Honda CB550
Real ownership data from 501 UK CB550 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common CB550 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 14.5% |
| Brakes | fail | 10.2% |
| Other | fail | 5.2% |
| Tyres | fail | 3.7% |
| Suspension | fail | 3.1% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.1% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 2.1% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
CB550 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 9 | 23,333 mi | 46 | 78.57% |
| 2016 | 12 | 12,543 mi | 156 | 80% |
| 2015 | 7 | 15,201 mi | 335 | 75.86% |
| 2014 | 5 | 12,749 mi | 290 | 83.33% |
| 2013 | 5 | 15,908 mi | 208 | 100% |
| 1997 | 6 | 17,306 mi | 252 | 78.13% |
| 1996 | 7 | 22,668 mi | 513 | 82.14% |
| 1994 | 6 | 27,289 mi | 471 | 80.65% |
| 1983 | 7 | 28,803 mi | 216 | 83.33% |
| 1980 | 11 | 33,706 mi | 174 | 87.23% |
| 1979 | 86 | 27,054 mi | 196 | 85.78% |
| 1978 | 89 | 30,086 mi | 164 | 78.6% |
| 1977 | 108 | 26,361 mi | 152 | 81.4% |
| 1976 | 66 | 29,545 mi | 152 | 84.08% |
| 1975 | 13 | 21,864 mi | 15 | 75.76% |
| 1974 | 13 | 16,341 mi | 379 | 86.11% |
CB550 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda CB550?
Across 501 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (14.5% of all recorded faults), brakes (10.2% of all recorded faults), other (5.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda CB550?
The median Honda CB550 in the UK has covered 25,639 miles, and typically rides about 185 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 12,491 and 37,463 miles.
Is the Honda CB550 reliable?
82.55% of Honda CB550 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.75 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 501 Honda CB550 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.