Honda VFR400R3
Real ownership data from 2,032 UK VFR400R3 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common VFR400R3 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 13% |
| Brakes | major | 8.3% |
| Other | fail | 5% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 3.6% |
| Tyres | fail | 3.5% |
| Suspension | major | 3.4% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 2.3% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 1.7% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is tyres.
VFR400R3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9 | 17,964 mi | 339 | 72.88% |
| 2004 | 17 | 25,106 mi | 2,293 | 69.39% |
| 2003 | 27 | 24,506 mi | 540 | 76.08% |
| 2002 | 47 | 24,458 mi | 943 | 79.05% |
| 2001 | 59 | 26,312 mi | 1,170 | 70.43% |
| 2000 | 81 | 26,558 mi | 448 | 74.51% |
| 1999 | 156 | 25,632 mi | 1,260 | 76.62% |
| 1998 | 243 | 28,474 mi | 761 | 75.15% |
| 1997 | 298 | 28,925 mi | 1,573 | 77.21% |
| 1996 | 230 | 27,936 mi | 602 | 73.4% |
| 1995 | 108 | 27,876 mi | 626 | 73.68% |
| 1994 | 85 | 29,949 mi | 1,806 | 75.65% |
| 1993 | 57 | 27,168 mi | 423 | 75.46% |
| 1992 | 125 | 27,292 mi | 461 | 76.35% |
| 1991 | 140 | 26,655 mi | 360 | 76.56% |
| 1990 | 201 | 25,246 mi | 262 | 77.14% |
| 1989 | 86 | 28,730 mi | 1,158 | 74.13% |
| 1988 | 15 | 36,222 mi | 5,662 | 71.43% |
| 1987 | 24 | 33,976 mi | 2,346 | 71.72% |
| 1986 | 7 | 40,665 mi | 76 | 66.67% |
VFR400R3 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda VFR400R3?
Across 2,032 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (13% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.3% of all recorded faults), other (5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda VFR400R3?
The median Honda VFR400R3 in the UK has covered 27,483 miles, and typically rides about 652 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 18,786 and 37,168 miles.
Is the Honda VFR400R3 reliable?
75.5% of Honda VFR400R3 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.24 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 2,032 Honda VFR400R3 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.