So yeah, I finally got my hands on the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 after saving up for months. Woke up stupid early on Saturday, grabbed my helmet, and did that awkward first walk-around. Paint looked slick under dealer lights, seat felt lower than my old Honda – good for my short legs honestly.
Break-in Period Was Brutal
Spent like 300 miles babying the throttle like the manual said. Stuck behind minivans doing 45mph while this parallel twin just wanted to GO. Changed oil myself at 200 miles – filter placement sucks, spilled maybe half a quart wrestling it off.
Finding The Spot For Top Speed
Scouted this dead-straight backroad near the industrial park. Sunday morning, zero traffic, just cornfields watching. Took three passes to warm the tires properly. First run hit wind resistance hard around 85mph – bike started feeling light up front, like the handlebars wanted to float.
Second attempt was the money shot:
- Rolled on throttle gradually from 50mph
- Hit 100mph around halfway down the stretch
- Tucked in like a racoon squeezing into a drainpipe
- Vibration kicked in bad above 110mph
- Bounced off limiter at 115mph on the speedo
Post-Ride Real Talk
Parked shaking behind some grain silos. Bike smelled like burnt rubber and hot metal. Those little mirrors folded themselves in at triple digits – useless past 80mph obviously. Surprised it held stable with the cruiser bars actually. Wouldn’t want to do that daily though, not when groceries barely fit in that dinky tail bag.
Honest owner verdict? It’ll cruise 70mph comfortable on highways but screams like an overworked blender near max. That 500cc power drops off hard after 90mph – gotta plan passes early. Two months in and honestly? Best city bike I’ve owned. Light, flicks through traffic easy, doesn’t scare my knees at stops. But take it touring? Nah man, that’s like taking a scooter to drag race.
