Yamaha WHY (YH50)
Real ownership data from 458 UK WHY (YH50) motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common WHY (YH50) problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 15% |
| Brakes | fail | 9.9% |
| Suspension | major | 9% |
| Tyres | fail | 6.4% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 5.9% |
| Brake discs and pads | major | 5.1% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 3.3% |
| Electrical | fail | 2.6% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
WHY (YH50) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 14 | 8,961 mi | 1,298 | 65.71% |
| 2006 | 27 | 4,779 mi | 600 | 75% |
| 2005 | 18 | 4,744 mi | 1,258 | 77.42% |
| 2003 | 26 | 5,761 mi | 312 | 58.06% |
| 2002 | 18 | 6,726 mi | 1,028 | 57.14% |
| 2001 | 39 | 8,429 mi | 704 | 70.27% |
| 2000 | 112 | 7,664 mi | 244 | 83.87% |
| 1999 | 199 | 7,498 mi | 777 | 66.92% |
WHY (YH50) questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha WHY (YH50)?
Across 458 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (15% of all recorded faults), brakes (9.9% of all recorded faults), suspension (9% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha WHY (YH50)?
The median Yamaha WHY (YH50) in the UK has covered 7,536 miles, and typically rides about 726 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 4,636 and 10,733 miles.
Is the Yamaha WHY (YH50) reliable?
71.08% of Yamaha WHY (YH50) MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.92 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 458 Yamaha WHY (YH50) motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.