Honda XL600
Real ownership data from 1,680 UK XL600 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XL600 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 8.8% |
| Brakes | major | 7% |
| Tyres | fail | 2.9% |
| Other | user entered | 2.3% |
| Chain and sprockets | fail | 2.1% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 1.8% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 1.5% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 0.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brake discs and pads.
XL600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6 | 27,731 mi | 82 | 80% |
| 2019 | 5 | 28,834 mi | 570 | 73.33% |
| 2017 | 11 | 31,107 mi | 1,710 | 78% |
| 2016 | 6 | 11,532 mi | 151 | 87.5% |
| 2015 | 5 | 29,915 mi | 154 | 80.77% |
| 2009 | 5 | 26,108 mi | 196 | 81.25% |
| 2008 | 9 | 30,877 mi | — | 71.43% |
| 2007 | 19 | 36,526 mi | 687 | 80% |
| 2006 | 20 | 32,268 mi | 1,508 | 80.98% |
| 2005 | 21 | 32,820 mi | 1,476 | 80.92% |
| 2004 | 39 | 28,787 mi | 1,643 | 80.16% |
| 2003 | 53 | 36,020 mi | 530 | 78.8% |
| 2002 | 48 | 28,980 mi | 1,603 | 80% |
| 2001 | 45 | 33,888 mi | 746 | 77.07% |
| 2000 | 58 | 32,750 mi | 1,800 | 80.09% |
| 1999 | 136 | 28,316 mi | 1,196 | 80.62% |
| 1998 | 127 | 29,610 mi | 1,210 | 78.83% |
| 1997 | 134 | 33,245 mi | 938 | 80.27% |
| 1996 | 74 | 35,749 mi | 1,112 | 82.8% |
| 1995 | 45 | 35,119 mi | 785 | 82.35% |
XL600 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda XL600?
Across 1,680 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (8.8% of all recorded faults), brakes (7% of all recorded faults), tyres (2.9% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda XL600?
The median Honda XL600 in the UK has covered 34,335 miles, and typically rides about 826 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 22,738 and 47,174 miles.
Is the Honda XL600 reliable?
80.81% of Honda XL600 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.99 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,680 Honda XL600 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.