Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer vs Triumph Sprint

The Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer passes its MOT first time more often than the Triumph Sprint: 89.5% vs 85.6%, a 3.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer	Triumph Sprint
First-time pass rate	89.5%	85.6%
Outright fail rate	6.2%	8.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-0.4 pts	+1.8 pts
Engine size	961cc	955cc
Rank among all models	#1113 of 5428	#2333 of 5428
Median miles at test	2,122	20,615
MOT tests analysed	210	132,827
Most common failure	brakes	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.

NORTON COMMANDO 961 CAFE RACER 89.5% pass · 210 tests TRIUMPH SPRINT 85.6% pass · 133k tests

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