Kawasaki Eliminator to be discontinued in India

Kawasaki India has decided to stop selling the Eliminator cruiser motorcycle in the country. This decision ends its short run against local rivals. The bike is being phased out because of two main problems: it cannot run on E20 fuel, and it is too expensive.

First, let us talk about the E20 fuel compliance issue. India has made it mandatory for all new two-wheelers to be compatible with E20 petrol, which has 20% ethanol. The current Eliminator does not support this fuel blend. Kawasaki has decided not to upgrade the engine for this model because it sells in very low numbers. So instead of spending money to fix it, they are simply discontinuing it.

Second, the bike is too expensive because of high import costs. Unlike Kawasaki’s 650cc models like the Vulcan S and Ninja 650, which come as CKD kits and are assembled in India, the Eliminator is imported as a CBU, or completely built unit. This attracts very high import duties. As a result, the price went up to ₹6.16 lakh ex-showroom. At that price, it had to compete directly with more powerful 650cc bikes. It also lacked advanced electronic rider aids, which made it less attractive to buyers.

So what happens now? Authorised Kawasaki dealerships will continue to sell the remaining stock they have. Once all the bikes are sold, the company will remove the Eliminator from its official website. There are no plans to bring an updated version.

It is also likely that the Ninja 500 will face the same fate. It uses the same 451cc engine as the Eliminator. Even though a new E20-compliant Ninja 500 was recently launched, reports suggest the entire 500cc family may eventually be phased out from India.

Kawasaki will now focus on its more popular and affordable CKD models like the Z650RS and Vulcan S. These bikes are E20-compliant and sell much better in the Indian market.

The Kawasaki Eliminator is being discontinued. It could not meet India’s E20 fuel rules, and its high CBU import price made it too expensive. Dealerships will sell remaining stock, and then the bike will be gone from India. Kawasaki will now put more effort into its locally assembled 650cc models.

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