Harley-Davidson Flhtkse Cvo Ultra LTD 1868 17 vs Triumph Rocket Iii

The Harley-Davidson Flhtkse Cvo Ultra LTD 1868 17 passes its MOT first time more often than the Triumph Rocket Iii: 95.0% vs 88.3%, a 6.7-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Harley-Davidson Flhtkse Cvo Ultra LTD 1868 17	Triumph Rocket Iii
First-time pass rate	95.0%	88.3%
Outright fail rate	3.8%	6.1%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.2 pts	+2.7 pts
Engine size	1,868cc	2,294cc
Rank among all models	#77 of 5428	#1505 of 5428
Median miles at test	13,940	13,110
MOT tests analysed	238	15,488
Most common failure	brakes	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	Harley-Davidson Flhtkse Cvo Ultra LTD 1868 17	Triumph Rocket Iii
2020	95.9%	88.4%
2021	92.7%	88.5%
2022	97.5%	88.7%
2023	97.5%	89.3%
2025	94.7%	88.3%

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

Pass rate by mileage

first-time MOT pass rate by miles on the clock at test

Mileage	Harley-Davidson Flhtkse Cvo Ultra LTD 1868 17	Triumph Rocket Iii
0k-10k miles	95.0%	89.2%
10k-20k miles	94.8%	88.6%
20k-30k miles	100.0%	87.7%

Bands with fewer than 30 tests for either bike are left out.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTKSE CVO ULTRA LTD 1868 17 95.0% pass · 238 tests TRIUMPH ROCKET III 88.3% pass · 15.5k tests

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