Kawasaki Eliminator 400 Cruiser Debuts In Japan

Remember the Kawasaki Eliminator lineup? It’s back for 2023 (sort of), as Kawasaki has just introduced a new Eliminator 400 at the Osaka Motorcycle Show in Japan.

Actually, it might be just a bit of a stretch to say the Eliminator line is back, because for now the only Eliminator model confirmed is the 400 (the series used to comprise multiple models, not just one). And, that 400 is only confirmed for Japan. However, we have seen social media teasers for this new bike in other Asian countries and it seems likely this machine is intended as a global model, to challenge Honda Rebel sales.

At this point, the Eliminator 400 has not been announce for Canada.

Wot’s it all about, then? As you might have guessed, this bike combines Kawasaki’s trusty fuel-injected liquid-cooled 400-class parallel twin with a cruiser chassis. From what we can find online, it sounds as if it’s putting out just under 45 hp and about 27 lb-ft of torque, roughly the same as the Ninja 400. However, the peak numbers may not tell the whole tale; the CBR500 and Rebel 500 look similar on paper, but Honda’s wee cruiser is made to put out more jam at lower rpm, and it would be sensible to do the same with Kawasaki’s new Eliminator.

The Eliminator 400 gets a steel tube trellis-style frame, with dual rear shocks and 18-in front wheel, 16-in rear wheel. Mid-mount pegs are standard. Fuel capacity is 12L. Seat height is a low 735 mm; it can be lowered even further to 715 mm with an accessory seat, or raised to 765 mm by the same method. Does this mean Kawasaki plans a line of accessories to “fit” the bike to the rider, same as was often available with the Vulcan 650 line? No word on that yet, as the bike was not confirmed for markets outside Japan and PR is limited.

As such, we haven’t seen whether ABS is standard, but we expect that it is. As the photos show, there is a single front and rear disc brake on this machine.

Along with the standard Eliminator 400 (which weighs in at a claimed 176 kg at the curb), there is also an Eliminator 400 SE model. This up-spec’d machine gets a swanky headlight fairing, fork gaiters, GPS screen, USB-C charging socket, and even front-and-rear-facing video screens. We’ve seen these offered on a few Chinese-market machines in the past couple of years, but so far, the Japanese haven’t included this tech. These cameras record your ride for social media, but also serve the same role as a dash camera in a car, which can be extremely useful in stop-and-go urban traffic (unfortunately!).

The SE model’s extra accoutrements drive the weight up a couple of kg, and also drive the price up a bit. The standard Eliminator 400 sells for 759,000 yen; the SE will sell for 858,000 yen in Japan. Those prices work out to roughly $8,000 and $9,000 CAD, respectively.