Hartford HD 125 S vs Honda CBF125

The Honda CBF125 passes its MOT first time more often than the Hartford HD 125 S: 73.3% vs 66.1%, a 7.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Hartford HD 125 S	Honda CBF125
First-time pass rate	66.1%	73.3%
Outright fail rate	22.7%	16.5%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-5.6 pts	+1.1 pts
Engine size	124cc	125cc
Rank among all models	#4960 of 5428	#4471 of 5428
Median miles at test	12,163	10,974
MOT tests analysed	436	84,425
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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	Hartford HD 125 S	Honda CBF125
2011	60.4%	69.3%
2012	71.8%	73.0%
2013	63.3%	73.5%
2014	53.8%	72.0%

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	Hartford HD 125 S	Honda CBF125
0k-10k miles	68.5%	80.3%
10k-20k miles	60.1%	68.7%
20k-30k miles	73.0%	65.5%

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

HARTFORD HD 125 S 66.1% pass · 436 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.