Honda XL 650 V-6: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL 650 V-6 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 86.1% average, from 2,988 DVSA tests.

2007

highest-passing year · 86.6%

2008

lowest-passing year · 81.6%

5.0pp

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: 2007 (86.6% of 1,785 tests). Lowest: 2008 (81.6% of 98). Years more than two points below the model average: 2008.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (86.1%)
2006	1,085	86.1%	+0.0 pp
2007	1,785	86.6%	+0.5 pp
2008	98	81.6%	-4.5 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 · 2009–2025

Questions

Which XL 650 V-6 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 2008 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda XL 650 V-6 overall (86.1%); the 2008 cohort is lowest at 81.6% from 98 tests.
Which XL 650 V-6 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2007, at 86.6% of 1,785 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the XL 650 V-6 pass rate vary by year?: 5.0 percentage points between the highest (2007, 86.6%) and lowest (2008, 81.6%) 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 XL 650 V-6 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2173 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi