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1961 Bsa B40 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1961 perform at MOT as they age

65 years
Current Age
90.9%
Latest Pass Rate
457
Total Tests (All Years)
12,511 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for B40

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1961 Bsa B40 as it ages.

48 yrs86.0%
49 yrs88.5%
50 yrs90.2%
51 yrs92.3%
52 yrs91.7%
53 yrs90.9%
54 yrs92.6%
55 yrs93.2%
56 yrs90.9%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 48 to 56 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
48 yrs86.0%57
49 yrs88.5%52
50 yrs90.2%51
51 yrs92.3%52
52 yrs91.7%48
53 yrs90.9%55
54 yrs92.6%54
55 yrs93.2%44
56 yrs90.9%44

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1961 Bsa B40 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 9 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (56 yrs)90.9%44
2016 (55 yrs)93.2%44
2015 (54 yrs)92.6%54
2014 (53 yrs)90.9%55
2013 (52 yrs)91.7%48
2012 (51 yrs)92.3%52
2011 (50 yrs)90.2%51
2010 (49 yrs)88.5%52
2009 (48 yrs)86%57

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
86.0%
Age (yrs) 48Tests 57Avg Mileage 13,716Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 8.8%
2010
88.5%
Age (yrs) 49Tests 52Avg Mileage 16,290Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 7.7%
2011
90.2%
Age (yrs) 50Tests 51Avg Mileage 11,928Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 5.9%
2012
92.3%
Age (yrs) 51Tests 52Avg Mileage 21,395Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 7.7%
2013
91.7%
Age (yrs) 52Tests 48Avg Mileage 12,886Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 8.3%
2014
90.9%
Age (yrs) 53Tests 55Avg Mileage 15,296Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.7%
2015
92.6%
Age (yrs) 54Tests 54Avg Mileage 15,741Top Failure Motorcycle brakes — 5.6%
2016
93.2%
Age (yrs) 55Tests 44Avg Mileage 13,512Top Failure Motorcycle brakes — 6.8%
2017
90.9%
Age (yrs) 56Tests 44Avg Mileage 12,511Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 9.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1961 Bsa B40, with age trends.

Motorcycle steering and suspension
7.0%
— Consistent
Motorcycle lighting and signalling
5.0%
— Consistent
Motorcycle brakes
4.2%
↑ Increases with age
Motorcycle tyres and wheels
4.1%
↓ Decreases with age
Motorcycle driving controls
2.2%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Motorcycle lighting and signalling7.0% (48 yrs)4.5% (56 yrs)
-2.5%
🟢 ↓
Motorcycle steering and suspension8.8% (48 yrs)9.1% (56 yrs)
+0.3%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Bsa B40 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Bsa B40 cars manufactured in 1961 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 457 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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