Harley-Davidson Nightster Special vs Kawasaki Eliminator 500

The Harley-Davidson Nightster Special (2025) and the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 (2026) are compared with the same Moto Kıyas physics model under identical conditions: flat dry asphalt, no wind, a 75 kg rider and no passenger. The Harley-Davidson Nightster Special is a cruiser with 975 cc, 88.5 hp and 225 kg; the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 is a cruiser with 451 cc, 44.8 hp and 176 kg. Power-to-weight with the rider: 295.0 hp/ton versus 178.4 hp/ton. On this measure the Harley-Davidson Nightster Special is 65% ahead.

In the simulation the Harley-Davidson Nightster Special covers 0-100 km/h (speedometer) in 3.17 s and the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 in 4.66 s; the Harley-Davidson Nightster Special is quicker by 1.50 s. In the 100-0 km/h brake test, braking distance without the 0.3 s reaction time is 49.1 m for the Harley-Davidson Nightster Special (ABS unknown, class assumption: no ABS) and 44.7 m for the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 (with ABS). The Kawasaki Eliminator 500 stops 4.4 m shorter. Calculated top speed: 180 km/h (estimated from power and drag) versus 163 km/h (manufacturer claim).

All values are an estimated simulation, not road-test measurements. Technical data comes from the sources listed below; the model uses model-specific parameters calibrated against published road tests for both. Open the interactive app (currently in Turkish) to watch the run side by side and change the load.