The middleweight cruiser segment was a market solely owned by Royal Enfield, with the Super Meteor 650. Facing no competition, the Super Meteor can take its time in a way cruisers are meant to be — relaxed and easy. The only possible competition Royal Enfield had was from Kawasaki, in the form of the Vulcan S, which although had the same displacement, was much more powerful and carried an equally expensive price tag.
Now, with the launch of the Kawasaki Eliminator, the Super Meteor’s competition suddenly seems pretty strong. So how do the two compare against each other? Here’s a detailed comparison.
Eliminator vs Super Meteor: Platform and design
The Eliminator is a new motorcycle and is based on a trellis frame inspired by the Ninja 400. This has helped Kawasaki maintain a low seat height and a relaxed riding position, while the chassis can offer sporty performance. The motorcycle offers a relaxed riding position with the rider’s feet under the body, while on the design front, the Eliminator gets a round headlight, split seats, and a sculpted tank.
The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 is also based on a new frame designed by Harris Performance, designed specifically for the motorcycle and is not shared with the other 650 siblings. The Meteor also offers a relaxed riding position with forward set pegs, a wide handlebar, dual exhausts, and a round headlight.
Eliminator vs Super Meteor: Engine specifications
The Kawasaki Eliminator uses a 451cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine while the Royal Enfield Meteor 650 uses a larger 648cc air-cooled parallel-twin setup. On paper, the Super Meteor 650 is more powerful, however, the engine on the Eliminator is sportier, while also having a weight advantage.
| Specifications | Eliminator | Super Meteor |
| Displacement | 451cc | 648cc |
| Power | 44bhp | 46.3bhp |
| Torque | 42.6Nm | 52.3Nm |
| Gearbox | 6-speed | 6-speed |
| Weight | 176kg | 241kg |
Eliminator vs Super Meteor: Equipment and features
Starting with the Kawasaki Eliminator, the motorcycle gets traditional telescopic front forks, twin shocks at the rear, disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS, LED lighting all around, a simple LCD dash, and 18-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels. The motorcycle gets no electronic aids or a quickshifter.
The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 gets non-adjustable USD front forks made by Showa, dual rear shocks, disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS, 19-inch front and 16-inch rear alloy wheels, and a semi-digital instrument cluster. The Meteor also gets no electronic aids or a quickshifter, while navigation is available.
Eliminator vs Super Meteor: Which one should you choose?
Looking at it from the price point, the Meteor is more affordable, while it also offers a pure cruiser experience with its laid-back engine character and air-cooled engine. However, the 650c twin is powerful and triple-digit speeds are easy.
The Kawasaki Eliminator offers a sportier experience and the engine is built to last. We’d say that the Meteor offers an authentic cruiser experience, however, the Eliminator is hard to find fault with, apart from the pricing.
