Kawasaki Eliminator 500 SE (MY2026-SE) Buyer's Guide

The Machine's Character

The Eliminator 500 SE is Kawasaki doing what Kawasaki does: taking a proven recipe and making it easy to live with. A 451 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin with 45 hp and 31 lb-ft sits in a steel trellis frame, the whole bike weighs 390 lb (177 kg) wet, and the seat is just 28.9 in (735 mm) off the ground. Long, low, 18-inch front wheel, fat 16-inch rear: the stance is right. This SE trim wears a compact headlight cowl, fork boots, a two-pattern seat and two-tone paint. The equipment list stays short: ABS, a slipper clutch, an LED headlight and smartphone connectivity.

On the road it's about as approachable as a cruiser gets: light, low and unintimidating, yet settled when the pace goes up on the highway. Running costs are tiny and reliability is solid, so it ages cheaply. It's for new riders and for anyone who wants cruiser looks without wrestling a lot of metal. The honest caveat: this isn't a big-twin experience. Peak power arrives at 9,000 rpm, so the engine wants revs rather than rumbling along on torque, and the fork offers no adjustment at all. Know that going in. Then it just works.

Hard Numbers

Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.

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Key specifications
Power	45 hp (33 kW) @ 9,000 rpm
Torque	31 lb-ft (43 Nm) @ 6,000 rpm
Displacement	451 cc500cc Motorcycles →
Engine	Parallel twin
Cooling	Liquid-cooled
Gearbox	6-speed
Final drive	Chain
Fork	Telescopic
Front brake	310 mm
Front tire	130/70-18
Rear tire	150/80-16
Seat height	28.9 in (735 mm)Motorcycles With a Seat Height Under 30 Inches →
Wet weight	390 lb (177 kg)Cruisers Under 550 Pounds Wet →
Fuel capacity	3.4 gal (13 L)

Equipment check

Chassis

Manually Adjustable Rear Suspension Standard

Lighting

LED Headlight Standard

Safety

ABS Standard

What the Eliminator 500 SE Adds — Differences vs the Standard Eliminator 500

The Eliminator 500 SE (MY2026-SE) builds on the standard Eliminator 500: the upgraded hardware, the key spec changes and where its character shifts. The full ride, specs, scoring and verdict are all right here on this page.

Hard spec differences

Spec	Standard Eliminator 500	SE	Δ
Power	52 hp	45 hp	-6 hp

Known issues

Fuel gauge accuracy concern

electrics rare

A small number of owners on forums have reported erratic fuel gauge readings, but the issue appears rare and not formally acknowledged.

The Numbers Compared

Compare the technical specifications of the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 with other bikes in its class.

Head-to-head: Kawasaki Eliminator 500 vs. its rivals

Power

45 hp This bike 46 hp Honda Shadow Phantom 46 hp Suzuki Boulevard C50 47 hp Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 40 hp CFMOTO 450CL-C

Torque

31 lb-ft This bike 48 lb-ft Honda Shadow Phantom 46 lb-ft Suzuki Boulevard C50 39 lb-ft Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 31 lb-ft CFMOTO 450CL-C

Displacement

451 cc This bike 745 cc Honda Shadow Phantom 805 cc Suzuki Boulevard C50 648 cc Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 449 cc CFMOTO 450CL-C

Wet weight

390 lb This bike 545 lb Honda Shadow Phantom 644 lb Suzuki Boulevard C50 529 lb Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 399 lb CFMOTO 450CL-C

Seat height

28.9 in This bike 25.7 in Honda Shadow Phantom 27.6 in Suzuki Boulevard C50 31.3 in Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 27.0 in CFMOTO 450CL-C

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