Kawasaki Ninja 650
Real ownership data from 19,212 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fork seals | dangerous | 10.7% |
| Fuel system | fail | 8.7% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 8.4% |
| Frame and structure | prs | 5.7% |
| Wheels | dangerous | 4.7% |
| Corrosion | fail | 3% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 2.7% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 1.7% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is tyres.
Ninja 650 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 516 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 510 | 2,158 mi | — | 100% |
| 2024 | 527 | 6,480 mi | — | 85.71% |
| 2023 | 923 | 3,794 mi | 1,177 | 92.28% |
| 2022 | 1,007 | 4,858 mi | 929 | 90.56% |
| 2021 | 877 | 7,753 mi | 1,310 | 90.52% |
| 2020 | 818 | 7,466 mi | 1,088 | 90.47% |
| 2019 | 996 | 9,142 mi | 1,182 | 89.65% |
| 2018 | 995 | 10,505 mi | 1,190 | 89.17% |
| 2017 | 1,177 | 11,528 mi | 1,104 | 89.35% |
| 2016 | 537 | 13,373 mi | 1,210 | 87.92% |
| 2015 | 578 | 14,057 mi | 1,177 | 85.78% |
| 2014 | 689 | 15,444 mi | 1,172 | 87.49% |
| 2013 | 719 | 16,198 mi | 1,304 | 86.14% |
| 2012 | 889 | 17,198 mi | 1,302 | 84.69% |
| 2011 | 942 | 18,313 mi | 1,363 | 84.63% |
| 2010 | 1,122 | 17,852 mi | 1,278 | 86.42% |
| 2009 | 1,311 | 18,950 mi | 1,233 | 84.95% |
| 2008 | 1,491 | 21,160 mi | 1,377 | 82.96% |
| 2007 | 1,136 | 21,992 mi | 1,335 | 83.5% |
Ninja 650 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki Ninja 650?
Across 19,212 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are fork seals (10.7% of all recorded faults), fuel system (8.7% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (8.4% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki Ninja 650?
The median Kawasaki Ninja 650 in the UK has covered 14,146 miles, and typically rides about 1,250 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,008 and 24,459 miles.
Is the Kawasaki Ninja 650 reliable?
85.65% of Kawasaki Ninja 650 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 19,212 Kawasaki Ninja 650 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.