BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ HARLEY-DAVIDSON/ XL1200/By year
Registration-year report · 2005–2025

Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025

Harley-Davidson XL1200: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL1200 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 87.2% average, from 2,219 DVSA tests.

2012
highest-passing year · 94.1%
1991
lowest-passing year · 78.7%
15.4pp
spread across 18 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: 2012 (94.1% of 102 tests). Lowest: 1991 (78.7% of 75). Years more than two points below the model average: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003.

76%86%97%1989: 80.8% pass (52 tests)1990: 85.3% pass (68 tests)1991: 78.7% pass (75 tests)1992: 81.1% pass (74 tests)1993: 90.3% pass (144 tests)1995: 83.7% pass (184 tests)1996: 80.2% pass (116 tests)1997: 84.1% pass (88 tests)2003: 82.3% pass (62 tests)2004: 86.9% pass (107 tests)2005: 90.9% pass (66 tests)2006: 87.2% pass (94 tests)2007: 89.8% pass (137 tests)2008: 87.8% pass (147 tests)2009: 92.5% pass (133 tests)2010: 90.0% pass (120 tests)2011: 92.0% pass (137 tests)2012: 94.1% pass (102 tests)198920042012
RegisteredTestsFirst-time passvs model (87.2%)
1989 52 80.8% -6.4 pp
1990 68 85.3% -1.9 pp
1991 75 78.7% -8.5 pp
1992 74 81.1% -6.1 pp
1993 144 90.3% +3.1 pp
1995 184 83.7% -3.5 pp
1996 116 80.2% -7.0 pp
1997 88 84.1% -3.1 pp
2003 62 82.3% -4.9 pp
2004 107 86.9% -0.3 pp
2005 66 90.9% +3.7 pp
2006 94 87.2% +0.0 pp
2007 137 89.8% +2.6 pp
2008 147 87.8% +0.6 pp
2009 133 92.5% +5.3 pp
2010 120 90.0% +2.8 pp
2011 137 92.0% +4.8 pp
2012 102 94.1% +6.9 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 · 2006–2025
73%86%98%2006: 85.5% pass (69 tests)2007: 91.5% pass (71 tests)2008: 92.1% pass (76 tests)2009: 85.4% pass (96 tests)2010: 83.3% pass (90 tests)2011: 84.2% pass (114 tests)2012: 83.3% pass (120 tests)2013: 83.3% pass (132 tests)2014: 86.3% pass (146 tests)2015: 88.6% pass (166 tests)2016: 88.3% pass (154 tests)2017: 87.5% pass (152 tests)2018: 91.2% pass (102 tests)2019: 88.2% pass (110 tests)2020: 94.3% pass (87 tests)2021: 91.7% pass (120 tests)2022: 85.6% pass (125 tests)2023: 86.0% pass (107 tests)2024: 93.0% pass (86 tests)2025: 77.6% pass (85 tests)20062025

Questions

Which XL1200 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003 registered examples pass first time less often than the Harley-Davidson XL1200 overall (87.2%); the 1991 cohort is lowest at 78.7% from 75 tests.
Which XL1200 year has the highest MOT pass rate?
2012, at 94.1% of 102 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1993, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
How much does the XL1200 pass rate vary by year?
15.4 percentage points between the highest (2012, 94.1%) and lowest (1991, 78.7%) 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 XL1200 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1855 of 5428 models· other Harley-Davidson models: XLH 883, Flstf, Flstc, XL, XL1200C, XL883