Honda VT500ED
Real ownership data from 1,228 UK VT500ED motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common VT500ED problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | dangerous | 11% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 10.5% |
| Suspension | major | 7.2% |
| Tyres | fail | 4.8% |
| Other | fail | 4.3% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 2.9% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.4% |
| Electrical | fail | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
VT500ED 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 59 | 56,676 mi | — | 66.67% |
| 1985 | 443 | 38,892 mi | 346 | 81.82% |
| 1984 | 413 | 40,452 mi | 702 | 74.67% |
| 1983 | 304 | 55,340 mi | 762 | 85.37% |
VT500ED questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda VT500ED?
Across 1,228 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brakes (11% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (10.5% of all recorded faults), suspension (7.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda VT500ED?
The median Honda VT500ED in the UK has covered 44,702 miles, and typically rides about 688 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 30,636 and 59,114 miles.
Is the Honda VT500ED reliable?
80.8% of Honda VT500ED MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.81 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,228 Honda VT500ED motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.