Honda CB550F: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which CB550F years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 79.7% average, from 636 DVSA tests.

1978

highest-passing year · 84.1%

1977

lowest-passing year · 77.9%

6.2pp

spread across 3 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: 1978 (84.1% of 82 tests). Lowest: 1977 (77.9% of 213).

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (79.7%)
1976	247	80.2%	+0.5 pp
1977	213	77.9%	-1.8 pp
1978	82	84.1%	+4.4 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 · 2006–2017

Questions

Which CB550F years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: none: no registration year of the Honda CB550F falls more than two points under the model's 79.7% overall pass rate.
Which CB550F year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1978, at 84.1% of 82 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the CB550F pass rate vary by year?: 6.2 percentage points between the highest (1978, 84.1%) and lowest (1977, 77.9%) 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: Honda CB550F reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3649 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi