Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which 1200 Sportster years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 79.1% average, from 536 DVSA tests.

1996

highest-passing year · 86.4%

1991

lowest-passing year · 71.9%

14.5pp

spread across 4 years

Pass rate by registration year

first-time pass rate · cohorts with 50 or more tests · registration year from first use date

Highest pass rate: 1996 (86.4% of 88 tests). Lowest: 1991 (71.9% of 57). Years more than two points below the model average: 1990, 1991.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (79.1%)
1990	51	72.5%	-6.6 pp
1991	57	71.9%	-7.2 pp
1993	69	82.6%	+3.5 pp
1996	88	86.4%	+7.3 pp

Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years. A first-time MOT pass is a roadworthiness check, not a full mechanical inspection.

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2006–2015

Questions

Which 1200 Sportster years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1990, 1991 registered examples pass first time less often than the Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster overall (79.1%); the 1991 cohort is lowest at 71.9% from 57 tests.
Which 1200 Sportster year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1996, at 86.4% of 88 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1993, 1996.
How much does the 1200 Sportster pass rate vary by year?: 14.5 percentage points between the highest (1996, 86.4%) and lowest (1991, 71.9%) cohorts with at least 50 tests. Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.

Full report: Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3752 of 5428 models· other Harley-Davidson models: XLH 883, Flstf, Flstc, XL, XL1200C, XL883