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1997 Kawasaki KLR650

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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 1 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.

  • Engine. 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

1 reports
38,000 miles · Dec 5, 2012
Engine

I JUST WISHED TO REPORT SOMETHING I FOUND OUT BY CHANCE, UPON INSPECTING THE INSIDE OF MY ENGINE, AND WHICH COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY CAUSE MY ENGINE TO STOP FUNCTIONING/SEIZE AT SPEED, WHICH IN TURN WOULD HAVE LED ME TO CRASH. THE IDLER SHAFT LEVER & SPRING IN MY ENGINE WAS DEFECTIVE. UPON FINDING THE BROKEN PART I WENT "FISHI…

Read full complaint

I JUST WISHED TO REPORT SOMETHING I FOUND OUT BY CHANCE, UPON INSPECTING THE INSIDE OF MY ENGINE, AND WHICH COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY CAUSE MY ENGINE TO STOP FUNCTIONING/SEIZE AT SPEED, WHICH IN TURN WOULD HAVE LED ME TO CRASH. THE IDLER SHAFT LEVER & SPRING IN MY ENGINE WAS DEFECTIVE. UPON FINDING THE BROKEN PART I WENT "FISHING" FOR THE MISSING PIECES ON THE BOTTOM OF MY ENGINE USING A MAGNET, AND FOUND ANOTHER BROKEN SPRING! MY TAKE IS THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD REPLACED THE BROKEN SPRING ONCE ALREADY.. WHICH IS WHY I BELIEVE THERE IS DEFECT ISSUE WITH THIS PART THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. NOTE THAT THE BROKEN PART MOVING FREELY INSIDE MY ENGINE COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSE DAMAGE GETTING TANGLED SOMEWHERE, FOR EXAMPLE IN MY TRANSMISSION GEARS.. THIS COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN A HORROR STORY. HERE ARE PICS I TOOK OF MY ACTUAL BROKEN PARTS AS THEY WERE IN THE ENGINE, AND AFTER REMOVAL (WITH THE ADDITIONAL BROKEN SPRING I FOUND..): PIC 1: HTTP://I97.PHOTOBUCKET.COM/ALBUMS/L229/KATONER/2012-12-05_14-31-39_774.JPG PIC 2: HTTP://I97.PHOTOBUCKET.COM/ALBUMS/L229/KATONER/2012-12-05_18-38-36_487.JPG THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND I HOPE THIS CAN HELP OTHERS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10487513

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.