BMW R1250GS
Real ownership data from 4,630 UK R1250GS motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common R1250GS problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 26.3% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 10.5% |
| Controls and cables | major | 9.5% |
| Electrical | major | 5.3% |
| Brakes | major | 5.3% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 4.2% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 3.2% |
| Exhaust and emissions | prs | 2.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is electrical.
R1250GS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 17 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 1,156 | 8,762 mi | 2,104 | 95.96% |
| 2022 | 1,465 | 11,692 mi | 2,527 | 96.67% |
| 2021 | 1,410 | 13,108 mi | 2,450 | 96.18% |
| 2020 | 282 | 14,190 mi | 2,313 | 96.7% |
| 2019 | 239 | 16,174 mi | 1,824 | 98.3% |
| 2018 | 61 | 22,948 mi | 2,558 | 100% |
R1250GS questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BMW R1250GS?
Across 4,630 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brake discs and pads (26.3% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (10.5% of all recorded faults), controls and cables (9.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BMW R1250GS?
The median BMW R1250GS in the UK has covered 11,809 miles, and typically rides about 2,462 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,575 and 17,466 miles.
Is the BMW R1250GS reliable?
96.44% of BMW R1250GS MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.01 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 4,630 BMW R1250GS motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.