Honda GL1000: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which GL1000 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 81.6% average, from 1,896 DVSA tests.

1975

highest-passing year · 86.3%

1979

lowest-passing year · 77.3%

9.0pp

spread across 6 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: 1975 (86.3% of 182 tests). Lowest: 1979 (77.3% of 454). Years more than two points below the model average: 1978, 1979, 1980.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (81.6%)
1975	182	86.3%	+4.7 pp
1976	411	81.8%	+0.2 pp
1977	346	85.8%	+4.2 pp
1978	342	78.9%	-2.7 pp
1979	454	77.3%	-4.3 pp
1980	83	78.3%	-3.3 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 · 2005–2019

Questions

Which GL1000 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1978, 1979, 1980 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda GL1000 overall (81.6%); the 1979 cohort is lowest at 77.3% from 454 tests.
Which GL1000 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1975, at 86.3% of 182 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1975, 1977.
How much does the GL1000 pass rate vary by year?: 9.0 percentage points between the highest (1975, 86.3%) and lowest (1979, 77.3%) 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 GL1000 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3254 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi