Buell Firebolt XB9R vs Triumph Sprint

The Buell Firebolt XB9R passes its MOT first time more often than the Triumph Sprint: 86.5% vs 85.6%, a 0.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Buell Firebolt XB9R	Triumph Sprint
First-time pass rate	86.5%	85.6%
Outright fail rate	9.7%	8.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-1.5 pts	+1.8 pts
Engine size	984cc	955cc
Rank among all models	#2052 of 5428	#2333 of 5428
Median miles at test	6,608	20,615
MOT tests analysed	259	132,827
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	Buell Firebolt XB9R	Triumph Sprint
2006	87.5%	87.0%
2007	88.5%	85.9%
2008	89.1%	84.8%
2009	78.8%	84.1%

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	Buell Firebolt XB9R	Triumph Sprint
0k-10k miles	90.0%	90.9%
10k-20k miles	76.3%	87.5%

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

BUELL FIREBOLT XB9R 86.5% pass · 259 tests TRIUMPH SPRINT 85.6% pass · 133k tests

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