IllustrationBALANCER IDLER LEVER FAILURE. FOUND IT BROKEN IN MY ENGINE WHILE PERFORMING MAINTENANCE. THIS WOULD LEAD TO ENGINE SEIZURE AND A POSSIBLE LOST OF VEHICLE CONTROL IF LEFT UNCHECKED. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED WITH HIGHER QUALITY COMPONENT. *JB
1997 Kawasaki Kawasaki
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Kawasaki years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 6 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
6 reportsPOSSIBLE DESIGN FLAW OF FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS EXPERIENCED FAILURE. *YC
WHILE IN SECOND GEAR AND HAND ON THE BRAKE THE MOTORCYCLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE TO A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED. *AK
THE VIBRATION FROM THE MOTORCYCLE RATTLED THE BOLTS LOOSE THAT HOLD THE SPEEDOMETER/ODMETER, AND THE MADE CABLE MOVE FREELY. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. MODEL- KL250-D14. *AK
WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS RUNNING AND ON IT'S SIDE STAND (KICKSTAND), THE VIBRATION CAUSES IT TO FALL OVER ON ITS SIDE.
REAR PINION AND RING GEAR FAILURE. .
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.