Vincent Black Shadow vs Harley-Davidson XL

The Vincent Black Shadow passes its MOT first time more often than the Harley-Davidson XL — 94.0% vs 87.9%, a 6.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Vincent Black Shadow	Harley-Davidson XL
First-time pass rate	94.0%	87.9%
Outright fail rate	1.2%	5.3%
Median miles at test	13,531	6,108
MOT tests analysed	822	18,541
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	lamps and reflectors

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.

VINCENT BLACK SHADOW 94.0% pass · 822 tests HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL 87.9% pass · 18.5k tests

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