Indian Motorcycle Chieftain vs Harley-Davidson Flstc

The Indian Motorcycle Chieftain passes its MOT first time more often than the Harley-Davidson Flstc: 94.7% vs 89.4%, a 5.3-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Indian Motorcycle Chieftain	Harley-Davidson Flstc
First-time pass rate	94.7%	89.4%
Outright fail rate	1.9%	4.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.2 pts	+5.1 pts
Engine size	1,811cc	1,450cc
Rank among all models	#105 of 5428	#1147 of 5428
Median miles at test	12,386	16,884
MOT tests analysed	264	23,752
Most common failure	brakes	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	Harley-Davidson Flstc
2021	97.1%	90.7%
2022	95.1%	92.3%
2023	94.3%	90.7%
2025	93.8%	91.4%

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	Harley-Davidson Flstc
0k-10k miles	93.8%	90.8%
10k-20k miles	96.5%	89.6%
20k-30k miles	96.9%	88.4%

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

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE CHIEFTAIN 94.7% pass · 264 tests HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLSTC 89.4% pass · 23.8k tests

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