The Indian middleweight cruiser market has only a handful of options and the latest one to join the list is the Kawasaki Eliminator. It rivals the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 and if you are inclined towards either of them, then here is a specification comparison of both.
Design
Both bikes get a thoroughbred cruiser design with retro elements such as a round headlight, wide teardrop-shaped fuel tank, and a scooped split seat setup. However, Royal Enfield also offers a bunch of accessories with the Super Meteor and the list includes a transparent windscreen, footpegs, engine guards, and a backrest for the pillion. Kawasaki is yet to reveal the same for its Eliminator. Looks are subjective, but the Meteor 650 seems slightly more enticing than the Kawasaki bike.
Features
Kawasaki has equipped the Eliminator with LED illumination, side stand sensor, and a digital console with smartphone connectivity for calls and SMS alerts. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, too, gets an LED headlight and taillight but its turn indicators are bulb units. Then, the bike also gets smartphone connectivity with the Tripper Navigation pod that has to be bought separately for Rs. 5,000. It offers turn-by-turn navigation and call alerts. Here, both bikes are quite on par.
Engine
Powering the new Eliminator is a 451cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine and it belts out 44.7bhp at 9,000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6,000rpm. The motor is linked to a six-speed gearbox. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 uses a 648cc, parallel-twin motor that makes 46.3bhp at 7,250rpm and 52.3Nm at 5,650rpm. It, too, gets a six-speed gearbox. However, the power and torque figures are available earlier down the rev range for the Meteor when compared to the Eliminator. This means the former gives a slightly easier and lazy riding experience as well.
Hardware
Kawasaki has offered telescopic front forks and twin rear shocks with the Eliminator. It gets a single 310mm front and 240mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS. These are mounted on an 18-inch front and 16-inch rear wheel. Meanwhile, the Super Meteor uses slightly sophisticated USD front forks and dual rear shocks. Its brakes include a 320mm front and 300mm rear disc with ABS and a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy. The Eliminator’s comparatively smaller wheels should make it more agile, whereas the Meteor’s larger wheels could translate to a more stable ride. This would also result in slightly lazy handling.
Price
The asking price for the Eliminator is set at Rs. 5,62,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi), whereas the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 costs much less at Rs. 3,63,900 for the base model and Rs. 3,94,347 (both ex-showroom, Delhi) for the top spec trim. The pricing bit is a game changer here and makes the Super Meteor seem like a much better deal.
