Triumph 21 vs Kawasaki ZXR400

The Triumph 21 passes its MOT first time more often than the Kawasaki ZXR400: 93.8% vs 73.1%, a 20.7-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Triumph 21	Kawasaki ZXR400
First-time pass rate	93.8%	73.1%
Outright fail rate	2.2%	18.9%
Engine size	350cc	398cc
Rank among all models	#198 of 5428	#4490 of 5428
Median miles at test	19,231	23,651
MOT tests analysed	451	14,200
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.

Pass rate by test year

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

Test year	Triumph 21	Kawasaki ZXR400
2007	91.4%	72.3%
2008	92.9%	72.6%
2009	94.9%	70.1%
2010	97.9%	68.5%
2011	93.8%	71.2%
2012	95.6%	69.5%
2013	93.3%	68.6%
2014	83.3%	70.6%

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	Triumph 21	Kawasaki ZXR400
0k-10k miles	90.6%	87.1%
10k-20k miles	93.7%	77.4%
20k-30k miles	94.6%	69.9%
30k-40k miles	92.2%	67.8%
40k-50k miles	96.9%	64.7%
50k-60k miles	97.2%	64.9%

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

TRIUMPH 21 93.8% pass · 451 tests KAWASAKI ZXR400 73.1% pass · 14.2k tests

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