BMW R850
Real ownership data from 1,478 UK R850 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common R850 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 17.9% |
| Other | dangerous | 11.8% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 7% |
| Steering and head bearings | dangerous | 6% |
| Electrical | fail | 5.2% |
| Suspension | major | 3.6% |
| Controls and cables | user entered | 3% |
| Wheels | major | 2.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is corrosion.
R850 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6 | 23,072 mi | 1,677 | 90.32% |
| 2005 | 56 | 31,580 mi | 1,586 | 91.38% |
| 2004 | 119 | 29,731 mi | 1,458 | 88.52% |
| 2003 | 150 | 32,544 mi | 1,596 | 89.02% |
| 2002 | 124 | 35,166 mi | 1,464 | 87.38% |
| 2001 | 184 | 33,416 mi | 1,290 | 88.27% |
| 2000 | 268 | 41,432 mi | 1,315 | 87.25% |
| 1999 | 130 | 37,818 mi | 1,220 | 86.04% |
| 1998 | 112 | 37,666 mi | 1,024 | 84.82% |
| 1997 | 134 | 47,584 mi | 1,372 | 84.35% |
| 1996 | 124 | 42,768 mi | 1,176 | 83.16% |
| 1995 | 64 | 46,445 mi | 1,116 | 83.56% |
R850 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BMW R850?
Across 1,478 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brake discs and pads (17.9% of all recorded faults), other (11.8% of all recorded faults), tyres (7% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BMW R850?
The median BMW R850 in the UK has covered 37,334 miles, and typically rides about 1,333 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 23,205 and 53,952 miles.
Is the BMW R850 reliable?
86.86% of BMW R850 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 1,478 BMW R850 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.