BIKERELIABILITY
MOT DATA · GREAT BRITAIN · 2005–2025
League table/ HARLEY-DAVIDSON/XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17
Model report · 2005–2025

HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17

1202cc Petrol Class 2
90.3%
first-time pass rate
3.4%
failed outright
7,172
median miles at test
176
MOT tests, 2005–2025

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2020–2023

The XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17's first-time pass rate has fallen 1.7 points since 2020, 92.3% to 90.6%.

90%91%93%2020: 92.3% pass (39 tests)2023: 90.6% pass (32 tests)20202023

What fails on a XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded
Component group Share of defects Defects % of defects
lamps and reflectors
6 66.7
brakes
1 11.1
structure and attachments
1 11.1
suspension
1 11.1

Defects recorded against failed normal tests, 2005–2025, grouped by DVSA inspection section. One test can record multiple defects.

How rivals compare

same type, similar capacity, high test volume

On first-time pass rate the XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17 beats 4 of its 4 closest rivals (TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE, TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD, HARLEY-DAVIDSON XLH 883).

Rivals share this bike's type and sit within ±30% of its engine capacity, ≥ 5,000 tests. Card colour = better/worse first-time pass rate than the XL 1200 CB CUSTOM LTD 17.

Pass rate by registration year

how each model-year cohort fares · registration year from first use date

Best year to buy used: 2017 (89.5% pass). Weakest: 2017 (89.5%).

First-time pass rate by the year each bike was first registered (cohorts with ≥ 50 tests). Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.