BMW F850GS
Real ownership data from 1,534 UK F850GS motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common F850GS problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 15.7% |
| Chain and sprockets | major | 8.3% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 4.6% |
| Electrical | major | 3.7% |
| Controls and cables | major | 2.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | dangerous | 2.8% |
| Other | major | 1.9% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is exhaust and emissions.
F850GS mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 53 | 6,524 mi | — | 100% |
| 2023 | 450 | 6,720 mi | 5,518 | 93.65% |
| 2022 | 371 | 8,000 mi | 1,800 | 95.98% |
| 2021 | 459 | 11,412 mi | 1,910 | 95.71% |
| 2020 | 79 | 9,901 mi | 1,579 | 95.93% |
| 2019 | 96 | 13,702 mi | 1,621 | 100% |
| 2018 | 26 | 18,359 mi | 2,422 | 97.5% |
F850GS questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BMW F850GS?
Across 1,534 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (15.7% of all recorded faults), chain and sprockets (8.3% of all recorded faults), brakes (4.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BMW F850GS?
The median BMW F850GS in the UK has covered 9,153 miles, and typically rides about 1,864 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 5,292 and 14,300 miles.
Is the BMW F850GS reliable?
95.75% of BMW F850GS MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.04 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,534 BMW F850GS motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.