Zongshen ZS vs Honda CBF125

The Honda CBF125 passes its MOT first time more often than the Zongshen ZS: 73.3% vs 68.0%, a 5.3-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Zongshen ZS	Honda CBF125
First-time pass rate	68.0%	73.3%
Outright fail rate	21.1%	16.5%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-7.2 pts	+1.1 pts
Engine size	124cc	125cc
Rank among all models	#4853 of 5428	#4471 of 5428
Median miles at test	7,114	10,974
MOT tests analysed	375	84,425
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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	Zongshen ZS	Honda CBF125
2017	66.7%	71.3%
2018	78.3%	72.3%
2019	70.6%	70.4%
2020	69.6%	72.1%
2021	58.2%	72.6%
2022	72.2%	72.5%
2023	68.4%	74.4%

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	Zongshen ZS	Honda CBF125
0k-10k miles	74.9%	80.3%
10k-20k miles	56.9%	68.7%

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

ZONGSHEN ZS 68.0% pass · 375 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.