In 1988, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer released the Kawasaki Eliminator 250, a lightweight sports cruiser with a long and low dragger style powered by a parallel-twin engine that started production in 1988 and superseded by the VN250 in 1997.
The bike was part of the Eliminator series that debuted in 1985 with the Kawasaki 900 Eliminator. The 1985 Eliminator and 1986 ZL900 models were the first two versions of the series and were street replicas of a drag-styled bike with a final shaft drive, a forward seating position, and a close-ratio transmission.
In the aesthetic department, the Eliminator 250 had fitted standard features, such as a round headlight, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, a two-piece dual seat, side-mounted rear shocks, a fat silencer mounted on the right side, and three-spoke lightweight aluminum wheels.
The bike was built around a double cradle steel frame with a conventional telescopic fork on the front and twin side-mounted shock absorbers on the rear, delivering optimum suspension performance and handling capabilities.
In the braking department, the bike packed a single 226 mm disc tied to a single-piston caliper on the front wheel and a drum braking unit on the rear wheel, providing the stopping power needed.
As for the power figures, the 1988 Kawasaki Eliminator 250 had its soul brought to life by a 249cc four-stroke liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine that delivered an output power of 33 hp at 12,500 rpm and 17 Nm (12 lb-ft) torque at 9,900 rpm.