KAWASAKI ZL900 (1985-1986) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Kawasaki Eliminator was a cruiser-styled motorcycle manufactured by Kawasaki in several versions since its introduction in 1985 as the Kawasaki 900 Eliminator. The first two versions, like the 1985 Eliminator and ZL900, were basically street replicas of a drag-style machine with a close-ratio gearbox, a forward seating position, and a shaft drive.

The Kawasaki ZL900 was introduced in 1985, evolving from the GPZ900R, and was available as the ZL900 A1 Eliminator in 1985 and ZL900 A2 in 1986. The bike was developed to resemble the Z1 drag motorcycles, with a short travel fork, a large rear tire, fat chromed silencers, a small fuel tank, a bobbed rear fender, and a low, straight handlebar.

At the time, the bikes were manufactured in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the American market. They were the first motorcycles in the segment that featured an in-line four-cylinder engine instead of a V4 configuration.

The bike's aesthetic department was represented by a raked-out front fork, a low handlebar, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, a two-piece dual seat with a passenger grab rail, fat silencers, side-mounted rear shocks, and three-spoke aluminum wheels.

The 1985 Kawasaki ZL900 had installed underneath its fuel tank a 908cc four-stroke liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine fed by four Keihin carburetors, delivering 105 hp with a peak force at 9,500 rpm and 85 Nm (63 lb-ft) torque at 8,000 rpm.