Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V vs BMW R1150

The Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V passes its MOT first time more often than the BMW R1150: 91.4% vs 88.5%, a 2.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V	BMW R1150
First-time pass rate	91.4%	88.5%
Outright fail rate	5.1%	6.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+6.5 pts	+6.7 pts
Engine size	1,151cc	1,130cc
Rank among all models	#588 of 5428	#1449 of 5428
Median miles at test	16,720	33,151
MOT tests analysed	396	170,963
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	Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V	BMW R1150
2016	94.1%	87.6%
2017	95.5%	88.2%
2018	94.3%	88.1%
2019	96.8%	88.3%
2020	82.4%	88.0%
2021	87.5%	87.9%
2022	91.2%	88.6%
2023	80.6%	89.1%

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 Norge 1200 GT 8V	BMW R1150
0k-10k miles	95.8%	92.9%
10k-20k miles	89.9%	92.1%
20k-30k miles	93.5%	90.1%
30k-40k miles	94.3%	88.6%

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

MOTO GUZZI NORGE 1200 GT 8V 91.4% pass · 396 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.