Kawasaki KLE 500
Real ownership data from 1,027 UK KLE 500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common KLE 500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 19.7% |
| Brake discs and pads | major | 10.3% |
| Wheels | dangerous | 9.2% |
| Fluid leaks | dangerous | 6.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | prs | 6.6% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 6% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 5.6% |
| Corrosion | fail | 3.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is frame and structure.
KLE 500 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 37 | 19,500 mi | 1,230 | 81.36% |
| 2007 | 59 | 16,074 mi | 1,241 | 83.94% |
| 2006 | 99 | 19,663 mi | 1,171 | 83.09% |
| 2005 | 282 | 17,092 mi | 1,151 | 82.2% |
| 2003 | 5 | 22,981 mi | 1,957 | 78% |
| 2002 | 5 | 38,558 mi | 1,980 | 72.73% |
| 2001 | 5 | 35,144 mi | 552 | 78.57% |
| 2000 | 14 | 19,812 mi | 825 | 84.11% |
| 1999 | 25 | 23,251 mi | 1,176 | 83.18% |
| 1998 | 21 | 23,517 mi | 895 | 83.08% |
| 1997 | 15 | 30,194 mi | 792 | 75.71% |
| 1996 | 40 | 26,564 mi | 1,150 | 77.54% |
| 1995 | 54 | 26,074 mi | 749 | 78.3% |
| 1994 | 56 | 28,033 mi | 714 | 82.94% |
| 1993 | 94 | 30,162 mi | 519 | 78.67% |
| 1992 | 94 | 28,070 mi | 630 | 76.16% |
| 1991 | 109 | 31,304 mi | 638 | 75.64% |
KLE 500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki KLE 500?
Across 1,027 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (19.7% of all recorded faults), brake discs and pads (10.3% of all recorded faults), wheels (9.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki KLE 500?
The median Kawasaki KLE 500 in the UK has covered 23,167 miles, and typically rides about 947 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 13,884 and 33,766 miles.
Is the Kawasaki KLE 500 reliable?
80.73% of Kawasaki KLE 500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.06 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,027 Kawasaki KLE 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.