Honda NS400R: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which NS400R years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 87.7% average, from 1,413 DVSA tests.

1986

highest-passing year · 92.6%

1988

lowest-passing year · 81.4%

11.2pp

spread across 4 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: 1986 (92.6% of 378 tests). Lowest: 1988 (81.4% of 145). Years more than two points below the model average: 1987, 1988.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (87.7%)
1985	503	87.5%	-0.2 pp
1986	378	92.6%	+4.9 pp
1987	191	84.8%	-2.9 pp
1988	145	81.4%	-6.3 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 · 2006–2025

Questions

Which NS400R years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1987, 1988 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda NS400R overall (87.7%); the 1988 cohort is lowest at 81.4% from 145 tests.
Which NS400R year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1986, at 92.6% of 378 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the NS400R pass rate vary by year?: 11.2 percentage points between the highest (1986, 92.6%) and lowest (1988, 81.4%) 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 NS400R reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1695 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi