Honda VFR400
Real ownership data from 1,069 UK VFR400 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common VFR400 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 13.1% |
| Brakes | major | 8.6% |
| Other | fail | 4.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 4.3% |
| Suspension | major | 4.3% |
| Tyres | fail | 3.5% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 2.8% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 2.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brake discs and pads.
VFR400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 13 | 17,708 mi | 704 | 77.89% |
| 2002 | 24 | 24,549 mi | 264 | 70.62% |
| 2001 | 25 | 22,434 mi | 1,104 | 76.84% |
| 2000 | 51 | 25,079 mi | 1,311 | 71.58% |
| 1999 | 71 | 25,132 mi | 821 | 72.84% |
| 1998 | 115 | 25,282 mi | 805 | 75.32% |
| 1997 | 160 | 29,719 mi | 1,257 | 73.85% |
| 1996 | 141 | 29,685 mi | 1,223 | 69.25% |
| 1995 | 85 | 27,012 mi | 2,268 | 73.31% |
| 1994 | 79 | 29,609 mi | 612 | 69.72% |
| 1993 | 43 | 28,666 mi | 3,038 | 68.83% |
| 1992 | 42 | 24,075 mi | 596 | 68.56% |
| 1991 | 36 | 28,939 mi | 288 | 69.88% |
| 1990 | 42 | 29,736 mi | 830 | 83.78% |
| 1989 | 51 | 23,978 mi | 221 | 75.69% |
| 1988 | 14 | 33,866 mi | 379 | 70.67% |
| 1987 | 52 | 27,148 mi | 2,030 | 61.84% |
| 1986 | 16 | 30,398 mi | 2,046 | 59.62% |
VFR400 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda VFR400?
Across 1,069 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (13.1% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.6% of all recorded faults), other (4.8% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda VFR400?
The median Honda VFR400 in the UK has covered 27,276 miles, and typically rides about 898 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 19,162 and 37,058 miles.
Is the Honda VFR400 reliable?
72.48% of Honda VFR400 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.35 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,069 Honda VFR400 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.