BSA B175
Real ownership data from 79 UK B175 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common B175 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | user entered | 9% |
| Brakes | fail | 9% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 6% |
| Tyres | fail | 6% |
| Lights and indicators | fail | 4.5% |
| Suspension | fail | 3.8% |
| Electrical | prs | 1.5% |
| Corrosion | fail | 1.5% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is steering and head bearings.
B175 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 18 | 8,224 mi | 84 | 94.29% |
| 1970 | 26 | 16,692 mi | 133 | 91.6% |
| 1969 | 18 | 12,701 mi | 25 | 90% |
B175 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA B175?
Across 79 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (9% of all recorded faults), brakes (9% of all recorded faults), steering and head bearings (6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA B175?
The median BSA B175 in the UK has covered 11,940 miles, and typically rides about 95 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 6,877 and 19,906 miles.
Is the BSA B175 reliable?
92.93% of BSA B175 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.34 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 79 BSA B175 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.