BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ NORTON/ELECTRA
Model report · 2005–2025

NORTON ELECTRA

400cc Petrol Class 2
92.4%
first-time pass rate
1.3%
failed outright
13,084
median miles at test
158
MOT tests, 2005–2025

The pass rate is the MOT first-time pass: a roadworthiness check of the items an MOT covers (brakes, lights, tyres, steering, structure, emissions), not a full mechanical inspection of engine or gearbox internals. It is a reliability signal, not a complete measure of mechanical reliability. What this measures.

Pass rate by mileage

how the ELECTRA's first-time pass rate falls with the odometer · class average 84.9%

A low-mileage ELECTRA passes first time 96.7% of the time; by 20k that's 82.5%.

80%90%100%0k: 96.7% pass (61 tests)10k: 92.7% pass (41 tests)20k: 82.5% pass (40 tests)0k10k20k

First-time pass rate by odometer reading at test, 10,000-mile bands for this model. Mileage is the strongest reliability signal. See the full curve.

What fails on a ELECTRA

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded
Component group Share of defects Defects % of defects
steering and suspension
2 50
body and structure
1 25
fuel and exhaust
1 25

Defects recorded against failed normal tests, 2005–2025, grouped by DVSA inspection section. One test can record multiple defects.

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Pass rate by registration year

how each model-year cohort fares · registration year from first use date

Best year to buy used: 1964 (91.3% pass). Weakest: 1964 (91.3%).

First-time pass rate by the year each bike was first registered (cohorts with ≥ 50 tests). Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.

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