Kawasaki Eliminator

Eliminator

Manufacturer	Kawasaki
Production	1985–1988
Class	Cruiser
Engine	125–1000 cc V-Twin or Inline-4 depending on model

The Kawasaki Eliminator is a cruiser-type motorcycle that has been produced in several variants since its introduction in 1984 as the 900 Eliminator. Currently billed as a "power cruiser", the first two incarnations of the bike, namely the 1984 Eliminator and 1985 ZL900 models, were in fact almost street replicas of a drag style bike, featuring shaft drive, the ZX900 close-ratio gearbox and forward seating. The engine for both of these machines was in fact the same motor available in the 900ccm Ninja of the same year, albeit with different exhaust and intake configurations.

Available in black for 2005, the Eliminator 125’s styling features include a stepped seat with laid-back riding comfort for two, a stretched 3.4-gallon fuel tank, straight-flow exhaust and chrome-plated single headlight.

Models

ZL900

Introduced in 1984, and only produced for 2 years. It was produced as the Eliminator in 1984 and the ZL900 in 1985, the ZL900 evolved from the Kawasaki Z1. The ZL900 was designed to evoke images of the wildly successful Z1 drag bikes, with a bobbed rear fender, short travel fork, large rear tire, fat chromed mufflers, a small fuel tank and low straight handlebars. The ZL900 engine was a transplanted and slightly modified version of the liquid-cooled Inline 4 introduced in the 1984 Kawasaki ZX900 Ninja. Kawasaki used smaller 32 mm carburetors (the ZX900 used 34 mm), different timing and camshafts with less duration. This gave the engine a different personality, trading the Ninja's high-end power for low-end and mid-range performance that was more suitable for a cruiser. At the time, the ZL900 was the only bike in its segment using an Inline-four powerplant instead of a V4 configuration. These bikes were produced by Kawasaki in Lincoln, Nebraska for the American market.

ZL1000

The ZL1000 was an evolution of the ZL900, sporting a larger engine shared with the ZG1000 Concours and 34 mm carburetors. The styling of the ZL1000 was much more conservative than that of the 900, with a longer rear fender and a much larger fuel tank, this motorcycle was only available for 2 years, 1987 and 1988, but mostly sold in UK, Australia and the US in 1988. 100 HP models was sold in Germany, France and Sweden. The ZL1000 shares the same strong following as the ZL900.

ZL750

The ZL750 was sold from 1986 to 1989 as a mild-mannered version of its big brothers.

ZL600

The ZL600 had the same type of transplant as its bigger siblings: a slightly modified engine from the Kawasaki Ninja 600.

ZL400

The ZL400 ceased production in 1994. Unlike larger models, some versions of the ZL400 had a chain instead of shaft drive.

VN250

This model started production in 1998

EL250 (D5)

The EL250 had a production run from 1988 to 1997 at which point it was superseded by the VN250.

EL175

The EL175 is sold in India by Bajaj Auto.

EL125

Eliminator 125

The Eliminator 125 is Kawasaki's entry level cruiser. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation uses this bike in their beginner riders courses. It is powered by a 125 cc, air-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine.