Kawasaki KLE500
Real ownership data from 1,026 UK KLE500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common KLE500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 8% |
| Brakes | major | 7.3% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 2.8% |
| Tyres | fail | 2.6% |
| Chain and sprockets | major | 2.2% |
| Other | fail | 2.2% |
| Electrical | fail | 1.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 1.2% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brake discs and pads.
KLE500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 37 | 19,500 mi | 1,304 | 81.22% |
| 2007 | 59 | 16,074 mi | 1,241 | 83.77% |
| 2006 | 99 | 19,413 mi | 1,171 | 83.31% |
| 2005 | 281 | 17,044 mi | 1,151 | 82.22% |
| 2003 | 5 | 22,981 mi | 1,957 | 78% |
| 2002 | 5 | 38,558 mi | 2,050 | 72.09% |
| 2001 | 5 | 35,144 mi | 552 | 78.57% |
| 2000 | 14 | 19,702 mi | 825 | 83.78% |
| 1999 | 25 | 23,251 mi | 1,176 | 83.18% |
| 1998 | 21 | 23,517 mi | 895 | 83.25% |
| 1997 | 15 | 30,194 mi | 792 | 75.54% |
| 1996 | 40 | 26,564 mi | 1,150 | 77.54% |
| 1995 | 54 | 26,074 mi | 749 | 78.15% |
| 1994 | 56 | 28,033 mi | 772 | 82.83% |
| 1993 | 94 | 30,162 mi | 519 | 78.63% |
| 1992 | 94 | 28,070 mi | 630 | 76.16% |
| 1991 | 109 | 31,304 mi | 638 | 75.6% |
KLE500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki KLE500?
Across 1,026 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (8% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.3% of all recorded faults), brake discs and pads (2.8% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki KLE500?
The median Kawasaki KLE500 in the UK has covered 23,159 miles, and typically rides about 948 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 13,966 and 33,726 miles.
Is the Kawasaki KLE500 reliable?
80.7% of Kawasaki KLE500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.98 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,026 Kawasaki KLE500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.