Yamaha XJ650
Real ownership data from 506 UK XJ650 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XJ650 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 14.4% |
| Brakes | major | 10.6% |
| Other | major | 4.2% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 4.1% |
| Suspension | major | 3.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.6% |
| Electrical | fail | 1.9% |
| Wheels | fail | 1.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
XJ650 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5 | 23,673 mi | 4,890 | 68.42% |
| 1998 | 10 | 28,400 mi | 313 | 75% |
| 1997 | 11 | 29,772 mi | 555 | 76.71% |
| 1996 | 17 | 32,234 mi | 756 | 76.06% |
| 1995 | 12 | 25,700 mi | 197 | 80% |
| 1994 | 9 | 29,824 mi | 340 | 86.49% |
| 1993 | 7 | 46,135 mi | 1,773 | 73.33% |
| 1992 | 9 | 29,271 mi | 677 | 81.13% |
| 1991 | 5 | 28,863 mi | 1,036 | 58.33% |
| 1990 | 7 | 18,236 mi | 154 | 78% |
| 1985 | 10 | 33,562 mi | 410 | 75.68% |
| 1984 | 30 | 32,852 mi | 438 | 77.08% |
| 1983 | 34 | 38,107 mi | 189 | 77.33% |
| 1982 | 112 | 32,353 mi | 358 | 79.62% |
| 1981 | 126 | 31,655 mi | 317 | 81.93% |
| 1980 | 63 | 39,437 mi | 404 | 75.76% |
XJ650 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha XJ650?
Across 506 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (14.4% of all recorded faults), brakes (10.6% of all recorded faults), other (4.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha XJ650?
The median Yamaha XJ650 in the UK has covered 31,978 miles, and typically rides about 353 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 18,006 and 47,224 miles.
Is the Yamaha XJ650 reliable?
78.84% of Yamaha XJ650 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 506 Yamaha XJ650 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.