Kawasaki ER 500-
Real ownership data from 304 UK ER 500- motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common ER 500- problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 9.2% |
| Brakes | major | 8.9% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 4.3% |
| Suspension | major | 3.6% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 3.1% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.3% |
| Other | fail | 1.9% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 1.5% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
ER 500- mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 13 | 32,225 mi | 1,393 | 81.46% |
| 2005 | 5 | 35,282 mi | 1,672 | 72.22% |
| 1999 | 24 | 25,124 mi | 2,004 | 74.75% |
| 1998 | 234 | 27,172 mi | 1,834 | 75.77% |
| 1997 | 13 | 31,258 mi | 782 | 82.22% |
ER 500- questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki ER 500-?
Across 304 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (9.2% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.9% of all recorded faults), tyres (4.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki ER 500-?
The median Kawasaki ER 500- in the UK has covered 27,663 miles, and typically rides about 1,638 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 16,210 and 40,068 miles.
Is the Kawasaki ER 500- reliable?
77.23% of Kawasaki ER 500- MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.13 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 304 Kawasaki ER 500- motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.