Hanway HC 125 Cafe Racer E3 vs Honda CBF125

The Honda CBF125 passes its MOT first time more often than the Hanway HC 125 Cafe Racer E3: 73.3% vs 68.4%, a 4.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

first-time pass rate, outright fail rate and tests analysed · 2005–2025

Metric	Hanway HC 125 Cafe Racer E3	Honda CBF125
First-time pass rate	68.4%	73.3%
Outright fail rate	22.3%	16.5%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-10.4 pts	+1.1 pts
Engine size	125cc	125cc
Median miles at test	1,354	10,974
MOT tests analysed	193	84,425
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	brakes

First-time outcomes on normal tests, 2005–2025. "Most common failure" is the component group with the most recorded defects on failed tests. Read pass rates against test counts: a smaller sample is noisier. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

"Vs comparable bikes" is the first-time pass rate minus the rate expected for each bike's own mix of age, mileage and test class, in percentage points: positive means better than comparable bikes. How this works.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Hanway HC 125 Cafe Racer E3	Honda CBF125
2020	71.4%	72.1%
2021	71.1%	72.6%
2022	64.5%	72.5%

Each year mixes bikes of different ages, so a fleet that is getting older tends to slip.

HANWAY HC 125 CAFE RACER E3 68.4% pass · 193 tests HONDA CBF125 73.3% pass · 84.4k tests

See each bike's full report (trend, mileage curve, failure breakdown and rivals) on its own page.