BSA A7
Real ownership data from 809 UK A7 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common A7 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | fail | 12.5% |
| Lights and indicators | fail | 8% |
| Electrical | fail | 4.7% |
| Suspension | fail | 4.5% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 3.4% |
| Fluid leaks | fail | 3% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 2.9% |
| Wheels | fail | 2.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
A7 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 | 1,288 mi | 332 | 100% |
| 2016 | 5 | 4,374 mi | 273 | 85.71% |
| 2012 | 5 | 1,334 mi | 69 | 90.48% |
| 2006 | 5 | 3,971 mi | 242 | 90% |
| 2005 | 10 | 19,229 mi | 176 | 90% |
| 2004 | 5 | 9,966 mi | 528 | 100% |
| 2003 | 5 | 15,842 mi | 1,167 | 96.3% |
| 2002 | 14 | 3,196 mi | 181 | 92.86% |
| 2001 | 9 | 4,351 mi | 136 | 88.37% |
| 2000 | 5 | 6,976 mi | 228 | 90.91% |
| 1998 | 10 | 15,280 mi | 455 | 91.8% |
| 1997 | 10 | 3,392 mi | 497 | 88.89% |
| 1996 | 10 | 10,062 mi | 212 | 91.3% |
| 1995 | 6 | 2,618 mi | 51 | 94.87% |
| 1993 | 6 | 22,252 mi | 15 | 78.79% |
| 1991 | 7 | 6,246 mi | 52 | 90.91% |
| 1990 | 8 | 20,265 mi | 376 | 95.24% |
| 1989 | 9 | 22,797 mi | 191 | 89.39% |
| 1987 | 5 | 4,398 mi | 146 | 93.75% |
| 1986 | 6 | 502 mi | 47 | 85.71% |
A7 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA A7?
Across 809 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brakes (12.5% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (8% of all recorded faults), electrical (4.7% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA A7?
The median BSA A7 in the UK has covered 8,897 miles, and typically rides about 172 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,984 and 34,998 miles.
Is the BSA A7 reliable?
92.17% of BSA A7 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.23 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 809 BSA A7 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.