BMW F 900 R vs Suzuki GSF1200

The BMW F 900 R passes its MOT first time more often than the Suzuki GSF1200: 97.7% vs 82.4%, a 15.3-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	BMW F 900 R	Suzuki GSF1200
First-time pass rate	97.7%	82.4%
Outright fail rate	0.9%	8.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.5 pts	-1.2 pts
Engine size	895cc	1,157cc
Rank among all models	#5 of 5428	#3108 of 5428
Median miles at test	5,464	20,274
MOT tests analysed	216	97,637
Most common failure	structure and attachments	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	BMW F 900 R	Suzuki GSF1200
2023	98.0%	83.8%
2024	100.0%	83.4%
2025	96.0%	84.1%

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

BMW F 900 R 97.7% pass · 216 tests SUZUKI GSF1200 82.4% pass · 97.6k tests

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