HONDA CL450

450cc Petrol Class 2

#1575 of 5426 overall #204 of 921 HONDAs #959 of 2787 other bikes

88.1%

first-time pass rate

4.2%

failed outright

11,815

median miles at test

260

MOT tests, 2005–2025

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2016–2017

The CL450's first-time pass rate has risen 11.7 points since 2016, 85.7% to 97.4%.

Pass rate by mileage

how the CL450's first-time pass rate falls with the odometer · class average 84.9%

A low-mileage CL450 passes first time 82.6% of the time; by 20k that's 96.0%.

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 CL450

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded

Component group	Defects	% of defects
steering and suspension	10	32.3
lighting and signalling	9	29
brakes	5	16.1
drive system	4	12.9
fuel and exhaust	1	3.2
body and structure	1	3.2
reg plates and vin	1	3.2

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 CL450 beats 4 of its 4 closest rivals (KAWASAKI ER5, YAMAHA XV535, SUZUKI GS500).

KAWASAKI ER5 77.4% pass · 53.1k tests YAMAHA XV535 82.7% pass · 48.1k tests SUZUKI GS500 76.4% pass · 44.9k tests SUZUKI AN400 86.2% pass · 27.1k tests

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 CL450.

Pass rate by registration year

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

Best year to buy used: 1971 (87.1% pass). Weakest: 1972 (75.0%).

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.