Norton Dominator 88 vs Kawasaki ZX-6R

The Norton Dominator 88 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZX-6R: 92.7% vs 78.1%, a 14.6-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton Dominator 88	Kawasaki ZX-6R
First-time pass rate	92.7%	78.1%
Outright fail rate	3.3%	14.0%
Engine size	500cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#344 of 5428	#3895 of 5428
Median miles at test	15,949	19,446
MOT tests analysed	300	173,956
Most common failure	brakes	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 Dominator 88	Kawasaki ZX-6R
2006	88.9%	82.8%
2007	96.8%	81.0%
2008	93.9%	78.4%
2009	87.9%	76.6%
2010	89.2%	76.3%
2011	86.7%	76.6%

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 Dominator 88	Kawasaki ZX-6R
0k-10k miles	94.3%	86.1%
10k-20k miles	90.9%	80.6%
50k-60k miles	87.5%	69.0%

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

NORTON DOMINATOR 88 92.7% pass · 300 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.