[deacon00]

Since the MSF course last week, I have been looking at the Eliminator 125 as a practice/beginner's bike. I think I just read a post by jessup titled "Buying Advice" concerning a starter bike.

Hence, I have somewhat of the same mindset except that I want an '08 Ninja 250 in the future. As far as motorcycle speed, I'm not ready for 80 mph top speed. It will be a loooonnnng time before I'm ready for legal highway speed on a bike. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I saw (and didn't bid) on cheaply priced, below $1000, Eliminator 125s on ebay in the past week in other states.

I just came across an ad for an Eliminator 125 and spoke to a lady about it a few hours ago. So getting to the point already.....

I'm told (haven't seen it yet) that it is a 2002 candy red eliminator 125 with 208 miles purchased for a 15 yr old girl back then. The teen burnt her leg on the pipe and stopped riding it and eventually got a car. The bike supposedly has only been riden around the block to keep battery alive.

I found a forum dedicated to Kawi Eliminators but do not believe that it is as lively as the BTK forum (and family).

This is the bike that i feel comfortable with for my present and foreseeable inexperienced motorcycle future.

1. Has anyone ever owned an Eliminator 125? What's it like in the long term?
2. What type of miles per gallon does it average?
3. From mechanical standpoint, would it be a good bike for long commutes (to another city/state)?
4. Does anyone know of any other good sites for Eliminator history, etc?

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[2WheelFun]

I believe the Eliminator 125 gets around 90 mpg.

As for a long distance rider I'd be thinking a bit bigger for comfort and handling. If you are going to drive on freeways the 125 wouldn't be a good choice as it's not a speedy bike.

Some specs found on the Kawasaki site:

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=218

 

[Ezzie]

I have a good friend who felt the same way that you did. She bought a 125 and rode for a few weeks and it wasn't a highway bike so she was pretty much restricted to town riding. She ended up trading it on a 500.

 

[deacon00]

Along the way, I didn't read the part about the Eliminator being an around town budget bike :icon_frow :wink:

The other thing that I left i out is that the asking price is $1,000 for the '02 Eliminator.

Weight is a factor as well. I think that i activated dormant back muscles from operating the MSF bike. 115 male human pounds into 291+ pounds of bike goes how many times.:-D

 

[RichLockyer]

Ya, the 125 is not even highway legal in many states, so it would definitely not be a good long-distance commuter bike.
Minimum in California is 250cc for the highway.

 

[JimmyD]

The 250 ninja is pretty light too. I think it's only 350ish, or maybe that's the zzr250, I don't remember. Some other bikes to consider in the cruiser category are the rebel 250 and the virago 250, both of which are fairly easy to ****** up used. EDIT#2: [email protected] is a swear apparently...

The 125 won't be enough to take on the highways. In fact, some states/provinces have restrictions on motorcycle/scooter engine size. Here I think an engine has to be bigger than 150cc to be allowed on the highway. EDIT: Rich you beat me to it... lol

However, it would be a perfect bike for around town commuting, or even blue highways (old routes that connected towns before highways). They usually have a top speed of 50mph.

If the eliminator has been well maintained and she's had trouble selling it you might offer her 800 and see where it gets you. Its up to you.

 

[El Skitzo]

Before picking up my VN800 I was on a VN250 Eliminator which was a pretty similar in size and styling although the 250cc engine and 6 speed box made it a great cruiser. Shame you don't get those in the US, would be a good compromise.

 

[Uthor]

If you like the Ninja 250, I would go with that. Sure it's a little more moeny, but you can actually get on the interstate without dying. If you live in the middle of a big city, a 125 cc cruiser would be great, but not on the open road. The Ninja is a perfect beginner bike and if you are comfortable with the powerband, can last you a long, long time. Lots of people who move on to bigger and better things get back on a Ninja 250 and realise how much fun a small/light bike like that can be to toss around.

And don't worry about the 80 mph top speed. 40 mph feels fast until the first time you do 50. 50 mph feels fast until you do 60. I started off doing really short stints on the interstate (a mile or two at first) after breaking in the engine (a month?) and did a couple hours after a few months. There's a lot to take in at speed, but it's really not that bad.

Even if you don't plan on doing interstate riding, it's nice to be able to do so every once in a while. Hell, I was purposely riding backroads one time and had to either hop on the interstate for 10 miles or so because of a detour or back track 20 miles before finding another bridge across the river.

 

[Granny]

I think the 125 may actually be to small and would go with the 250. Remember you don't have to push it to get your confidence up just take it slowly and ride to what you feel comfortable with.

 

[BlueCruiser]

125 Eliminator

The 125 is not a bad little bike for around town. This is what my wife wanted to learn on and it suites her just fine. I have ridden it and would not like to take any long trips or demanding highways with that light of a bike. It does get good mileage 90+ and look good in red.

 

[accord_guy]

If you want a small bike, check out the Honda Rebel.
It's bullet-proof.

 

[ervins]

Along the way, I didn't read the part about the Eliminator being an around town budget bike :icon_frow :wink:

The other thing that I left i out is that the asking price is $1,000 for the '02 Eliminator.

Weight is a factor as well. I think that i activated dormant back muscles from operating the MSF bike. 115 male human pounds into 291+ pounds of bike goes how many times.:-D

You are definitely not in a city or large metro area...Get something with at least 250ccs.

 

[odinseye]

If you want a small bike, check out the Honda Rebel.
It's bullet-proof.

+1
that was my girl friends starter bike, she rode it for two years till she fell in love with her new shadow.

 

[ZeroPunch]

OP is concerned with weight there's only about 20# more on the rebel than the eliminator another 125cc to move virtually the same weight around.

 

[oasysco]

Since the MSF course last week, I have been looking at the Eliminator 125 as a practice/beginner's bike. I think I just read a post by jessup titled "Buying Advice" concerning a starter bike.

Hence, I have somewhat of the same mindset except that I want an '08 Ninja 250 in the future. As far as motorcycle speed, I'm not ready for 80 mph top speed. It will be a loooonnnng time before I'm ready for legal highway speed on a bike. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I saw (and didn't bid) on cheaply priced, below $1000, Eliminator 125s on ebay in the past week in other states.

I just came across an ad for an Eliminator 125 and spoke to a lady about it a few hours ago. So getting to the point already.....

I'm told (haven't seen it yet) that it is a 2002 candy red eliminator 125 with 208 miles purchased for a 15 yr old girl back then. The teen burnt her leg on the pipe and stopped riding it and eventually got a car. The bike supposedly has only been riden around the block to keep battery alive.

I found a forum dedicated to Kawi Eliminators but do not believe that it is as lively as the BTK forum (and family).

This is the bike that i feel comfortable with for my present and foreseeable inexperienced motorcycle future.

1. Has anyone ever owned an Eliminator 125? What's it like in the long term?
2. What type of miles per gallon does it average?
3. From mechanical standpoint, would it be a good bike for long commutes (to another city/state)?
4. Does anyone know of any other good sites for Eliminator history, etc?

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

Nothing like resurrecting a long dead thread...

For anybody else out there who has just finished the MSF and is considering the 125 Eliminator as their first bike...

This bike feels like a real motorcycle, albeit a small one. I never liked travelling 50mph+ on my Honda 80cc scooter as higher speed avoidance manuevers felt dangerous. Not so with this Eliminator.

It weighs in at less than 300lbs dry, which makes it the perfect little motorcycle for people with leg/joint/knee problems.

It's non-threatening across the entire powerband and with an actual top speed of 60mph... on a downward hill... with a light rider... on a clear, non-windy day, you are not likely to take a serious single vehicle spill.

My wife started off on an 80cc Honda scooter before climbing on the back of my Honda VTX. From there, she attended the MSF recently and rode the 125Elim during the course. My son and I acted as her cheerleading section and it was pretty clear to us that the 125Elim fit her 5' 4" frame well.

Try finding one in good shape, though. With time and patience and whole lot of luck, I found an '02 in great shape with low miles.

My wife handles this bike just fine and given its forgiving clutch and ease of riding, the 125Elim allows her to concentrate a little more on the road.

She has had both knees replaced and doesn't have a problem getting on or off the bike, holding it upright at a stop, and keeping it balanced.

I've already put on saddle bag guards, leather saddle bags and I have a tall windshield on the way to complete the package.

As for usage of the 125Elim, it is an around-town bike best suited for roads with speed limits of 50mph or less. It's a good step up from a small scooter to a real motorcycle, but a 250cc Rebel or GZ250 would probably be more useful and only a smidge more of a challenge.

With the riding my wife plans, the 125 is A-OK. And even with longer rides next spring, I don't see the 125 as a liability as long as we stay off interstates and such.

>1. Has anyone ever owned an Eliminator 125? What's it like in the long term?

Can't answer that, but mine's an '02 and it runs great; starts right up; no smoking, no leaks.

>2. What type of miles per gallon does it average?

60-80MPG depending on how wide open you keep the throttle to get above 55mph.

>3. From mechanical standpoint, would it be a good bike for long commutes (to another city/state)?

No, not unless it's on a trailer :lol:

>4. Does anyone know of any other good sites for Eliminator history, etc?

There are road tests of the this bike available on Google.

Greg