Norton 88
Real ownership data from 90 UK 88 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common 88 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 12.7% |
| Other | fail | 8% |
| Brakes | fail | 7.3% |
| Fluid leaks | user entered | 5.3% |
| Electrical | fail | 4% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.7% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 2.7% |
| Suspension | fail | 1.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
88 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7 | 6,044 mi | 128 | 88.68% |
| 1960 | 6 | 21,088 mi | 220 | 100% |
| 1959 | 8 | 22,854 mi | 150 | 100% |
| 1958 | 6 | 7,053 mi | 837 | 85.71% |
| 1955 | 14 | 8,238 mi | 270 | 89.8% |
| 1954 | 10 | 6,745 mi | 107 | 96% |
88 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Norton 88?
Across 90 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (12.7% of all recorded faults), other (8% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Norton 88?
The median Norton 88 in the UK has covered 8,987 miles, and typically rides about 208 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,582 and 35,445 miles.
Is the Norton 88 reliable?
92.76% of Norton 88 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.4 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 90 Norton 88 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.