Honda ST1100P vs BMW R1150

The BMW R1150 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda ST1100P: 88.5% vs 82.9%, a 5.6-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Honda ST1100P	BMW R1150
First-time pass rate	82.9%	88.5%
Outright fail rate	13.4%	6.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+2.4 pts	+6.7 pts
Engine size	1,085cc	1,130cc
Rank among all models	#2985 of 5428	#1449 of 5428
Median miles at test	48,860	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 ST1100P	BMW R1150
2006	91.5%	91.8%
2007	81.4%	90.6%
2008	83.3%	89.3%

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 ST1100P	BMW R1150
10k-20k miles	93.9%	92.1%
20k-30k miles	90.2%	90.1%
30k-40k miles	77.3%	88.6%
40k-50k miles	69.8%	86.9%
50k-60k miles	93.9%	85.7%

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

HONDA ST1100P 82.9% 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.