Yamaha XC125E vs Honda CBF125

The Yamaha XC125E passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda CBF125: 73.5% vs 73.3%, a 0.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Yamaha XC125E	Honda CBF125
First-time pass rate	73.5%	73.3%
Outright fail rate	19.8%	16.5%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+2.0 pts	+1.1 pts
Engine size	124cc	125cc
Rank among all models	#4452 of 5428	#4471 of 5428
Median miles at test	11,107	10,974
MOT tests analysed	491	84,425
Most common failure	brakes	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.

"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	Yamaha XC125E	Honda CBF125
2013	70.2%	73.5%
2014	78.3%	72.0%
2015	83.9%	71.8%
2016	74.1%	72.2%
2017	73.3%	71.3%
2019	75.0%	70.4%
2021	50.0%	72.6%

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	Yamaha XC125E	Honda CBF125
0k-10k miles	77.8%	80.3%
10k-20k miles	69.3%	68.7%
20k-30k miles	67.9%	65.5%
30k-40k miles	68.6%	63.9%

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

YAMAHA XC125E 73.5% pass · 491 tests HONDA CBF125 73.3% pass · 84.4k tests

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