Bsa SR500 vs Kawasaki ZX-6R

The Bsa SR500 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZX-6R: 93.5% vs 78.1%, a 15.4-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Bsa SR500	Kawasaki ZX-6R
First-time pass rate	93.5%	78.1%
Outright fail rate	2.8%	14.0%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+5.0 pts	-5.8 pts
Engine size	499cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#234 of 5428	#3895 of 5428
Median miles at test	3,999	19,446
MOT tests analysed	325	173,956
Most common failure	steering and suspension	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	Bsa SR500	Kawasaki ZX-6R
2006	91.9%	82.8%
2007	90.3%	81.0%
2008	96.7%	78.4%
2009	93.3%	76.6%

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 SR500	Kawasaki ZX-6R
0k-10k miles	94.4%	86.1%
10k-20k miles	84.2%	80.6%
20k-30k miles	100.0%	75.4%

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

BSA SR500 93.5% pass · 325 tests KAWASAKI ZX-6R 78.1% pass · 174k tests

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