Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 2018 vs Honda CB500

The Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 2018 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda CB500: 91.3% vs 83.3%, a 8.0-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 2018	Honda CB500
First-time pass rate	91.3%	83.3%
Outright fail rate	3.5%	10.1%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+2.0 pts	-0.8 pts
Engine size	693cc	499cc
Rank among all models	#619 of 5428	#2895 of 5428
Median miles at test	4,407	20,653
MOT tests analysed	492	104,748
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	Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 2018	Honda CB500
2021	90.0%	89.0%
2022	92.0%	89.1%
2023	92.3%	89.5%
2024	93.2%	90.1%
2025	88.1%	90.3%

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	Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 2018	Honda CB500
0k-10k miles	92.0%	92.5%
10k-20k miles	85.5%	86.3%

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

HUSQVARNA VITPILEN 701 2018 91.3% pass · 492 tests HONDA CB500 83.3% pass · 105k tests

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