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Kawasaki Eliminator (451cc) - anyone with experience?

oldGSfan

oldGSfan

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
My 8-year-older brother is in his 70s and likes to take rides in his 'quiet corner' of CT. He has an early 00's HD Super Glide and an '07 Moto Guzzi. Both are quite heavy for him now, and his riding has diminished. Maybe that's just a sign to hang it up, but he's ridden for over 50 years and is a solid rider. He knows his stuff after several dozen bikes and many thousands of safe miles. He takes riding seriously & when we were kids, he mentored my brother and me. He subscribed to all of the 'big 3' mags, and read everything he could about riding safely, even had the book by Harry Hurt.

I was telling him something he surely knows already, that as we get older, smaller bikes are a blast (says me, having bought a 1000cc Laverda that rides like a Peterbilt). I honestly don't care about tons of power, and am enjoying stuff even down to a CB175, KTM enduro, etc. Anyway, his bikes are nice, but I think he should go small-ish. He likes the cruiser style, and I think the Eliminator looks pretty good. Not my cup of tea, but aside from the exhaust, it's pretty nice looking, which is rare for me to admit on a cruiser. It has a clean silhouette, similar to his HD. Well, of course it does. To my eye, it looks much cooler than the Honda Rebel, which I think looks cartoonish. The Triumph 400 is a single and seems to be well-received. But this is more his style. He said he's thinking about a Royal Enfield. I'm not sure about that, but maybe OK. I think this bike may be a good throwback to a ~40 HP, 375 lb-ish bike he rode in the 60s, but much better in every way.

Anyone with Eliminator experience or veiws to share?

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No clue about 450 Eliminator but riding the wife's 600 eliminator seems like getting off an adult bike and getting on a child's bike. Both the wgt. plus the much lower center of gravity really makes it seem small... Well, it is a lot smaller than my other bikes.
 
It's a solid, reliable bike, as are the smaller Triumphs and the Royal Enfields. I haven't ridden the Kawi or RE, but that Kawasaki engine has been around for aeons, and it has pretty decent power for this size class.

The Kawasaki is pretty darn close to the ground. If your brother is taller, his hips and knees may or may not get along with the distance between the pegs and the seat. The Triumph and RE are more or less "normal" size bikes ergonomically.

I have ridden a few examples of the Triumph 400, and they're pretty fantastic for everything except long highway stints. No, not dripping with power, but they're gorgeous and handle well.

Here's my report from a Triumph demo day, including a few Triumph 400s:
tro.bike

Triumph Demo Day in Indianapolis: 12 Test Rides and Reviews

Triumph demo rides deliver quick check-in, a fun city loop and a real feel for the lineup, from nimble 400s to wild 1200s.
tro.bike tro.bike
The standard version handled better and appealed to me more than the scrambler. (But hey, if the scrambler is what makes you want to ride more, then get that one.)

If you have a decent local Royal Enfield dealer, that's a point in their favor. And there are skrillions of cosmetic and upgrade parts for RE, so that can be fun. The fuel injection works well by all accounts.

He needs to go at least sit on them, and see them in person, and decide which one he likes best. Motorcycles don't make any sense in the first place, so it's important to ride the bikes that appeal to you, whether they're the most "rational" choices or not.

Also, summer is passing, and time's a-wasting. I'd tell him to get out there and get a modern bike pronto that's a little easier to handle, and have more fun riding more with less worry.

And if he doesn't like it, well, values for smaller used bikes are always strong, and it's usually not hard to sell in the spring.
 
Thanks, I think it is a bit small for him. The Triumph looks better to me than the Enfield, but it's his choice. I'd really like it if it were a twin, but that'd cost a fair bit more. Triumph has done well, so many other tales of legendary marques have bitten the dust. Norton's back again after their previous fiasco. Will see.
 
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