Yamaha XS400
Real ownership data from 304 UK XS400 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XS400 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 12.2% |
| Brakes | major | 7.8% |
| Other | fail | 5.3% |
| Suspension | major | 3.7% |
| Tyres | fail | 2.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2% |
| Wheels | fail | 1.9% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 1.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is chain and sprockets.
XS400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5 | 11,395 mi | 596 | 82.35% |
| 1997 | 7 | 29,560 mi | 159 | 87.18% |
| 1996 | 6 | 15,502 mi | 314 | 88.89% |
| 1985 | 5 | 28,614 mi | 391 | 83.72% |
| 1984 | 11 | 24,219 mi | 348 | 75% |
| 1983 | 14 | 24,416 mi | 206 | 71.74% |
| 1982 | 51 | 21,390 mi | 334 | 79.69% |
| 1981 | 44 | 22,090 mi | 387 | 82.46% |
| 1980 | 73 | 19,366 mi | 166 | 78.6% |
| 1979 | 19 | 23,072 mi | 194 | 78.21% |
| 1978 | 22 | 20,810 mi | 316 | 84.69% |
| 1977 | 6 | 13,257 mi | 168 | 100% |
XS400 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha XS400?
Across 304 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (12.2% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.8% of all recorded faults), other (5.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha XS400?
The median Yamaha XS400 in the UK has covered 21,288 miles, and typically rides about 260 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 12,137 and 30,466 miles.
Is the Yamaha XS400 reliable?
79.79% of Yamaha XS400 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.09 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 304 Yamaha XS400 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.