Honda XL185S
Real ownership data from 105 UK XL185S motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XL185S problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 20.4% |
| Brakes | fail | 6.9% |
| Other | major | 6.2% |
| Wheels | fail | 5.5% |
| Electrical | fail | 4% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 3.5% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.7% |
| Tyres | user entered | 1.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is wheels.
XL185S 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 42 | 14,914 mi | 108 | 80.1% |
| 1980 | 30 | 14,654 mi | 310 | 78.29% |
| 1979 | 18 | 13,593 mi | 80 | 88.57% |
XL185S questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda XL185S?
Across 105 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (20.4% of all recorded faults), brakes (6.9% of all recorded faults), other (6.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda XL185S?
The median Honda XL185S in the UK has covered 14,922 miles, and typically rides about 153 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,292 and 21,259 miles.
Is the Honda XL185S reliable?
80.62% of Honda XL185S MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.88 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 105 Honda XL185S motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.