Know Your MOT
9.2%fail rate

Harley-Davidson Heritage common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Harley-Davidson Heritage fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 273 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 9.2% of MOT tests recorded on the Harley-Davidson Heritage in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is registration plate, which makes up 20.0% of the Harley-Davidson Heritage's failures, followed by registration plate, brakes, fuel system, tyres. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Registration plate20.0% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Brakes8.0% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Fuel system4.0% of failures

Fuel-system failures are leaks or an insecure filler cap.

Tyres4.0% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Other4.0% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Lamps & electrical4.0% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the registration plate failure: Harley-Davidson Heritage number plateSearch Amazon for Harley-Davidson Heritage number plateaffiliate searchFind Harley-Davidson Heritage number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Harley-Davidson Heritage brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Harley-Davidson Heritage brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Harley-Davidson Heritage brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Harley-Davidson Heritage tyresSearch Amazon for Harley-Davidson Heritage tyresaffiliate searchFind Harley-Davidson Heritage tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: Harley-Davidson Heritage headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Harley-Davidson Heritage headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Harley-Davidson Heritage headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Harley-Davidson Xl MOT failures10.1% failure rateHarley-Davidson Xlh MOT failures11.3% failure rateHarley-Davidson Xl53 MOT failures11.4% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data ยท DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain