BSA SLOPER
Real ownership data from 50 UK SLOPER motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common SLOPER problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | user entered | 43% |
| Steering and head bearings | prs | 5.8% |
| Brakes | prs | 4.7% |
| Tyres | prs | 3.5% |
| Lights and indicators | prs | 3.5% |
| Electrical | prs | 2.3% |
| Wheels | user entered | 2.3% |
| Suspension | fail | 1.2% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
SLOPER 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 5 | 10,089 mi | 116 | 87.5% |
| 1930 | 8 | 480 mi | 119 | 94.87% |
| 1929 | 9 | 9,878 mi | 559 | 91.3% |
| 1928 | 5 | 1,020 mi | — | 96.88% |
SLOPER questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the BSA SLOPER?
Across 50 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (43% of all recorded faults), steering and head bearings (5.8% of all recorded faults), brakes (4.7% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a BSA SLOPER?
The median BSA SLOPER in the UK has covered 8,080 miles, and typically rides about 148 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 946 and 17,571 miles.
Is the BSA SLOPER reliable?
92.02% of BSA SLOPER MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.39 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 50 BSA SLOPER motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.