BSA M20
Real ownership data from 347 UK M20 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common M20 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | fail | 9.6% |
| Lights and indicators | fail | 8.7% |
| Brakes | fail | 8.1% |
| Tyres | fail | 3.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.8% |
| Electrical | fail | 2.8% |
| Fluid leaks | user entered | 2.7% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
M20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7 | 6,876 mi | 113 | 100% |
| 2008 | 9 | 1,231 mi | 166 | 79.17% |
| 2006 | 6 | 5,290 mi | 908 | 91.3% |
| 1996 | 6 | 15,363 mi | 25 | 96.3% |
| 1989 | 5 | 16,309 mi | 56 | 100% |
| 1988 | 6 | 8,668 mi | 6 | 89.29% |
| 1987 | 6 | 6,376 mi | 360 | 86.21% |
| 1983 | 9 | 4,320 mi | 47 | 90.91% |
| 1981 | 5 | 22,375 mi | 1,648 | 82.35% |
| 1971 | 5 | 20,142 mi | 3,755 | 94.12% |
| 1969 | 6 | 15,442 mi | 62 | 92.59% |
| 1968 | 14 | 12,122 mi | 156 | 89.16% |
| 1967 | 9 | 4,763 mi | 147 | 94.12% |
| 1966 | 5 | 17,596 mi | 57 | 88.24% |
| 1964 | 7 | 7,500 mi | 390 | 95.83% |
| 1961 | 5 | 8,213 mi | 99 | 84.21% |
| 1960 | 5 | 44,440 mi | 4,020 | 96.43% |
| 1959 | 7 | 10,577 mi | 56 | 95.83% |
| 1955 | 5 | 3,399 mi | 212 | 95.45% |
| 1953 | 5 | 6,698 mi | 66 | 100% |
M20 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA M20?
Across 347 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (9.6% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (8.7% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.1% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA M20?
The median BSA M20 in the UK has covered 8,061 miles, and typically rides about 143 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 2,258 and 23,665 miles.
Is the BSA M20 reliable?
91.37% of BSA M20 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.49 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 347 BSA M20 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.