Honda GB500 vs Suzuki SV650S

The Honda GB500 passes its MOT first time more often than the Suzuki SV650S: 93.8% vs 80.6%, a 13.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Honda GB500	Suzuki SV650S
First-time pass rate	93.8%	80.6%
Outright fail rate	2.2%	11.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+9.5 pts	-4.0 pts
Engine size	498cc	645cc
Rank among all models	#198 of 5428	#3459 of 5428
Median miles at test	15,818	16,958
MOT tests analysed	498	84,632
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 mileage

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

Mileage	Honda GB500	Suzuki SV650S
0k-10k miles	95.0%	88.2%
10k-20k miles	92.1%	81.6%
20k-30k miles	94.1%	76.9%
30k-40k miles	94.6%	73.6%
40k-50k miles	97.0%	73.3%

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

HONDA GB500 93.8% pass · 498 tests SUZUKI SV650S 80.6% pass · 84.6k tests

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