Triumph 500
Real ownership data from 122 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 12.7% |
| Other | fail | 11.7% |
| Brakes | fail | 8.5% |
| Tyres | fail | 7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 5.6% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.8% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 2.3% |
| Fuel system | user entered | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 7 | 4,984 mi | 172 | 90.48% |
| 1962 | 6 | 38,874 mi | 172 | 87.5% |
| 1960 | 9 | 1,805 mi | 35 | 90.48% |
| 1958 | 6 | 7,214 mi | 478 | 94.12% |
| 1952 | 5 | 8,630 mi | 348 | 80% |
500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Triumph 500?
Across 122 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (12.7% of all recorded faults), other (11.7% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Triumph 500?
The median Triumph 500 in the UK has covered 7,364 miles, and typically rides about 81 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,357 and 26,086 miles.
Is the Triumph 500 reliable?
91.13% of Triumph 500 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 122 Triumph 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.