Honda XL 700 Va-8: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL 700 Va-8 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 88.2% average, from 3,507 DVSA tests.

2009

highest-passing year · 92.1%

2008

lowest-passing year · 87.0%

5.1pp

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: 2009 (92.1% of 556 tests). Lowest: 2008 (87.0% of 2,677).

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (88.2%)
2007	166	91.6%	+3.4 pp
2008	2,677	87.0%	-1.2 pp
2009	556	92.1%	+3.9 pp
2010	108	91.7%	+3.5 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 · 2011–2025

Questions

Which XL 700 Va-8 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: none: no registration year of the Honda XL 700 Va-8 falls more than two points under the model's 88.2% overall pass rate.
Which XL 700 Va-8 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2009, at 92.1% of 556 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 2007, 2009, 2010.
How much does the XL 700 Va-8 pass rate vary by year?: 5.1 percentage points between the highest (2009, 92.1%) and lowest (2008, 87.0%) 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 700 Va-8 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1544 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi