Kawasaki KLR650
Real ownership data from 470 UK KLR650 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common KLR650 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 21.3% |
| Other | fail | 10.1% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 9.2% |
| Brake discs and pads | major | 8% |
| Suspension | fail | 7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 4.7% |
| Brakes | major | 4.2% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 4.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is exhaust and emissions.
KLR650 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 24,100 mi | 658 | 75% |
| 2008 | 8 | 13,671 mi | 1,635 | 86% |
| 2007 | 7 | 23,298 mi | 1,250 | 85.94% |
| 2005 | 8 | 21,199 mi | 866 | 70.69% |
| 2004 | 6 | 20,859 mi | 990 | 86.79% |
| 2003 | 35 | 16,655 mi | 534 | 85.9% |
| 2002 | 49 | 14,829 mi | 607 | 85.12% |
| 2001 | 42 | 16,598 mi | 631 | 82.62% |
| 2000 | 23 | 16,023 mi | 578 | 83.13% |
| 1999 | 31 | 20,717 mi | 890 | 76.76% |
| 1998 | 20 | 23,542 mi | 1,635 | 78.91% |
| 1997 | 16 | 20,502 mi | 635 | 84.55% |
| 1996 | 31 | 18,343 mi | 600 | 75.5% |
| 1995 | 23 | 25,010 mi | 1,150 | 74.52% |
| 1994 | 5 | 17,447 mi | 997 | 70.97% |
| 1993 | 8 | 30,848 mi | 310 | 89.04% |
| 1991 | 9 | 9,971 mi | 438 | 85.71% |
| 1990 | 14 | 29,627 mi | 670 | 73.83% |
| 1989 | 52 | 32,500 mi | 294 | 75.89% |
| 1988 | 13 | 25,897 mi | 327 | 70.42% |
KLR650 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki KLR650?
Across 470 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (21.3% of all recorded faults), other (10.1% of all recorded faults), tyres (9.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki KLR650?
The median Kawasaki KLR650 in the UK has covered 21,094 miles, and typically rides about 644 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 12,282 and 32,696 miles.
Is the Kawasaki KLR650 reliable?
80.74% of Kawasaki KLR650 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.3 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 470 Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.