Kawasaki Vulcan 500
Real ownership data from 1,043 UK Vulcan 500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Vulcan 500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 18.1% |
| Other | dangerous | 17.8% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 11.6% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 10.9% |
| Wheels | fail | 7.3% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 4.7% |
| Fluid leaks | major | 3.9% |
| Suspension | prs | 3.6% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is fluid leaks.
Vulcan 500 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 13,453 mi | 1,004 | 82.05% |
| 2003 | 12 | 13,139 mi | 400 | 84.17% |
| 2002 | 18 | 20,948 mi | 771 | 81.94% |
| 2001 | 8 | 19,019 mi | 467 | 73.47% |
| 2000 | 15 | 14,526 mi | 683 | 83.09% |
| 1999 | 29 | 14,996 mi | 284 | 85.57% |
| 1998 | 48 | 16,823 mi | 632 | 81.32% |
| 1997 | 79 | 15,123 mi | 558 | 78.42% |
| 1996 | 58 | 14,845 mi | 384 | 78.06% |
| 1995 | 68 | 19,702 mi | 544 | 79.41% |
| 1994 | 80 | 17,937 mi | 394 | 80.53% |
| 1993 | 107 | 22,004 mi | 474 | 78.4% |
| 1992 | 126 | 21,505 mi | 360 | 78.47% |
| 1991 | 193 | 20,792 mi | 326 | 78.84% |
| 1990 | 168 | 23,940 mi | 345 | 79.58% |
| 1985 | 6 | 35,253 mi | 530 | 68.09% |
Vulcan 500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki Vulcan 500?
Across 1,043 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are exhaust and emissions (18.1% of all recorded faults), other (17.8% of all recorded faults), controls and cables (11.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki Vulcan 500?
The median Kawasaki Vulcan 500 in the UK has covered 19,813 miles, and typically rides about 398 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 12,282 and 29,282 miles.
Is the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 reliable?
79.54% of Kawasaki Vulcan 500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.11 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,043 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.