Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited vs Harley-Davidson Flstf

The Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited passes its MOT first time more often than the Harley-Davidson Flstf: 96.2% vs 89.0%, a 7.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited	Harley-Davidson Flstf
First-time pass rate	96.2%	89.0%
Outright fail rate	1.6%	4.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.3 pts	+3.6 pts
Engine size	1,811cc	1,450cc
Median miles at test	7,990	12,480
MOT tests analysed	186	30,148
Most common failure	suspension	lighting and signalling

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	Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited	Harley-Davidson Flstf
2022	97.1%	90.3%
2023	97.7%	89.7%
2024	92.1%	90.4%
2025	95.9%	91.8%

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	Indian Motorcycle Chieftain Limited	Harley-Davidson Flstf
0k-10k miles	97.3%	90.1%
10k-20k miles	94.4%	88.7%

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

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE CHIEFTAIN LIMITED 96.2% pass · 186 tests HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLSTF 89.0% pass · 30.1k tests

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