Honda XL500S
Real ownership data from 89 UK XL500S motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XL500S problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 18.5% |
| Other | fail | 7.4% |
| Electrical | major | 4.3% |
| Brakes | fail | 3.7% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 3.1% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.5% |
| Chain and sprockets | user entered | 2.5% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 1.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
XL500S 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 | 24 | 20,933 mi | 222 | 85.96% |
| 1980 | 21 | 20,764 mi | 193 | 66.67% |
| 1979 | 15 | 36,416 mi | 653 | 100% |
XL500S questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda XL500S?
Across 89 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (18.5% of all recorded faults), other (7.4% of all recorded faults), electrical (4.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda XL500S?
The median Honda XL500S in the UK has covered 15,433 miles, and typically rides about 160 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 6,884 and 25,808 miles.
Is the Honda XL500S reliable?
77.22% of Honda XL500S 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 89 Honda XL500S motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.