KTM 1290 Super Adventure S 20 vs Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin

The KTM 1290 Super Adventure S 20 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin: 95.5% vs 95.3%, a 0.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	KTM 1290 Super Adventure S 20	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
First-time pass rate	95.5%	95.3%
Outright fail rate	2.6%	2.6%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+8.0 pts	+8.2 pts
Engine size	1,301cc	998cc
Rank among all models	#46 of 5428	#54 of 5428
Median miles at test	10,397	10,908
MOT tests analysed	422	21,673
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	KTM 1290 Super Adventure S 20	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
2023	96.3%	95.5%
2024	94.2%	94.6%
2025	95.9%	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 S 20	Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
0k-10k miles	95.9%	97.0%
10k-20k miles	95.5%	94.8%
20k-30k miles	100.0%	92.4%

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

KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE S 20 95.5% pass · 422 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.