Honda CBR 600 Ra-C vs Yamaha YZF-R6

The Honda CBR 600 Ra-C passes its MOT first time more often than the Yamaha YZF-R6: 89.3% vs 79.0%, a 10.3-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Honda CBR 600 Ra-C	Yamaha YZF-R6
First-time pass rate	89.3%	79.0%
Outright fail rate	5.7%	12.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+2.6 pts	-5.5 pts
Engine size	599cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#1180 of 5428	#3771 of 5428
Median miles at test	10,925	17,023
MOT tests analysed	335	155,350
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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 Ra-C	Yamaha YZF-R6
2015	84.8%	79.0%
2016	91.3%	79.4%
2017	86.8%	79.4%
2018	90.0%	80.2%
2019	87.1%	79.5%
2021	93.8%	80.7%
2022	91.2%	81.9%

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 Ra-C	Yamaha YZF-R6
0k-10k miles	93.5%	84.3%
10k-20k miles	86.3%	79.9%
20k-30k miles	81.4%	76.6%

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

HONDA CBR 600 RA-C 89.3% pass · 335 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.