MOTORBIKES Road test: A nice bike for beginners but not just a beginner's bike, says JOHN WHEELER of the Kawasaki Eliminator
The Kawasaki 125 cc Eliminator is a good-looking, relatively budget-priced, custom-style machine which should have a wide appeal to those looking for affordable mobility.
In appearance, it owes much to the Harley influence, which no manufacturer can resist. . .lots of chrome and polished alloy, even a chromed side stand.
The speedometer is well positioned, clear and easy to read. Again, in typical cruiser-style the "idiot" lights (indicator warning, main beam and neutral lights) are set in a chrome fairing on the tank. In that position, they require riders to take their eyes off the road to see them. This often results in the indicators being left on too long.
One of this bike's most appealing virtues for many riders will be the low seat height. This means riders of virtually all sizes can find the machine comfortable. It also has a very low centre of gravity which makes for very good stability and ease of handling.
Our test machine, now seeing service as a "training" bike, has carried all sorts and conditions of riders from barely five-foot lightweight females to a six-foot 6-inch, 23-stone male.
This could be a decided advantage for anyone looking for a "family" commuter bike which could, for some, replace that second car.
For beginners especially, the non-threatening looks, coupled with ease of control has made this machine a highly popular first bike. But it's not just a beginner's mount.
It is perhaps most at home at urban and suburban speed where, in practised hands, the willing engine, coupled to a delightful five-speed gearbox, makes for brisk and nimble progress through Dublin's traffic.
Though it can achieve 70 mpg when ridden at a steady pace, city consumption rises to around 50 mpg, given the inevitable traffic delays in the city and the need to use most of the available power whenever the chance offers itself.
In common with most cruiser-style bikes, the Eliminator has no centre stand, which those doing their own maintenance - such as chain adjustment - would appreciate. The mirrors are well placed and give a good rearwards view.
We were impressed with the overall lightness of the controls. The brakes are firm and reassuring - a single disk at the front and a drum brake on the rear wheel. The large, stylish silencer is really effective and makes for a welcome unobtrusiveness.
The machine also coped well with out-of-town work but would, admittedly, feel more than a little stretched on motorways or butting into a strong gale.
It has a pillion seat and footrests as well as a reassuring pillion backrest, though with a modest 12 bhp output, modest performance with a passenger is the order of the day.
Over Dublin's new-grown potholes and along the highways and byways of Co Wicklow, the suspension worked better than we would have expected.
For anyone looking for a modest machine for commuting and not-too-ambitious touring, this is a delightful, easy-to-ride, quite unthreatening machine with good looks, good manners and a low price.
It proved to be great fun, an absolute delight in city traffic, well able to get from A to B as briskly as much larger machines.