Honda CB550F
Real ownership data from 152 UK CB550F motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common CB550F problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 14.2% |
| Brakes | major | 9% |
| Other | fail | 5.3% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 4.6% |
| Suspension | fail | 3.3% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 2.8% |
| Tyres | fail | 1.9% |
| Wheels | fail | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
CB550F 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 12 | 31,858 mi | 411 | 85.71% |
| 1978 | 22 | 30,706 mi | 104 | 83.33% |
| 1977 | 44 | 23,613 mi | 277 | 78.06% |
| 1976 | 42 | 25,295 mi | 323 | 80.38% |
| 1975 | 5 | 11,108 mi | — | 80% |
CB550F questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda CB550F?
Across 152 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (14.2% of all recorded faults), brakes (9% of all recorded faults), other (5.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda CB550F?
The median Honda CB550F in the UK has covered 24,656 miles, and typically rides about 265 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,878 and 37,990 miles.
Is the Honda CB550F reliable?
80.07% of Honda CB550F MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.92 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 152 Honda CB550F motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.