Norton F1 vs Suzuki SV650S

The Norton F1 passes its MOT first time more often than the Suzuki SV650S: 94.1% vs 80.6%, a 13.5-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Norton F1	Suzuki SV650S
First-time pass rate	94.1%	80.6%
Outright fail rate	3.2%	11.9%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+9.3 pts	-4.0 pts
Engine size	588cc	645cc
Rank among all models	#153 of 5428	#3459 of 5428
Median miles at test	11,307	16,958
MOT tests analysed	407	84,632
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 test year

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

Test year	Norton F1	Suzuki SV650S
2006	95.5%	85.9%
2007	95.0%	85.5%
2008	97.0%	82.8%
2009	86.1%	80.5%

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 F1	Suzuki SV650S
0k-10k miles	95.8%	88.2%
10k-20k miles	93.5%	81.6%
20k-30k miles	94.7%	76.9%

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

NORTON F1 94.1% pass · 407 tests SUZUKI SV650S 80.6% pass · 84.6k tests

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