Compared In 9 Images: Kawasaki Eliminator vs Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

Battle of the cruisers in detailed images

Kawasaki has taken the wraps of the new 400cc Eliminator cruiser, reviving the iconic moniker and here’s how it fares against the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 in detailed images.

In terms of design, the Kawasaki Eliminator adopts a futuristic and sportier cruiser styling, similar to the Honda Rebel 500. It looks rugged, muscular and dominant.

The Super Meteor 650, on the other hand, employs a more classy retro and big American-style cruiser design language.

The Kawasaki Eliminator borrows the Ninja 400’s peaky 398cc, liquid-cooled, parallel twin engine making 48PS and 37.2Nm.

Powering the Super Meteor is a 648cc twin-cylinder, air-/oil-cooled engine making 47PS and 52.3Nm. So while it makes 1PS less than its rival, being a proper cruiser, it makes a whole lot more torque, especially at lower revs.

A first for Royal Enfield is the Showa USD fork, making the Super Meter 650 a true premium cruiser, compared to the Eliminator’s telescopic unit. Both feature preload-adjustable twin shock absorbers at the rear.

The Eliminator gets smaller disc brakes – 310mm disc up front and a 240mm unit at the rear and rolls on 18/16 setup. Whereas, the discs on the Super Meteor 650 are bigger - 320mm disc up front and 300mm unit at the rear, along with a bigger front wheel (19/16) as compared to its rival. It isn’t surprising considering the Eliminator is light for its segment at 176kg whereas the Super Meteor is a hefty 241kg machine.

The Kawasaki Eliminator features a fully digital instrument console with basic smartphone connectivity along with a GPS-compatible front and rear onboard camera, something you don’t usually see on motorcycles. It even has ETC2.0, an electronic device that helps in easy toll payment.

On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 flaunts a semi-digital instrument console with Tripper Pod. It gets smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation.

The Kawasaki Eliminator costs JPY 759,000 (around Rs 4.70 lakh) in Japan. Will Kawasaki bring this cruiser to India? Well, they should consider it as it makes perfect sense for the Indian market. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is priced at Rs 3,48,900 (ex-showroom Delhi), and is the most expensive bike on the bikemaker’s portfolio and certainly not cheap. However, a value-for-money product nonetheless. Lastly, the Super Meteor 650 has the Kawasaki Vulcan S as its direct rival, however, the Vulcan S costs almost twice as much as its rival. So if Kawasaki did bring the Eliminator to India, it could price it around Rs 5 lakh, making it a better competitor to the Super Meteor 650.