Norton 850 Commando vs Kawasaki ZX-6R

The Norton 850 Commando passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZX-6R: 89.2% vs 78.1%, a 11.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton 850 Commando	Kawasaki ZX-6R
First-time pass rate	89.2%	78.1%
Outright fail rate	5.2%	14.0%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+5.6 pts	-5.8 pts
Engine size	828cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#1212 of 5428	#3895 of 5428
Median miles at test	23,520	19,446
MOT tests analysed	269	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 mileage

first-time MOT pass rate by miles on the clock at test

Mileage	Norton 850 Commando	Kawasaki ZX-6R
0k-10k miles	89.2%	86.1%
10k-20k miles	86.4%	80.6%
20k-30k miles	92.9%	75.4%
30k-40k miles	94.3%	71.8%
40k-50k miles	76.5%	69.5%

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

NORTON 850 COMMANDO 89.2% pass · 269 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.