Kawasaki GPZ500S
Real ownership data from 3,589 UK GPZ500S motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common GPZ500S problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | dangerous | 2.7% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 1.8% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 1.8% |
| Brakes | prs | 1.7% |
| Suspension | major | 1.2% |
| Chain and sprockets | major | 1.1% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 0.9% |
| Electrical | fail | 0.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is controls and cables.
GPZ500S 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18 | 23,450 mi | 1,884 | 80.87% |
| 2004 | 39 | 19,056 mi | 938 | 85.45% |
| 2003 | 83 | 19,799 mi | 1,460 | 79.19% |
| 2002 | 141 | 21,043 mi | 1,037 | 80.51% |
| 2001 | 156 | 17,724 mi | 932 | 79.97% |
| 2000 | 209 | 21,660 mi | 984 | 77.13% |
| 1999 | 225 | 23,001 mi | 1,000 | 77.29% |
| 1998 | 235 | 24,204 mi | 1,067 | 75.01% |
| 1997 | 197 | 26,740 mi | 1,124 | 75.67% |
| 1996 | 365 | 27,877 mi | 926 | 74.79% |
| 1995 | 426 | 29,114 mi | 976 | 74.16% |
| 1994 | 325 | 31,366 mi | 980 | 73.64% |
| 1993 | 184 | 30,630 mi | 788 | 75% |
| 1992 | 192 | 30,150 mi | 568 | 76.39% |
| 1991 | 164 | 31,376 mi | 601 | 69.73% |
| 1990 | 243 | 32,634 mi | 698 | 74.31% |
| 1989 | 230 | 35,794 mi | 514 | 73.88% |
| 1988 | 82 | 37,654 mi | 628 | 71.52% |
| 1987 | 59 | 34,281 mi | 689 | 72.32% |
GPZ500S questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki GPZ500S?
Across 3,589 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (2.7% of all recorded faults), exhaust and emissions (1.8% of all recorded faults), tyres (1.8% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki GPZ500S?
The median Kawasaki GPZ500S in the UK has covered 27,916 miles, and typically rides about 906 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 18,670 and 37,902 miles.
Is the Kawasaki GPZ500S reliable?
75.78% of Kawasaki GPZ500S MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.36 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 3,589 Kawasaki GPZ500S motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.