Suzuki VL1500
Real ownership data from 586 UK VL1500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common VL1500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Steering and head bearings | dangerous | 19.3% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 10.5% |
| Other | dangerous | 9.6% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 8% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 5.9% |
| Fluid leaks | user entered | 2.1% |
| Exhaust and emissions | user entered | 2.1% |
| Suspension | user entered | 2.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is fluid leaks.
VL1500 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9 | 17,352 mi | 726 | 86.67% |
| 2007 | 28 | 20,354 mi | 940 | 87.75% |
| 2006 | 36 | 24,871 mi | 739 | 89.12% |
| 2005 | 26 | 31,079 mi | 1,332 | 88.49% |
| 2004 | 18 | 23,354 mi | 978 | 91.74% |
| 2003 | 26 | 21,480 mi | 854 | 87.23% |
| 2002 | 31 | 22,996 mi | 972 | 86.19% |
| 2001 | 69 | 18,677 mi | 630 | 85.31% |
| 2000 | 88 | 22,762 mi | 822 | 83.8% |
| 1999 | 119 | 25,985 mi | 916 | 85.74% |
| 1998 | 116 | 23,800 mi | 821 | 86.71% |
VL1500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Suzuki VL1500?
Across 586 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are steering and head bearings (19.3% of all recorded faults), brakes (10.5% of all recorded faults), other (9.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Suzuki VL1500?
The median Suzuki VL1500 in the UK has covered 22,358 miles, and typically rides about 863 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 14,909 and 34,983 miles.
Is the Suzuki VL1500 reliable?
86.31% of Suzuki VL1500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.03 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 586 Suzuki VL1500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.