Kawasaki Vulcan vs Triumph Thunderbird

The Triumph Thunderbird passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki Vulcan: 87.8% vs 82.2%, a 5.6-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Kawasaki Vulcan	Triumph Thunderbird
First-time pass rate	82.2%	87.8%
Outright fail rate	9.9%	6.2%
Median miles at test	19,779	13,106
MOT tests analysed	787	56,312
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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.

KAWASAKI VULCAN 82.2% pass · 787 tests TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD 87.8% pass · 56.3k tests

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