Panther M120 vs Honda VFR800 Fi

The Panther M120 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda VFR800 Fi: 94.8% vs 86.7%, a 8.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Panther M120	Honda VFR800 Fi
First-time pass rate	94.8%	86.7%
Outright fail rate	2.0%	8.5%
Engine size	650cc	781cc
Rank among all models	#93 of 5428	#1985 of 5428
Median miles at test	21,895	26,212
MOT tests analysed	346	89,421
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.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Panther M120	Honda VFR800 Fi
2006	97.1%	89.0%
2011	90.3%	85.4%
2013	100.0%	85.1%
2015	96.7%	86.5%

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	Panther M120	Honda VFR800 Fi
0k-10k miles	97.5%	92.5%
10k-20k miles	90.7%	89.4%
20k-30k miles	94.7%	87.3%
30k-40k miles	91.3%	85.5%
40k-50k miles	94.0%	83.5%

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

PANTHER M120 94.8% pass · 346 tests HONDA VFR800 FI 86.7% pass · 89.4k tests

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