Kawasaki Vulcan
Real ownership data from 6,894 UK Vulcan motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Vulcan problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | fail | 16.7% |
| Wheels | fail | 11.5% |
| Suspension | major | 7.8% |
| Corrosion | user entered | 6.3% |
| Fluid leaks | fail | 4.7% |
| Frame and structure | dangerous | 3.6% |
| Fuel system | fail | 3.3% |
| Fork seals | user entered | 2.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is chain and sprockets.
Vulcan 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 | 204 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 279 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 270 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 195 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 21 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 31 | 13,582 mi | 199 | 50% |
| 2020 | 23 | 17,478 mi | 1,122 | 81.25% |
| 2019 | 20 | 18,540 mi | 1,499 | 100% |
| 2018 | 27 | 22,620 mi | 926 | 83.33% |
| 2017 | 31 | 24,066 mi | 6,031 | 75% |
| 2016 | 49 | 30,538 mi | 1,174 | 94.59% |
| 2015 | 54 | 21,697 mi | 2,224 | 96.15% |
| 2014 | 12 | 12,033 mi | 722 | 94.44% |
| 2013 | 58 | 16,228 mi | 1,050 | 89.85% |
| 2012 | 56 | 16,103 mi | 1,250 | 86.25% |
| 2011 | 86 | 18,283 mi | 1,116 | 91.98% |
| 2010 | 85 | 24,484 mi | 1,610 | 87.48% |
| 2009 | 171 | 21,260 mi | 1,085 | 90.92% |
| 2008 | 153 | 21,156 mi | 1,287 | 89.83% |
| 2007 | 213 | 21,794 mi | 1,033 | 88.53% |
Vulcan questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki Vulcan?
Across 6,894 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are electrical (16.7% of all recorded faults), wheels (11.5% of all recorded faults), suspension (7.8% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki Vulcan?
The median Kawasaki Vulcan in the UK has covered 22,093 miles, and typically rides about 837 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 14,015 and 32,004 miles.
Is the Kawasaki Vulcan reliable?
85.89% of Kawasaki Vulcan MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.02 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 6,894 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.