Kawasaki Vulcan S
Real ownership data from 3,193 UK Vulcan S motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Vulcan S problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | dangerous | 2.5% |
| Other | dangerous | 2.4% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 2.1% |
| Chain and sprockets | dangerous | 1.6% |
| Tyres | major | 1.1% |
| Electrical | major | 1% |
| Brake discs and pads | major | 0.6% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 0.6% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
Vulcan S 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 152 | 3,785 mi | 1,564 | 88.16% |
| 2022 | 220 | 4,407 mi | 997 | 87.99% |
| 2021 | 408 | 5,494 mi | 879 | 90.38% |
| 2020 | 358 | 6,981 mi | 1,110 | 89.16% |
| 2019 | 433 | 7,586 mi | 1,074 | 89.74% |
| 2018 | 423 | 8,563 mi | 910 | 90.12% |
| 2017 | 432 | 9,570 mi | 918 | 89.64% |
| 2016 | 351 | 10,105 mi | 882 | 89.12% |
| 2015 | 261 | 10,448 mi | 1,006 | 91.09% |
| 2009 | 5 | 9,383 mi | 419 | 83.33% |
| 2008 | 6 | 12,602 mi | 805 | 85.45% |
| 2006 | 11 | 17,943 mi | 1,090 | 85.39% |
| 2005 | 11 | 20,637 mi | 1,002 | 89.29% |
| 2004 | 8 | 37,592 mi | 1,557 | 89.87% |
| 2002 | 7 | 20,924 mi | 1,002 | 85.71% |
| 2001 | 8 | 19,899 mi | 1,009 | 83.33% |
| 2000 | 5 | 25,428 mi | 467 | 83.02% |
| 1999 | 6 | 28,428 mi | 1,016 | 89.09% |
| 1998 | 6 | 7,732 mi | 55 | 89.29% |
| 1997 | 7 | 29,145 mi | 466 | 63.83% |
Vulcan S questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Kawasaki Vulcan S?
Across 3,193 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brakes (2.5% of all recorded faults), other (2.4% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (2.1% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Kawasaki Vulcan S?
The median Kawasaki Vulcan S in the UK has covered 7,760 miles, and typically rides about 944 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 3,977 and 13,934 miles.
Is the Kawasaki Vulcan S reliable?
89.12% of Kawasaki Vulcan S MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.58 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 3,193 Kawasaki Vulcan S motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.