Norton 500
Real ownership data from 74 UK 500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common 500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | fail | 24.6% |
| Tyres | fail | 8.2% |
| Lights and indicators | fail | 5.5% |
| Suspension | fail | 4.6% |
| Brakes | fail | 4.6% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.7% |
| Wheels | fail | 1.8% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 1.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6 | 1,715 mi | 62 | 93.33% |
| 1958 | 5 | 23,423 mi | 455 | 100% |
500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Norton 500?
Across 74 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (24.6% of all recorded faults), tyres (8.2% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (5.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Norton 500?
The median Norton 500 in the UK has covered 15,928 miles, and typically rides about 199 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 3,699 and 36,625 miles.
Is the Norton 500 reliable?
95.96% of Norton 500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.33 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 74 Norton 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.