Buell S1 Lightning: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which S1 Lightning years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 84.1% average, from 560 DVSA tests.

2001

highest-passing year · 86.5%

1999

lowest-passing year · 80.9%

5.6pp

spread across 3 years

Pass rate by registration year

first-time pass rate · cohorts with 50 or more tests · registration year from first use date

Highest pass rate: 2001 (86.5% of 251 tests). Lowest: 1999 (80.9% of 68). Years more than two points below the model average: 1999.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (84.1%)
1998	97	82.5%	-1.6 pp
1999	68	80.9%	-3.2 pp
2001	251	86.5%	+2.4 pp

Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years. A first-time MOT pass is a roadworthiness check, not a full mechanical inspection.

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2006–2012

Questions

Which S1 Lightning years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1999 registered examples pass first time less often than the Buell S1 Lightning overall (84.1%); the 1999 cohort is lowest at 80.9% from 68 tests.
Which S1 Lightning year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2001, at 86.5% of 251 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the S1 Lightning pass rate vary by year?: 5.6 percentage points between the highest (2001, 86.5%) and lowest (1999, 80.9%) cohorts with at least 50 tests. Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.

Full report: Buell S1 Lightning reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2721 of 5428 models· other Buell models: XB12S, S1, M2, XB12R, XB9R, X1