KTM 890 Duke R 20 vs Triumph Speed Triple

The KTM 890 Duke R 20 passes its MOT first time more often than the Triumph Speed Triple: 92.5% vs 85.6%, a 6.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	KTM 890 Duke R 20	Triumph Speed Triple
First-time pass rate	92.5%	85.6%
Outright fail rate	3.0%	7.3%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+3.6 pts	-0.2 pts
Engine size	899cc	1,050cc
Rank among all models	#384 of 5428	#2333 of 5428
Median miles at test	6,078	12,419
MOT tests analysed	362	74,618
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 890 Duke R 20	Triumph Speed Triple
2023	88.7%	87.3%
2024	96.6%	87.3%
2025	91.9%	87.7%

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 890 Duke R 20	Triumph Speed Triple
0k-10k miles	92.7%	88.2%
10k-20k miles	90.6%	85.5%

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

KTM 890 DUKE R 20 92.5% pass · 362 tests TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 85.6% pass · 74.6k tests

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