Norton 50 vs Kawasaki ZXR400

The Norton 50 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZXR400: 91.5% vs 73.1%, a 18.4-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton 50	Kawasaki ZXR400
First-time pass rate	91.5%	73.1%
Outright fail rate	0.8%	18.9%
Engine size	350cc	398cc
Rank among all models	#567 of 5428	#4490 of 5428
Median miles at test	19,595	23,651
MOT tests analysed	365	14,200
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.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Norton 50	Kawasaki ZXR400
2006	95.0%	73.0%
2007	90.7%	72.3%
2008	91.9%	72.6%
2009	90.3%	70.1%
2011	86.8%	71.2%

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	Norton 50	Kawasaki ZXR400
0k-10k miles	85.7%	87.1%
10k-20k miles	95.1%	77.4%
20k-30k miles	90.6%	69.9%
30k-40k miles	97.7%	67.8%

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

NORTON 50 91.5% pass · 365 tests KAWASAKI ZXR400 73.1% pass · 14.2k tests

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