Kawasaki Ninja 650
Real ownership data from 19,019 UK Ninja 650 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Ninja 650 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 1.5% |
| Electrical | major | 1% |
| Other | dangerous | 0.9% |
| Suspension | dangerous | 0.9% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 0.8% |
| Controls and cables | major | 0.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 0.8% |
| Tyres | user entered | 0.5% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is controls and cables.
Ninja 650 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 428 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 506 | 2,158 mi | — | 100% |
| 2024 | 522 | 7,159 mi | — | 83.33% |
| 2023 | 888 | 3,822 mi | 1,177 | 93.23% |
| 2022 | 991 | 4,704 mi | 968 | 91.04% |
| 2021 | 871 | 7,401 mi | 1,286 | 90.66% |
| 2020 | 812 | 7,358 mi | 1,106 | 90.39% |
| 2019 | 987 | 8,861 mi | 1,186 | 89.71% |
| 2018 | 990 | 10,348 mi | 1,193 | 89.26% |
| 2017 | 1,174 | 11,391 mi | 1,112 | 89.34% |
| 2016 | 536 | 13,323 mi | 1,224 | 87.93% |
| 2015 | 577 | 14,040 mi | 1,180 | 85.79% |
| 2014 | 689 | 15,205 mi | 1,172 | 87.49% |
| 2013 | 716 | 16,067 mi | 1,302 | 86.22% |
| 2012 | 887 | 17,098 mi | 1,301 | 84.71% |
| 2011 | 941 | 18,288 mi | 1,364 | 84.61% |
| 2010 | 1,120 | 17,852 mi | 1,284 | 86.41% |
| 2009 | 1,310 | 18,874 mi | 1,233 | 84.98% |
| 2008 | 1,489 | 21,134 mi | 1,378 | 83.03% |
| 2007 | 1,134 | 21,809 mi | 1,339 | 83.53% |
Ninja 650 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki Ninja 650?
Across 19,019 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (1.5% of all recorded faults), electrical (1% of all recorded faults), other (0.9% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki Ninja 650?
The median Kawasaki Ninja 650 in the UK has covered 14,096 miles, and typically rides about 1,255 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 6,980 and 24,321 miles.
Is the Kawasaki Ninja 650 reliable?
85.65% of Kawasaki Ninja 650 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.79 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 19,019 Kawasaki Ninja 650 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.