Honda XL700: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL700 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 88.5% average, from 1,444 DVSA tests.

2011

highest-passing year · 91.8%

2008

lowest-passing year · 86.8%

5.0pp

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: 2011 (91.8% of 110 tests). Lowest: 2008 (86.8% of 706).

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (88.5%)
2008	706	86.8%	-1.7 pp
2009	335	89.0%	+0.5 pp
2010	241	91.3%	+2.8 pp
2011	110	91.8%	+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 · 2011–2025

Questions

Which XL700 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: none: no registration year of the Honda XL700 falls more than two points under the model's 88.5% overall pass rate.
Which XL700 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2011, at 91.8% of 110 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 2010, 2011.
How much does the XL700 pass rate vary by year?: 5.0 percentage points between the highest (2011, 91.8%) and lowest (2008, 86.8%) 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 XL700 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1449 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi