500/Ninja 500 for 2024 will also feature the larger displacement parallel-twin engines.
The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator SE ABS ($7,249) features a 451cc liquid-cooled DOHC four-valves-per-cylinder parallel-twin engine. The lightweight steel-trellis chassis, derived from Ninja 400, has been modified to achieve a shorter seat height of 28.9 inches and a longer wheelbase of 59.8 inches. The aluminum swingarm is bolted to the rear of the engine and uses the powerplant for stress. The suspension components consist of a 41mm non-adjustable telescopic front fork with 4.7 inch of travel, and twin shocks that can be preloaded to provide 3.1 inch of travel. Contributing to the Eliminator’s cruiser stance is an 18-inch front wheel, 16-inch rear wheel, and a 3.4-gallon tapered fuel tank. The front brakes are a 310mm disc and dual piston caliper, while the rear brakes are a 220mm disk with a one-piston single piston caliper. The 2024 Eliminator SE includes ABS as standard. Kawasaki sells the base-model Eliminator with ABS for $6649.
Kawasaki’s Eliminator SE utilizes all of the same hardware as the base models, but features exclusive color and graphics as well as a headlight cowl, fork boots, a USB-C outlet, and a two-pattern seat cover.
Dyno Chart for 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator SE. (Robert Martin/)The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator weighed in at 395 pounds before hitting the Dynojet250i dynamometer. On the Cycle World On the dyno test, the Eliminator produced a 47.22 horsepower at 10,430 revs and a 29.03 lb.ft. torque at 7,510 revs. The 2019 Kawasaki Z400, for example, produced 44.08hp at 9.830rpm and 25,12lb.ft.of torque at 8.250rpm.
Kawasaki says that they increased the stroke to 6.8mm to increase torque at low speeds. Our testing has confirmed this. The 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator engine offers more horsepower and torque than its predecessor. Despite the change in displacement, the 451cc twin engine still delivers power smoothly and linearly.
