KTM 790 Adventure R 20 vs Triumph Tiger 800

The KTM 790 Adventure R 20 passes its MOT first time more often than the Triumph Tiger 800: 92.5% vs 91.6%, a 0.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	KTM 790 Adventure R 20	Triumph Tiger 800
First-time pass rate	92.5%	91.6%
Outright fail rate	3.4%	4.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+4.3 pts	+6.5 pts
Engine size	799cc	800cc
Rank among all models	#384 of 5428	#546 of 5428
Median miles at test	7,115	16,027
MOT tests analysed	468	6,797
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 790 Adventure R 20	Triumph Tiger 800
2023	91.7%	90.2%
2024	93.3%	92.1%
2025	92.5%	89.4%

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 790 Adventure R 20	Triumph Tiger 800
0k-10k miles	95.0%	94.4%
10k-20k miles	86.7%	91.9%
20k-30k miles	96.7%	90.2%

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

KTM 790 ADVENTURE R 20 92.5% pass · 468 tests TRIUMPH TIGER 800 91.6% pass · 6,797 tests

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