Yamaha XS500
Real ownership data from 103 UK XS500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XS500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 12% |
| Brakes | fail | 7.4% |
| Suspension | fail | 3.4% |
| Other | fail | 3.4% |
| Tyres | fail | 2.7% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 2.5% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.2% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 2% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
XS500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 5 | 17,769 mi | 1,170 | 92.86% |
| 1980 | 12 | 15,820 mi | 221 | 85.29% |
| 1979 | 8 | 31,141 mi | 620 | 80.65% |
| 1978 | 22 | 10,176 mi | 193 | 72.73% |
| 1977 | 15 | 17,265 mi | 391 | 87.5% |
| 1976 | 20 | 26,292 mi | 182 | 75.71% |
| 1975 | 7 | 5,457 mi | 208 | 66.67% |
XS500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha XS500?
Across 103 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (12% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.4% of all recorded faults), suspension (3.4% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha XS500?
The median Yamaha XS500 in the UK has covered 17,215 miles, and typically rides about 226 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,719 and 27,590 miles.
Is the Yamaha XS500 reliable?
80.32% of Yamaha XS500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.97 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 103 Yamaha XS500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.