Moto Guzzi Le Mans V vs BMW R1150

The BMW R1150 passes its MOT first time more often than the Moto Guzzi Le Mans V: 88.5% vs 87.8%, a 0.7-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Moto Guzzi Le Mans V	BMW R1150
First-time pass rate	87.8%	88.5%
Outright fail rate	7.1%	6.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+6.4 pts	+6.7 pts
Engine size	949cc	1,130cc
Rank among all models	#1669 of 5428	#1449 of 5428
Median miles at test	38,063	33,151
MOT tests analysed	451	170,963
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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	Moto Guzzi Le Mans V	BMW R1150
2006	93.9%	91.8%
2007	86.5%	90.6%
2008	96.7%	89.3%
2009	90.6%	87.4%

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	Moto Guzzi Le Mans V	BMW R1150
10k-20k miles	87.0%	92.1%
20k-30k miles	85.4%	90.1%
30k-40k miles	87.5%	88.6%
40k-50k miles	91.0%	86.9%
50k-60k miles	89.5%	85.7%

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

MOTO GUZZI LE MANS V 87.8% pass · 451 tests BMW R1150 88.5% pass · 171k tests

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