BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ MATCHLESS/ G80/By year
Registration-year report · 2005–2025

Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025

Matchless G80: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which G80 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 92.0% average, from 2,093 DVSA tests.

1961
highest-passing year · 99.0%
1990
lowest-passing year · 84.6%
14.4pp
spread across 18 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: 1961 (99.0% of 102 tests). Lowest: 1990 (84.6% of 52). Years more than two points below the model average: 1953, 1956, 1959, 1988, 1990.

82%91%100%1951: 92.1% pass (76 tests)1952: 92.0% pass (112 tests)1953: 89.8% pass (98 tests)1954: 93.9% pass (99 tests)1955: 92.2% pass (154 tests)1956: 86.3% pass (73 tests)1957: 93.6% pass (125 tests)1958: 93.1% pass (87 tests)1959: 89.6% pass (106 tests)1960: 94.5% pass (127 tests)1961: 99.0% pass (102 tests)1964: 92.2% pass (77 tests)1965: 92.7% pass (55 tests)1971: 94.0% pass (50 tests)1987: 90.2% pass (82 tests)1988: 88.3% pass (162 tests)1989: 90.9% pass (132 tests)1990: 84.6% pass (52 tests)195119601990
RegisteredTestsFirst-time passvs model (92.0%)
1951 76 92.1% +0.1 pp
1952 112 92.0% +0.0 pp
1953 98 89.8% -2.2 pp
1954 99 93.9% +1.9 pp
1955 154 92.2% +0.2 pp
1956 73 86.3% -5.7 pp
1957 125 93.6% +1.6 pp
1958 87 93.1% +1.1 pp
1959 106 89.6% -2.4 pp
1960 127 94.5% +2.5 pp
1961 102 99.0% +7.0 pp
1964 77 92.2% +0.2 pp
1965 55 92.7% +0.7 pp
1971 50 94.0% +2.0 pp
1987 82 90.2% -1.8 pp
1988 162 88.3% -3.7 pp
1989 132 90.9% -1.1 pp
1990 52 84.6% -7.4 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 · 2005–2017
87%91%96%2005: 91.7% pass (48 tests)2006: 94.4% pass (250 tests)2007: 94.5% pass (219 tests)2008: 93.0% pass (227 tests)2009: 90.0% pass (219 tests)2010: 92.9% pass (225 tests)2011: 90.8% pass (218 tests)2012: 92.7% pass (179 tests)2013: 89.5% pass (86 tests)2014: 91.1% pass (79 tests)2015: 88.2% pass (76 tests)2016: 93.1% pass (58 tests)2017: 93.5% pass (62 tests)20052017

Questions

Which G80 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
1953, 1956, 1959, 1988, 1990 registered examples pass first time less often than the Matchless G80 overall (92.0%); the 1990 cohort is lowest at 84.6% from 52 tests.
Which G80 year has the highest MOT pass rate?
1961, at 99.0% of 102 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1960, 1961.
How much does the G80 pass rate vary by year?
14.4 percentage points between the highest (1961, 99.0%) and lowest (1990, 84.6%) 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: Matchless G80 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #470 of 5428 models· other Matchless models: G12, G3, G3LS, G3L, G9, G2