Royal Enfield Bullet 500
Real ownership data from 3,234 UK Bullet 500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Bullet 500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 6.3% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 3.8% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 2.3% |
| Electrical | major | 1.9% |
| Chain and sprockets | major | 1.9% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 1.5% |
| Suspension | major | 1.1% |
| Other | fail | 1.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is other.
Bullet 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 | 2,997 mi | — | 85.19% |
| 2011 | 8 | 3,561 mi | 139 | 83.72% |
| 2010 | 15 | 3,873 mi | 210 | 92.31% |
| 2009 | 270 | 7,684 mi | 513 | 87.47% |
| 2008 | 470 | 6,868 mi | 394 | 88.31% |
| 2007 | 359 | 7,430 mi | 386 | 89.82% |
| 2006 | 299 | 7,825 mi | 477 | 89.14% |
| 2005 | 301 | 8,535 mi | 535 | 89.64% |
| 2004 | 292 | 5,972 mi | 449 | 88.07% |
| 2003 | 256 | 6,426 mi | 390 | 88.49% |
| 2002 | 346 | 8,111 mi | 420 | 87.91% |
| 2001 | 204 | 6,608 mi | 532 | 88.58% |
| 2000 | 109 | 6,519 mi | 458 | 87.77% |
| 1999 | 35 | 7,576 mi | 244 | 89.95% |
| 1998 | 20 | 11,066 mi | 362 | 85.07% |
| 1997 | 24 | 13,852 mi | 439 | 82.24% |
| 1996 | 27 | 6,172 mi | 40 | 86% |
| 1995 | 59 | 9,994 mi | 547 | 88.42% |
| 1994 | 64 | 7,053 mi | 168 | 89.61% |
| 1993 | 14 | 9,013 mi | 223 | 87.7% |
Bullet 500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Royal Enfield Bullet 500?
Across 3,234 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (6.3% of all recorded faults), brakes (3.8% of all recorded faults), tyres (2.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Royal Enfield Bullet 500?
The median Royal Enfield Bullet 500 in the UK has covered 7,170 miles, and typically rides about 435 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 3,316 and 13,036 miles.
Is the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 reliable?
88.54% of Royal Enfield Bullet 500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.44 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 3,234 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.