Kawasaki Eliminator to be Discontinued in India

• It is not E20 compliant
• Dealers have the bike in stock
• Ninja 500 to see the same fate

Kawasaki will soon pull the plug on the Eliminator cruiser in India. The motorcycle is not E20-compliant, and the company seemingly doesn’t plan to upgrade its engine to make it compatible with the 20 per cent Ethanol-blended fuel. Many dealers across India still have the Eliminator in stock, and once the bikes are sold out, Kawasaki doesn’t plan to launch the updated model.

Kawasaki’s existing portfolio has many motorcycles that are E20-compliant, including the Vulcan S, Z650RS, and Versys 650, which were updated in December last year. Notably, these are CKD (completely knocked down) models, and are among the better-selling products in the brand’s portfolio. The Eliminator, however, comes to India as a CBU (completely built-up) model and, hence, is expensive. That translates to extremely low sales and Kawasaki’s reluctance to upgrade it to comply with E20 fuel regulations.

This could also be an indication that the Ninja 500 will also be taken off the shelves eventually, considering it is powered by the same engine as the Eliminator. Both bikes run on a 451cc, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder engine that produces 44.7bhp and 42.6Nm. It comes mated to a six-speed gearbox along with an assist and slipper clutch, which is super light to operate.

While the Eliminator is currently priced at Rs. 6.16 lakh, the Ninja 500 is more affordable at Rs. 5.66 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom).