Moto Guzzi 850 T4 vs Kawasaki ZX-6R

The Moto Guzzi 850 T4 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZX-6R: 86.2% vs 78.1%, a 8.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Moto Guzzi 850 T4	Kawasaki ZX-6R
First-time pass rate	86.2%	78.1%
Outright fail rate	7.2%	14.0%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+2.8 pts	-5.8 pts
Engine size	844cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#2148 of 5428	#3895 of 5428
Median miles at test	50,366	19,446
MOT tests analysed	487	173,956
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	lighting and signalling

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	Moto Guzzi 850 T4	Kawasaki ZX-6R
2008	83.3%	78.4%
2009	82.4%	76.6%
2010	76.5%	76.3%
2011	84.8%	76.6%
2012	85.7%	75.4%
2014	87.1%	76.4%
2016	93.5%	77.7%
2017	87.5%	77.1%

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	Moto Guzzi 850 T4	Kawasaki ZX-6R
0k-10k miles	86.5%	86.1%
10k-20k miles	88.9%	80.6%
20k-30k miles	94.2%	75.4%
40k-50k miles	92.0%	69.5%
50k-60k miles	78.3%	69.0%

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

MOTO GUZZI 850 T4 86.2% pass · 487 tests KAWASAKI ZX-6R 78.1% pass · 174k tests

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