BSA C15
Real ownership data from 1,449 UK C15 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common C15 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | fail | 22.6% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 7.4% |
| Fluid leaks | fail | 5.2% |
| Wheels | fail | 3.7% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 3.3% |
| Tyres | fail | 3.1% |
| Steering and head bearings | prs | 3.1% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 2.7% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is steering and head bearings.
C15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 9 | 1,454 mi | 1,394 | 100% |
| 2016 | 8 | 4,689 mi | 62 | 100% |
| 2015 | 8 | 3,144 mi | 10 | 84.62% |
| 2011 | 8 | 15,702 mi | 86 | 91.3% |
| 2010 | 7 | 19,673 mi | 1 | 85.71% |
| 2009 | 5 | 6,136 mi | 2 | 77.78% |
| 2008 | 12 | 6,247 mi | 46 | 86.44% |
| 2007 | 10 | 9,764 mi | 14 | 86.05% |
| 2006 | 8 | 10,344 mi | 107 | 90% |
| 2005 | 9 | 5,127 mi | 90 | 90.74% |
| 2004 | 7 | 11,521 mi | 153 | 95.35% |
| 2003 | 9 | 26,478 mi | 29 | 89.8% |
| 2002 | 9 | 22,162 mi | 14 | 91.11% |
| 2001 | 12 | 1,328 mi | 38 | 90.91% |
| 2000 | 8 | 18,409 mi | 31 | 90.32% |
| 1999 | 10 | 2,499 mi | 83 | 85.71% |
| 1998 | 12 | 12,115 mi | 65 | 85.48% |
| 1997 | 11 | 11,733 mi | 108 | 87.27% |
| 1996 | 8 | 13,432 mi | 69 | 97.73% |
| 1994 | 6 | 28,240 mi | 320 | 100% |
C15 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA C15?
Across 1,449 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (22.6% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (7.4% of all recorded faults), fluid leaks (5.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA C15?
The median BSA C15 in the UK has covered 12,793 miles, and typically rides about 74 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 3,017 and 25,642 miles.
Is the BSA C15 reliable?
89.65% of BSA C15 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.29 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,449 BSA C15 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.