Bsa A65 Lightning vs Suzuki GSF600

The Bsa A65 Lightning passes its MOT first time more often than the Suzuki GSF600: 89.4% vs 77.3%, a 12.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Bsa A65 Lightning	Suzuki GSF600
First-time pass rate	89.4%	77.3%
Outright fail rate	3.8%	14.2%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.1 pts	-6.1 pts
Engine size	650cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#1147 of 5428	#4013 of 5428
Median miles at test	5,794	21,080
MOT tests analysed	398	143,023
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	brakes

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	Bsa A65 Lightning	Suzuki GSF600
2011	78.1%	76.1%
2012	88.2%	75.9%
2013	93.9%	74.7%
2014	83.8%	75.0%
2015	85.7%	75.5%
2016	92.3%	76.1%
2017	97.0%	77.0%

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

Pass rate by mileage

first-time MOT pass rate by miles on the clock at test

Mileage	Bsa A65 Lightning	Suzuki GSF600
0k-10k miles	90.3%	86.8%
10k-20k miles	86.2%	80.1%
20k-30k miles	93.5%	75.2%

Bands with fewer than 30 tests for either bike are left out.

BSA A65 LIGHTNING 89.4% pass · 398 tests SUZUKI GSF600 77.3% pass · 143k tests

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