BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ KAWASAKI/ Z1000/By year
Registration-year report · 2005–2025

Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025

Kawasaki Z1000: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which Z1000 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 84.5% average, from 22,743 DVSA tests.

2015
highest-passing year · 90.9%
1984
lowest-passing year · 78.6%
12.3pp
spread across 24 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: 2015 (90.9% of 66 tests). Lowest: 1984 (78.6% of 140). Years more than two points below the model average: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2006.

76%85%93%1971: 89.7% pass (68 tests)1975: 88.2% pass (76 tests)1976: 87.3% pass (291 tests)1977: 86.6% pass (1,458 tests)1978: 86.2% pass (1,121 tests)1979: 81.9% pass (744 tests)1980: 82.1% pass (1,026 tests)1981: 81.9% pass (868 tests)1982: 80.6% pass (1,033 tests)1983: 80.2% pass (759 tests)1984: 78.6% pass (140 tests)2003: 83.9% pass (2,962 tests)2004: 83.7% pass (2,269 tests)2005: 84.6% pass (1,930 tests)2006: 82.2% pass (1,585 tests)2007: 85.7% pass (1,473 tests)2008: 85.1% pass (1,367 tests)2009: 86.7% pass (932 tests)2010: 89.5% pass (859 tests)2011: 90.2% pass (734 tests)2012: 90.3% pass (247 tests)2014: 89.0% pass (109 tests)2015: 90.9% pass (66 tests)2016: 87.8% pass (82 tests)197120042016
RegisteredTestsFirst-time passvs model (84.5%)
1971 68 89.7% +5.2 pp
1975 76 88.2% +3.7 pp
1976 291 87.3% +2.8 pp
1977 1,458 86.6% +2.1 pp
1978 1,121 86.2% +1.7 pp
1979 744 81.9% -2.6 pp
1980 1,026 82.1% -2.4 pp
1981 868 81.9% -2.6 pp
1982 1,033 80.6% -3.9 pp
1983 759 80.2% -4.3 pp
1984 140 78.6% -5.9 pp
2003 2,962 83.9% -0.6 pp
2004 2,269 83.7% -0.8 pp
2005 1,930 84.6% +0.1 pp
2006 1,585 82.2% -2.3 pp
2007 1,473 85.7% +1.2 pp
2008 1,367 85.1% +0.6 pp
2009 932 86.7% +2.2 pp
2010 859 89.5% +5.0 pp
2011 734 90.2% +5.7 pp
2012 247 90.3% +5.8 pp
2014 109 89.0% +4.5 pp
2015 66 90.9% +6.4 pp
2016 82 87.8% +3.3 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 · 2005–2025
77%84%90%2005: 84.9% pass (139 tests)2006: 81.8% pass (934 tests)2007: 81.5% pass (1,005 tests)2008: 81.5% pass (1,074 tests)2009: 79.6% pass (1,232 tests)2010: 84.3% pass (1,265 tests)2011: 79.8% pass (1,382 tests)2012: 83.1% pass (1,385 tests)2013: 84.3% pass (1,435 tests)2014: 86.0% pass (1,536 tests)2015: 86.8% pass (1,534 tests)2016: 85.5% pass (1,462 tests)2017: 86.3% pass (1,395 tests)2018: 87.6% pass (1,068 tests)2019: 85.7% pass (976 tests)2020: 86.9% pass (769 tests)2021: 85.5% pass (1,002 tests)2022: 88.1% pass (934 tests)2023: 86.5% pass (877 tests)2024: 85.1% pass (652 tests)2025: 85.9% pass (687 tests)20052025

Questions

Which Z1000 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2006 registered examples pass first time less often than the Kawasaki Z1000 overall (84.5%); the 1984 cohort is lowest at 78.6% from 140 tests.
Which Z1000 year has the highest MOT pass rate?
2015, at 90.9% of 66 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016.
How much does the Z1000 pass rate vary by year?
12.3 percentage points between the highest (2015, 90.9%) and lowest (1984, 78.6%) 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: Kawasaki Z1000 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2613 of 5428 models· other Kawasaki models: ZX-6R, ZX-9R, ZZR600, ER5, ZZ-R1100, ZX