Suzuki Gsxr 1000 L3 vs Yamaha YZF-R1

The Suzuki Gsxr 1000 L3 passes its MOT first time more often than the Yamaha YZF-R1: 89.6% vs 84.1%, a 5.5-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Suzuki Gsxr 1000 L3	Yamaha YZF-R1
First-time pass rate	89.6%	84.1%
Outright fail rate	5.4%	7.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+3.3 pts	-0.5 pts
Engine size	999cc	998cc
Rank among all models	#1077 of 5428	#2721 of 5428
Median miles at test	11,597	16,705
MOT tests analysed	482	231,553
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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	Suzuki Gsxr 1000 L3	Yamaha YZF-R1
2018	93.3%	85.1%
2019	87.0%	85.6%
2020	89.7%	86.7%
2021	88.0%	85.8%
2022	87.0%	86.4%
2023	93.0%	87.2%
2024	95.0%	88.2%
2025	88.1%	87.9%

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	Suzuki Gsxr 1000 L3	Yamaha YZF-R1
0k-10k miles	89.2%	87.8%
10k-20k miles	90.1%	84.7%
20k-30k miles	90.4%	82.4%

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

SUZUKI GSXR 1000 L3 89.6% pass · 482 tests YAMAHA YZF-R1 84.1% pass · 232k tests

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