Royal Enfield Bullet 500
Real ownership data from 3,235 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 | dangerous | 31.5% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 8.6% |
| Suspension | dangerous | 7.8% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 6.8% |
| Frame and structure | major | 5.1% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 4.6% |
| Tyres | major | 3.1% |
| Fluid leaks | dangerous | 3.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is frame and structure.
Bullet 500 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 | 2,997 mi | — | 85.19% |
| 2011 | 8 | 3,561 mi | 139 | 83.72% |
| 2010 | 15 | 3,873 mi | 210 | 92.5% |
| 2009 | 270 | 7,684 mi | 506 | 87.46% |
| 2008 | 470 | 6,868 mi | 394 | 88.33% |
| 2007 | 359 | 7,500 mi | 386 | 89.76% |
| 2006 | 299 | 7,825 mi | 477 | 89.14% |
| 2005 | 301 | 8,521 mi | 535 | 89.62% |
| 2004 | 292 | 5,972 mi | 449 | 88.06% |
| 2003 | 256 | 6,496 mi | 384 | 88.52% |
| 2002 | 346 | 8,237 mi | 428 | 87.9% |
| 2001 | 204 | 6,608 mi | 532 | 88.6% |
| 2000 | 109 | 6,519 mi | 458 | 87.77% |
| 1999 | 35 | 7,576 mi | 244 | 90% |
| 1998 | 20 | 11,066 mi | 362 | 84.44% |
| 1997 | 24 | 13,852 mi | 439 | 82.24% |
| 1996 | 28 | 4,750 mi | 40 | 86.09% |
| 1995 | 59 | 9,994 mi | 547 | 88.15% |
| 1994 | 64 | 7,053 mi | 168 | 89.64% |
| 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 3,235 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (31.5% of all recorded faults), controls and cables (8.6% of all recorded faults), suspension (7.8% 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 7,198 miles, and typically rides about 435 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 3,308 and 13,041 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 0.02 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 3,235 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.