BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ YAMAHA/ SEROW/By year
Registration-year report · 2005–2025

Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025

Yamaha Serow: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which Serow years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 86.3% average, from 3,229 DVSA tests.

2008
highest-passing year · 93.1%
1990
lowest-passing year · 80.3%
12.8pp
spread across 19 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: 2008 (93.1% of 72 tests). Lowest: 1990 (80.3% of 290). Years more than two points below the model average: 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996.

78%87%96%1987: 85.2% pass (54 tests)1989: 81.1% pass (148 tests)1990: 80.3% pass (290 tests)1991: 90.4% pass (260 tests)1992: 85.6% pass (432 tests)1993: 86.7% pass (255 tests)1994: 82.6% pass (155 tests)1995: 83.6% pass (275 tests)1996: 83.1% pass (160 tests)1997: 89.3% pass (122 tests)1998: 84.9% pass (119 tests)1999: 86.7% pass (120 tests)2000: 91.4% pass (81 tests)2001: 91.1% pass (79 tests)2002: 92.1% pass (126 tests)2003: 85.4% pass (89 tests)2004: 92.3% pass (52 tests)2005: 90.3% pass (62 tests)2008: 93.1% pass (72 tests)198719972008
RegisteredTestsFirst-time passvs model (86.3%)
1987 54 85.2% -1.1 pp
1989 148 81.1% -5.2 pp
1990 290 80.3% -6.0 pp
1991 260 90.4% +4.1 pp
1992 432 85.6% -0.7 pp
1993 255 86.7% +0.4 pp
1994 155 82.6% -3.7 pp
1995 275 83.6% -2.7 pp
1996 160 83.1% -3.2 pp
1997 122 89.3% +3.0 pp
1998 119 84.9% -1.4 pp
1999 120 86.7% +0.4 pp
2000 81 91.4% +5.1 pp
2001 79 91.1% +4.8 pp
2002 126 92.1% +5.8 pp
2003 89 85.4% -0.9 pp
2004 52 92.3% +6.0 pp
2005 62 90.3% +4.0 pp
2008 72 93.1% +6.8 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
74%85%95%2005: 90.2% pass (41 tests)2006: 81.6% pass (185 tests)2007: 80.2% pass (167 tests)2008: 83.8% pass (154 tests)2009: 77.6% pass (156 tests)2010: 90.8% pass (152 tests)2011: 83.7% pass (166 tests)2012: 85.5% pass (166 tests)2013: 85.5% pass (173 tests)2014: 87.9% pass (174 tests)2015: 81.9% pass (160 tests)2016: 85.4% pass (158 tests)2017: 87.8% pass (156 tests)2018: 83.7% pass (135 tests)2019: 91.4% pass (140 tests)2020: 89.2% pass (130 tests)2021: 90.8% pass (173 tests)2022: 90.0% pass (180 tests)2023: 88.3% pass (163 tests)2024: 91.4% pass (152 tests)2025: 90.5% pass (148 tests)20052025

Questions

Which Serow years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996 registered examples pass first time less often than the Yamaha Serow overall (86.3%); the 1990 cohort is lowest at 80.3% from 290 tests.
Which Serow year has the highest MOT pass rate?
2008, at 93.1% of 72 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1991, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008.
How much does the Serow pass rate vary by year?
12.8 percentage points between the highest (2008, 93.1%) and lowest (1990, 80.3%) 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: Yamaha Serow reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2120 of 5428 models· other Yamaha models: YZF-R1, YZF-R6, FZS600, YBR 125, XJR1300, FZ6