BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ HONDA/CB500
Model report · 2005–2025

HONDA CB500

499cc Petrol Class 2
#2895 of 5428 overall #459 of 920 HONDAs #133 of 205 naked bikes
Honda CB500
Photo: Asurnipal · CC BY-SA 4.0
83.3%
first-time pass rate
10.1%
failed outright
20,653
median miles at test
105k
MOT tests, 2005–2025
-0.8pp
vs expected · age & mileage

The pass rate is the MOT first-time pass: a roadworthiness check of the items an MOT covers (brakes, lights, tyres, steering, structure, emissions), not a full mechanical inspection of engine or gearbox internals. It is a reliability signal, not a complete measure of mechanical reliability. What this measures.

“vs expected” adjusts for age, mileage and test class, so a cherished classic and a hard-used commuter are compared fairly. How this works.

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2005–2025

The CB500's first-time pass rate has risen 8.9 points since 2005, 81.4% to 90.3%.

72%83%94%2005: 81.4% pass (1,271 tests)2006: 81.3% pass (6,282 tests)2007: 79.1% pass (5,868 tests)2008: 77.2% pass (5,464 tests)2009: 75.7% pass (5,072 tests)2010: 77.1% pass (4,726 tests)2011: 77.5% pass (4,550 tests)2012: 76.3% pass (4,292 tests)2013: 76.5% pass (4,026 tests)2014: 77.5% pass (3,822 tests)2015: 79.9% pass (3,570 tests)2016: 82.2% pass (3,980 tests)2017: 83.9% pass (4,533 tests)2018: 84.0% pass (3,770 tests)2019: 85.7% pass (4,314 tests)2020: 89.1% pass (5,106 tests)2021: 89.0% pass (6,358 tests)2022: 89.1% pass (7,063 tests)2023: 89.5% pass (7,437 tests)2024: 90.1% pass (6,213 tests)2025: 90.3% pass (7,031 tests)20052025

Pass rate by mileage

how the CB500's first-time pass rate falls with the odometer · class average 84.9%

A low-mileage CB500 passes first time 92.5% of the time; by 50k that's 74.6%.

71%84%96%0k: 92.5% pass (25,275 tests)10k: 86.3% pass (25,233 tests)20k: 80.5% pass (19,139 tests)30k: 77.6% pass (13,384 tests)40k: 74.9% pass (8,558 tests)50k: 74.6% pass (5,142 tests)0k30k50k

First-time pass rate by odometer reading at test, 10,000-mile bands for this model. Mileage is the strongest reliability signal. See the full curve.

What fails on a CB500

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded
Component group Share of defects Defects % of defects vs all bikes
brakes
5,975 26.7 1.0×
steering and suspension
4,906 21.9 1.1×
lighting and signalling
3,975 17.8 0.7×
tyres and wheels
1,976 8.8 0.8×
drive system
1,347 6 1.4×
lamps and reflectors
1,138 5.1 0.5×
suspension
905 4 1.0×
structure and attachments
855 3.8 0.9×
tyres
757 3.4 0.9×
body and structure
535 2.4 0.9×

Defects recorded against failed normal tests, 2005–2025, grouped by DVSA inspection section. One test can record multiple defects. "vs all bikes" is how often this model's tests record a defect in the group, as a multiple of the all-bike rate.

How rivals compare

same type, similar capacity, high test volume

On first-time pass rate the CB500 beats 4 of its 4 closest rivals (HONDA CB600 HORNET, HONDA CB600FS, HONDA CB600SF).

HONDA CB600 HORNET 78.6% pass · 26.4k tests Compare head-to-head →
HONDA CB600FS 81.8% pass · 20.3k tests Compare head-to-head →
HONDA CB600SF 82.0% pass · 11.7k tests Compare head-to-head →
HONDA CB600 81.4% pass · 10.8k tests Compare head-to-head →

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 CB500.

Compare with any bike

rival not listed above? pick any model to see it head-to-head with the CB500

More HONDA models

other HONDA bikes ranked by MOT pass rate
HONDA CBR600F 81.7% pass · 202k tests
HONDA CBR900RR 83.2% pass · 166k tests
HONDA CBR1100XX 87.1% pass · 105k tests
HONDA C90 79.3% pass · 92.8k tests
HONDA VFR800 FI 86.7% pass · 89.4k tests
HONDA CG125 72.2% pass · 89.3k tests

See all HONDA models →

Pass rate by registration year

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

Best year to buy used: 2022 (95.1% pass). Weakest: 1974 (74.1%).

70%85%99%1971: 85.1% pass (931 tests)1972: 85.8% pass (530 tests)1973: 88.3% pass (171 tests)1974: 74.1% pass (116 tests)1975: 81.7% pass (793 tests)1976: 79.3% pass (348 tests)1977: 80.0% pass (150 tests)1978: 85.1% pass (202 tests)1979: 78.4% pass (51 tests)1985: 88.2% pass (51 tests)1991: 78.0% pass (50 tests)1993: 80.5% pass (446 tests)1994: 77.2% pass (4,461 tests)1995: 78.7% pass (4,553 tests)1996: 78.8% pass (4,536 tests)1997: 76.5% pass (6,755 tests)1998: 77.4% pass (7,651 tests)1999: 79.0% pass (9,621 tests)2000: 78.6% pass (6,996 tests)2001: 79.7% pass (7,118 tests)2002: 80.3% pass (6,926 tests)2003: 81.4% pass (4,904 tests)2006: 85.2% pass (81 tests)2007: 85.0% pass (100 tests)2013: 88.0% pass (5,191 tests)2014: 89.9% pass (5,591 tests)2015: 90.3% pass (4,776 tests)2016: 91.2% pass (5,026 tests)2017: 91.2% pass (5,473 tests)2018: 93.1% pass (3,689 tests)2019: 92.7% pass (3,455 tests)2020: 93.4% pass (1,918 tests)2021: 94.6% pass (1,194 tests)2022: 95.1% pass (547 tests)197119992022

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.

HONDA CB500 FAQ

answers computed from the data above · terms in the glossary

Is the HONDA CB500 reliable?

The HONDA CB500 is about average for its class: 83.3% of its 104,748 MOT tests (2005–2025) passed first time, against a class average of 84.9%. That ranks it #2895 of 5428 models.

What does a CB500 fail its MOT on most?

brakes — 27% of all defects recorded against failed CB500 tests.

What is the best year of CB500 to buy used?

By first-time pass rate, 2022-registered examples do best (95.1%) and 1974 worst (74.1%). Condition and history still trump the year.

How many miles will a CB500 last?

The median CB500 shows 20,653 miles at test, and examples around 50k miles still pass 74.6% of the time — mileage alone rarely kills one.

Embed this bike

Free to embed on your site, blog or forum — a live Honda CB500 reliability card that stays up to date and links back here. More on the free API page.