Yamaha RD50
Real ownership data from 110 UK RD50 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common RD50 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 20.1% |
| Brakes | fail | 7.1% |
| Tyres | fail | 4.2% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 3.9% |
| Electrical | fail | 2.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.5% |
| Wheels | major | 2.5% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
RD50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 15 | 18,469 mi | 162 | 86.36% |
| 1986 | 12 | 21,240 mi | 175 | 76.92% |
| 1985 | 11 | 13,273 mi | 25 | 76.19% |
| 1984 | 9 | 13,015 mi | 57 | 88.24% |
| 1983 | 7 | 21,088 mi | 636 | 65.22% |
| 1982 | 11 | 9,300 mi | 58 | 75% |
| 1981 | 9 | 10,567 mi | 230 | 94.23% |
| 1980 | 5 | 10,560 mi | 23 | 93.33% |
| 1979 | 5 | 4,575 mi | 30 | 91.67% |
RD50 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha RD50?
Across 110 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (20.1% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.1% of all recorded faults), tyres (4.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha RD50?
The median Yamaha RD50 in the UK has covered 13,188 miles, and typically rides about 184 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,242 and 21,848 miles.
Is the Yamaha RD50 reliable?
82.84% of Yamaha RD50 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.82 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 110 Yamaha RD50 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.