9/24/23
Lightweight and small cruisers are important. New and returning riders love them because they are lightweight and offer broad torque curves and enough power to make riding fun without being too overwhelming. When these bikes are truly great, riders stick around and move onto larger and more expensive machines and the wheels of the motorcycle industry continue to turn.
Kawasaki and Honda know this and have a well-rounded lineup of small motorcycles to choose from. Kawasaki has brought forth a new model with an old name to market to fill a gap in its cruiser segment while Honda has revamped a stalwart to make it more appealing to today’s tastes.
Kawasaki’s Eliminator brings back a moniker that was originally attached to a large-displacement power cruiser. Reusing a name is becoming commonplace as trademarking model names has become more difficult. Think of a name for a bike right now and chances are it’s already owned by some company, somewhere. The name does fit this new Eliminator with its line-blurring mix of standard and cruiser character. Cycle World Assistant Editor Evan Allen is impressed with the sporty DNA that comes from the Z400 mixed with the cruiser vibe and looks. Check out his first ride here.
Meanwhile we sent Editor-at-Large Blake Conner to check out the revamped Honda Shadow Phantom. Honda first introduced the Shadow Phantom in 2010 with its new 52-degree V-twin. For 2023, the Phantom gets a new disc brake at the rear, an ABS option, and wider handlebar that is positioned farther forward. But just as important, the Phantom got a face-lift with new fenders, seat rails, seat, headlight nacelle, and a two-tone paint job. Find out how the updates have improved the riding experience here.
These are fun, stylish motorcycles that grow the sport and expose more people to the joy of riding.
As always, there’s more than we can fit into this email. Check out cycleworld.com for additional tests, reviews, and news.
Ride on,
Justin Dawes
Executive Editor
