KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 18 vs Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin

The Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin passes its MOT first time more often than the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 18: 95.3% vs 93.3%, a 2.0-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 18	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
First-time pass rate	93.3%	95.3%
Outright fail rate	2.1%	2.6%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+6.2 pts	+8.2 pts
Engine size	1,301cc	998cc
Rank among all models	#252 of 5428	#54 of 5428
Median miles at test	11,444	10,908
MOT tests analysed	419	21,673
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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	KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 18	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
2021	91.4%	95.5%
2022	89.4%	95.6%
2023	95.7%	95.5%
2024	97.4%	94.6%
2025	93.1%	94.5%

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	KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 18	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
0k-10k miles	96.6%	97.0%
10k-20k miles	89.8%	94.8%
20k-30k miles	94.2%	92.4%

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

KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R 18 93.3% pass · 419 tests HONDA CRF1000L Africa Twin 95.3% pass · 21.7k tests

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