Benelli Imperiale 400 vs Kawasaki ZXR400

The Benelli Imperiale 400 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZXR400: 87.6% vs 73.1%, a 14.5-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

first-time pass rate, outright fail rate and tests analysed · 2005–2025

Metric	Benelli Imperiale 400	Kawasaki ZXR400
First-time pass rate	87.6%	73.1%
Outright fail rate	5.3%	18.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-2.3 pts	-9.9 pts
Engine size	374cc	398cc
Median miles at test	2,308	23,651
MOT tests analysed	170	14,200
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	lighting and signalling

First-time outcomes on normal tests, 2005–2025. "Most common failure" is the component group with the most recorded defects on failed tests. Read pass rates against test counts: a smaller sample is noisier. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

"Vs comparable bikes" is the first-time pass rate minus the rate expected for each bike's own mix of age, mileage and test class, in percentage points: positive means better than comparable bikes. How this works.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Benelli Imperiale 400	Kawasaki ZXR400
2023	90.0%	82.8%
2024	87.9%	80.0%
2025	85.0%	88.4%

Each year mixes bikes of different ages, so a fleet that is getting older tends to slip.

BENELLI IMPERIALE 400 87.6% pass · 170 tests KAWASAKI ZXR400 73.1% pass · 14.2k tests

See each bike's full report (trend, mileage curve, failure breakdown and rivals) on its own page.