Honda SS50: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which SS50 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 83.3% average, from 684 DVSA tests.

1971

highest-passing year · 86.5%

1976

lowest-passing year · 80.3%

6.2pp

spread across 5 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: 1971 (86.5% of 126 tests). Lowest: 1976 (80.3% of 117). Years more than two points below the model average: 1976, 1977.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (83.3%)
1969	54	85.2%	+1.9 pp
1971	126	86.5%	+3.2 pp
1975	108	84.3%	+1.0 pp
1976	117	80.3%	-3.0 pp
1977	168	80.4%	-2.9 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 SS50 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1976, 1977 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda SS50 overall (83.3%); the 1976 cohort is lowest at 80.3% from 117 tests.
Which SS50 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1971, at 86.5% of 126 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the SS50 pass rate vary by year?: 6.2 percentage points between the highest (1971, 86.5%) and lowest (1976, 80.3%) 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 SS50 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2895 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi