Honda CBR 600 F-B vs Yamaha YZF-R6

The Honda CBR 600 F-B passes its MOT first time more often than the Yamaha YZF-R6: 91.0% vs 79.0%, a 12.0-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Honda CBR 600 F-B	Yamaha YZF-R6
First-time pass rate	91.0%	79.0%
Outright fail rate	3.8%	12.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+4.5 pts	-5.5 pts
Engine size	599cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#682 of 5428	#3771 of 5428
Median miles at test	11,087	17,023
MOT tests analysed	365	155,350
Most common failure	brakes	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	Honda CBR 600 F-B	Yamaha YZF-R6
2014	95.0%	77.2%
2015	91.7%	79.0%
2016	92.1%	79.4%
2017	97.1%	79.4%
2019	93.3%	79.5%
2021	90.0%	80.7%

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	Honda CBR 600 F-B	Yamaha YZF-R6
0k-10k miles	95.1%	84.3%
10k-20k miles	89.4%	79.9%
20k-30k miles	84.8%	76.6%

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

HONDA CBR 600 F-B 91.0% pass · 365 tests YAMAHA YZF-R6 79.0% pass · 155k tests

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