Honda VT500EF
Real ownership data from 1,720 UK VT500EF motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common VT500EF problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 16% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 11.1% |
| Tyres | fail | 7% |
| Suspension | major | 6.8% |
| Other | fail | 5.1% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 3.8% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 3.3% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 1.4% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
VT500EF 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 23 | 57,394 mi | 561 | 50% |
| 1988 | 467 | 43,069 mi | 254 | 75.31% |
| 1987 | 542 | 43,444 mi | 691 | 70.73% |
| 1986 | 560 | 53,288 mi | 987 | 68.97% |
| 1985 | 123 | 37,292 mi | 142 | 84.21% |
VT500EF questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda VT500EF?
Across 1,720 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (16% of all recorded faults), brakes (11.1% of all recorded faults), tyres (7% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda VT500EF?
The median Honda VT500EF in the UK has covered 42,616 miles, and typically rides about 456 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 34,826 and 55,750 miles.
Is the Honda VT500EF reliable?
74.15% of Honda VT500EF MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 1.05 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,720 Honda VT500EF motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.