BIKERELIABILITY
MOT DATA · GREAT BRITAIN · 2005–2025
League table/ HARLEY-DAVIDSON/XL 1200 NS IRON 1200 19
Model report · 2005–2025

HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL 1200 NS IRON 1200 19

1202cc Petrol Class 2
91.1%
first-time pass rate
4.4%
failed outright
4,804
median miles at test
405
MOT tests, 2005–2025

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2022–2025

The XL 1200 NS IRON 1200 19's first-time pass rate has fallen 3.9 points since 2022, 92.3% to 88.4%.

86%91%96%2022: 92.3% pass (91 tests)2023: 94.0% pass (117 tests)2024: 87.2% pass (86 tests)2025: 88.4% pass (95 tests)20222025

What fails on a XL 1200 NS IRON 1200 19

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded
Component group Share of defects Defects % of defects
lamps and reflectors
17 53.1
Identification of the vehicle
9 28.1
structure and attachments
3 9.4
audible warning (Horn)
1 3.1
steering
1 3.1
suspension
1 3.1

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 NS IRON 1200 19 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 NS IRON 1200 19.

Pass rate by registration year

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

Best year to buy used: 2019 (92.2% pass). Weakest: 2018 (90.8%).

90%92%93%2018: 90.8% pass (65 tests)2019: 92.2% pass (293 tests)20182019

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.