Vehicle recall 97V233000 · December 16, 1997

Kawasaki VN1500 and Vulcan

Vehicle description: motorcycles.

Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.

Summary: Vehicle description: motorcycles. An improperly manufactured transmission gear can cause weakening and eventual breakage of an adjacent gear.
Consequence: Gear breakage can result in transmission lockup, causing the operator to lose control of the motorcycle.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these motorcycles and repair affected units.
Notes: Owner notification is expected to begin during late December 1997.OWNERS who take their motorcycles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kawasaki at 1-714-770-0400.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign: 97V233000
Reported to NHTSA: December 16, 1997
Filed by: KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP.
Owner notification: December 29, 1997
Vehicles potentially affected: 544
Initiated by: the manufacturer
Components: Power train › Manual transmission

Recall 97V233000 on nhtsa.gov, with the manufacturer’s documents

Vehicles covered

As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.

Kawasaki VN1500 (1997): 1997
Kawasaki Vulcan (1997): 1997

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