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 1985 as the ZL900. Currently billed as a "power cruiser", the first two incarnations of the bike, namely the 1985 and 1986 ZL900 models, were in fact almost street replicas of a drag style bike, featuring shaft drive, very short gearing and forward seating with a handlebar that barely qualified as legal. The motor for both of these machines was in fact the same motor available in the 900cc Ninja of the same year, albeit with slightly different exhaust and intake configurations. These were, and remain, two of the highest performing straight line un-cowled motorcycles to be sold to the public.

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 1985, and only produced for 2 years (1985 and 1986), the ZL900 evolved from the legendary 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, and at the time of its original release was the fastest accelerating (from zero to 50 m.p.h.) production motorcycle, and also sported the widest rear tire of any production motorcycle. 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 dramatically different personality, trading the Ninja's high-end surge for low-end grunt and a meaty mid-range that was more suitable for a cruiser. At the time, the ZL900 was the only bike in its segment using an Inline 4 powerplant instead of a V4 configuration. These bikes were produced by Kawasaki in Lincoln, Nebraska for the American market, but failed to live up to their potential here as there were stiff tariffs at the time for Japanese motorcycles over 700c.c.'s. They were wildly popular overseas in Europe due in large part to the decidedly "American" styling and plenty of dependable power..

Criticisms

The pursuit of drag-bike style resulted in some functional compromises. First, riders of the Eliminator complained about a lack of cornering clearance, although it took corners better than its super-heavyweight competitors the Honda Magna V65, the Suzuki Madura and the Yamaha V-Max. The ZL900 was long and low like a drag bike, so sporting riders who wanted ZX900 power in a cruiser had to give up riding the twisties. Additionally, pushing the bike hard overwhelmed the skinny front tire and brought the rear suspension's shortcomings to the surface. More universally, owners and magazines alike bemoaned the Eliminator's lack of range due to its small fuel tank capacity. At 25-35 mpg on a 2.9 gallon tank, even conservative riders were forced to find a filling station after 100 miles or less.

Even with all of the criticisms, the Kawasaki Eliminator was considered a "giant killer", and is still considered to be ahead of its time even now some 20-plus years after its initial introduction.

For more information on the Kawasaki Eliminator contact the Kawasaki Eliminator Owners Association at www.zl-oa.com.

Length	2240 mm
Width	810 mm
Height	1075 mm
Wheelbase	1595 mm
Clearance	145 mm
Seat Height	745 mm
Weight	238 kg
Fluid Capacities	Fuel, 2.9 gal Oil, 3.7 L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled 16V DOHC I4
Bore x Stroke	72.5 x 55.0 mm
Displacement	908 cc
Compression	11.0
Power	105 hp @9500, 63 ft⋅lbf (85 N⋅m) @8000
Carbs	4x 32 mm Keihin CV
Rake	29°
Trail	102 mm
Tires	Front, 100/90-17 Rear, 160/80-15
Brakes	Front, Dual Disc Rear, Single Disc

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 1 year, 1987, and shares the same strong following as the ZL900.

Overall Length	2305 mm
Overall Width	790 mm
Overall Height	1150 mm
Wheelbase	1615 mm
Road Clearance	155 mm
Seat Height	750 mm
Dry Weight	244 kg
Curb Weight	Front 124 kg. Rear 146 kg
Fluid Capacities	Fuel, 18.5 L
Lubrication System	Forced Lubrication (Wet Sump)
Engine Oil	SF or SAE 10W/40, 10W/50, 20W/40, 20W/50
Engine Oil Capacity	3.7 L
Spark Plug	NGK D8EA or ND X24ES-U or NGK DR8ES-L or NG X24ESR-U
Engine	Liquid-Cooled, 16V DOHC I4,
Bore x Stroke	74.0 x 58.0 mm
Displacement	997 mL / cc
Compression Ratio	10.2
Max. Horsepower	80.9 kW (110ps) @, 9,000r/pm (rpm)
Max. Torque	91.2 N-m (9.3 kg-m, 67.3 ft·lbf) @, 7,000r/pm (rpm)
Carbs	4 x 34 mm CVK Keihin
Rake	29°
Trail	102 mm
Brakes	Front, Dual Disc. Rear, Single Disc
Tires	OEM Front, Dunlop Tubeless F17 100/90-18 56H. OEM Rear, Dunlop Tubeless K425 160/80-15 74H

ZL750

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

Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase	1595 mm
Clearance
Seat Height	745 mm
Weight	238 kg (dry)
Fuel/Oil Capacity	11.0 L / L
Oil cap.
Engine	Liquid-Cooled 16V DOHC I4
Bore x Stroke
Displacement
Compression	11:1
Power	77 hp @9000, ft·lbf @
Carbs	4x 32 mm Keihin
Rake
Trail
Tires (F,R)	100/90-18, 160/80-15
Brakes (F,R)	Dual Disc, Single Disc

ZL600

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

Criticisms

The ZL600 was sold as late as 1996, though by then its mid-80's engine earned reviews from the motorcycle press that dubbed the bike outdated, underpowered and overpriced. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)

Length	2210 mm
Width	775 mm
Height	1120 mm
Wheelbase	1550 mm
Clearance	145 mm
Seat Height	720 mm
Weight	194 kg
Fuel/Oil Capacity	12.3 L / 3.0 L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled 16V DOHC I4
Bore x Stroke	60 x 52.4 mm
Displacement	592 cc
Compression	11.8
Power	74 hp @10500, 39.8 ft⋅lbf (54.0 N⋅m) @8500
Carbs	4x 30 mm Keihin CV
Rake	29.5°
Trail	107 mm
Tires (F,R)	100/90-18, 150/80-15
Brakes (F,R)	Front, Single Disc Rear, Drum

ZL500

Length	2240 mm
Width	795 mm
Height	1065 mm
Wheelbase	1550 mm
Clearance	145 mm
Seat Height	720 mm
Weight	195 kg
Fluid Capacities	Fuel, 12.3 L Oil, 3.0 L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled 16V DOHC I4
Bore x Stroke	55 x 52.4 mm
Displacement	497 cc
Compression	11.0
Power	hp @, ft·lbf @
Carbs	4x 30 mm Keihin CV
Rake	29.5°
Trail	105 mm
Tires (F, R)	100/90-18, 150/80-15
Brakes (F, R)	Single Disc, Drum

ZL400

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

Length	2245 mm
Width	720 mm
Height	1090 mm
Wheelbase	mm
Clearance	mm
Seat Height	705 mm
Weight	195 kg (dry)
Fuel/Oil Capacity	13 L / L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled 16V DOHC I4
Bore x Stroke	x mm
Displacement	398 cc
Compression
Power	53 hp @12000, 3.4 kg-m @10000
Carbs 4x 30 mm Keihin CV
Rake
Trail
Tires (F, R)	100/90-18, 150/80-15
Brakes (F, R)	Dual disc Drum

VN250

This model started production in 1998

Length	2355 mm
Width	775 mm
Height	1075 mm
Wheelbase	1620 mm
Clearance	150 mm
Seat Height	690 mm
Weight	167 kg
Fuel/Oil Capacity	14L / L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled DOHC 8v V-Twin
Bore x Stroke	62.0 x 41.4 mm
Displacement	249 cc
Compression	12:1
Power	35 hp @12500, 17.7 ft⋅lbf (24.0 N⋅m) @9500
Carbs	2x 32 mm Keihin CVKR32
Rake	33°
Front Suspension	41 mm telescopic fork, 160 mm travel
Rear Suspension	Dual Shocks, adjustable preload, 300 mm travel
Trail	154 mm
Tires (F, R)	120/80-17, 160/80-15
Brakes (F, R)	Single 300 mm Disc, 130 mm Drum

EL250 (D5)

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

Length	2180 mm
Width	745 mm
Height	1055 mm
Wheelbase	1490 mm
Clearance	160 mm
Seat Height	725 mm
Weight	140 kg
Fuel/Oil Capacity	11L / 1.9L
Engine	Liquid-Cooled DOHC 8v Parallel-Twin
Bore x Stroke	62.0 x 41.2 mm
Displacement	248 cc
Compression	12.0:1
Power	27 hp @11,800
Torque	12.9 ft⋅lbf (17.5 N⋅m) @9,800
Carbs	Keihin CVK30 (2), Constant velocity, diaphragm-type
Rake	29°
Tires (F, R)	100/90-17, 140/90-15
Brakes (F, R)	Single Disc, Drum

EL175

The EL175 is sold in India by Bajaj Auto.

Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase	1470 mm
Clearance
Seat Height	681 mm
Weight	128 kg
Fuel/Oil Capacity	13 L / L
Engine	Air-Cooled SOHC 2v Single
Bore x Stroke	55 x 52.4 mm
Displacement	174 cc
Compression	9.6
Power	15.2 hp @, ft·lbf @
Carburetion	1x Mikuni 28 mm
Rake	34°
Trail	122 mm
Front Tire	90/90-17
Rear Tire	130/90-15
Front Brake	Single Disc
Rear Brake	Drum

EL125

Eliminator 125

The Kawasaki Eliminator 125 is Kawasaki's entry level cruiser. Its light weight, small stature and unintimidating power delivery make it a great choice for new riders. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation uses this bike in their beginner riders courses for those very reasons. It is powered by a 125 cc, air cooled, four stroke, single cylinder engine. The 2009 MSRP for this model is $2,799 according to the Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. website.

The Eliminator 125 has the distinction of being the smallest production motorcycle (not including scooters) currently being sold in the United States.