Norton Dominator 88 vs Yamaha FZS600

The Norton Dominator 88 passes its MOT first time more often than the Yamaha FZS600: 92.7% vs 82.6%, a 10.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton Dominator 88	Yamaha FZS600
First-time pass rate	92.7%	82.6%
Outright fail rate	3.3%	10.6%
Engine size	500cc	599cc
Rank among all models	#344 of 5428	#3052 of 5428
Median miles at test	15,949	21,612
MOT tests analysed	300	136,558
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.

Pass rate by test year

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

Test year	Norton Dominator 88	Yamaha FZS600
2006	88.9%	86.0%
2007	96.8%	84.1%
2008	93.9%	83.4%
2009	87.9%	81.2%
2010	89.2%	82.0%
2011	86.7%	81.1%

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	Norton Dominator 88	Yamaha FZS600
0k-10k miles	94.3%	89.6%
10k-20k miles	90.9%	85.5%
50k-60k miles	87.5%	74.7%

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

NORTON DOMINATOR 88 92.7% pass · 300 tests YAMAHA FZS600 82.6% pass · 137k tests

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