Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 vs Honda CRF450

The Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda CRF450: 91.4% vs 81.8%, a 9.6-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500	Honda CRF450
First-time pass rate	91.4%	81.8%
Outright fail rate	2.9%	11.0%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+1.5 pts	-7.9 pts
Engine size	500cc	450cc
Rank among all models	#588 of 5428	#3218 of 5428
Median miles at test	3,100	1,081
MOT tests analysed	524	11,846
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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.

What fails, side by side

share of each bike's MOT tests that failed on the component · lower is better

Component	Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500	Honda CRF450
Lights & signalling	2.1%	6.0%
Tyres & wheels	1.1%	3.4%
Steering & suspension	0%	4.0%
Brakes	0.4%	1.6%
Structure & body	0.4%	0.8%
Drive system	0%	0.6%
Fuel & exhaust	0%	0.5%

A test that fails on two components counts once in each. Component links go to the bikes most likely to fail on it.

Pass rate by test year

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

Test year	Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500	Honda CRF450
2022	89.5%	85.4%
2023	93.4%	84.0%
2024	89.2%	84.9%
2025	92.0%	85.8%

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	Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500	Honda CRF450
0k-10k miles	91.2%	81.9%
10k-20k miles	94.6%	70.4%

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

Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 vs Honda CRF450 FAQ

answers computed from the data above · terms in the glossary

Which is more reliable, the Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 or the Honda CRF450?

The Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda CRF450: 91.4% vs 81.8%, a 9.6-point lead. Adjusted for age, mileage and test class, the Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 still comes out ahead: +1.5 points vs comparable bikes for the Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500, -7.9 for the Honda CRF450. An MOT checks roadworthiness items, not engine or gearbox internals.

What does the Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 fail its MOT on most?

Lights & signalling: 2.1% of Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500 MOT tests failed on it, then tyres & wheels (1.1%).

What does the Honda CRF450 fail its MOT on most?

Lights & signalling: 6.0% of Honda CRF450 MOT tests failed on it, then steering & suspension (4.0%).

ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET TRIALS 500 91.4% pass · 524 tests HONDA CRF450 81.8% pass · 11.8k tests

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