1996 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

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

About this comparison →

4Owner complaints

Model-year median: 4.5

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Compare all Vulcan 1500 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

2 Fuel System, Gasoline

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 4 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 →
Fuel System, Gasoline. 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

Power Train complaints

1 reports

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16,669 miles · Feb 17, 2020

Power Train

I WAS YIELDING INTO I-10 HIGHWAY AFTER LEAVING THE INTERSECTION LIGHT WHEN I SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR TO SPEED UP THEN GEAR DROP TO NEUTRAL CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO JERK ENOUGH TO CAUSE ME TO VEER OF THE ROAD TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. MY PROBLEM IS NOW CONSTANT I SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND, I CAN CRUISE FINE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN I…

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I WAS YIELDING INTO I-10 HIGHWAY AFTER LEAVING THE INTERSECTION LIGHT WHEN I SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR TO SPEED UP THEN GEAR DROP TO NEUTRAL CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO JERK ENOUGH TO CAUSE ME TO VEER OF THE ROAD TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. MY PROBLEM IS NOW CONSTANT I SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND, I CAN CRUISE FINE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN I SLIP INTO NEUTRAL (BUT THE NEUTRAL LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON). I SHIFT UP TO 3RD AND THEN BACK DOWN TO 2ND AND I HAVE NO SLIPPING.

NHTSA ODI #11309660

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.