BSA A65
Real ownership data from 1,425 UK A65 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common A65 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | fail | 5.6% |
| Other | fail | 5.2% |
| Wheels | fail | 2.6% |
| Fluid leaks | fail | 2.3% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 2% |
| Brakes | user entered | 1.6% |
| Controls and cables | user entered | 1.6% |
| Electrical | prs | 1.2% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
A65 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 | 4,806 mi | — | 80% |
| 2018 | 17 | 7,621 mi | — | 70.59% |
| 2017 | 30 | 5,456 mi | 30 | 82.5% |
| 2016 | 21 | 1,690 mi | 68 | 86.49% |
| 2015 | 16 | 2,759 mi | 124 | 95.24% |
| 2014 | 15 | 5,331 mi | 134 | 97.37% |
| 2013 | 26 | 9,190 mi | 74 | 93.94% |
| 2012 | 13 | 1,728 mi | 116 | 90% |
| 2011 | 10 | 1,209 mi | 269 | 97.3% |
| 2010 | 8 | 6,812 mi | 25 | 88% |
| 2009 | 10 | 4,536 mi | 67 | 93.33% |
| 2008 | 6 | 9,076 mi | 316 | 97.14% |
| 2006 | 11 | 17,872 mi | 216 | 85.11% |
| 2005 | 6 | 3,742 mi | 219 | 91.84% |
| 2004 | 7 | 13,541 mi | 406 | 91.11% |
| 2003 | 7 | 6,608 mi | 254 | 89.13% |
| 2002 | 11 | 2,060 mi | 58 | 96.34% |
| 2001 | 6 | 2,890 mi | 266 | 84.78% |
| 2000 | 8 | 12,366 mi | 167 | 97.83% |
| 1999 | 9 | 1,791 mi | 86 | 95.71% |
A65 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA A65?
Across 1,425 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are tyres (5.6% of all recorded faults), other (5.2% of all recorded faults), wheels (2.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA A65?
The median BSA A65 in the UK has covered 9,360 miles, and typically rides about 160 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 2,388 and 22,407 miles.
Is the BSA A65 reliable?
91.2% of BSA A65 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.27 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,425 BSA A65 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.