Honda GL1200DG vs BMW R1150

The BMW R1150 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda GL1200DG: 88.5% vs 83.6%, a 4.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Honda GL1200DG	BMW R1150
First-time pass rate	83.6%	88.5%
Outright fail rate	13.6%	6.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+3.4 pts	+6.7 pts
Engine size	1,182cc	1,130cc
Rank among all models	#2835 of 5428	#1449 of 5428
Median miles at test	52,063	33,151
MOT tests analysed	397	170,963
Most common failure	brakes	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	Honda GL1200DG	BMW R1150
2006	81.4%	91.8%
2007	90.7%	90.6%
2008	78.9%	89.3%
2009	80.0%	87.4%
2010	87.8%	88.3%

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 GL1200DG	BMW R1150
30k-40k miles	78.0%	88.6%
40k-50k miles	88.2%	86.9%
50k-60k miles	81.6%	85.7%

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

HONDA GL1200DG 83.6% pass · 397 tests BMW R1150 88.5% pass · 171k tests

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