BMW F 800 MOT pass rate and common failures

BMW F 800 motorcycles pass the MOT 93.18% of the time, measured across 2,390 tests in the DVSA record. A further 3.05% passed only after a defect was put right at the test station.

Better than average: 6.3 points above the 86.87% figure for all motorcycles tested.

Pass rate 93.18% 2,227 of 2,390

Fixed at the station 3.05% passed after an on-the-spot repair

Average mileage at test 18,854 miles

Average age at test 9.03 years old

Engine 798cc MOT class 1 and 2

For sale now 0 BMW F 800 adverts

What to check before the MOT

Built from this model's own failure record, not general advice.

Start with has a serious fluid leak - it accounts for 27.8% of failed tests on this model.
Then check too low and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, the next two most common reasons.
The most common advisory is tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm (5.5% of all tests) - not a failure, but money you will spend sooner or later.
Average recorded mileage at test is 18,854 miles, which is the number to compare any advert against.

Pass rate by age

A single pass rate hides the most useful thing in this data: how the same model behaves at three years old and at fifteen.

Age at test	Pass rate	Tests
3-5 years	93.33%	180
6-10 years	93.63%	1,821
11-15 years	90.3%	361

Why the BMW F 800 fails

Share of failed tests on this model where the item was recorded. One test can fail on several items, so the column does not add up to 100%.

#	Item	Of failures	Tests
1	Has a serious fluid leak	27.8%	25
2	Too low	21.1%	19
3	Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm	18.9%	17
4	Not working	17.8%	16
5	Less than 1.0 mm thick	14.4%	13
6	Too high	14.4%	13
7	Excessively stiff or notchy	11.1%	10
8	Indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort	8.9%	8
9	Not working on dipped beam	7.8%	7
10	Projected beam image obviously incorrect	7.8%	7

Most common advisories

Not a failure and not a legal requirement to fix - but an advisory that repeats year after year is money the next owner spends.

#	Item	Of all tests	Tests
1	Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm	5.5%	132
2	Less than 1.0 mm thick	3.2%	76
3	Indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort	3.1%	75
4	Excessively stiff or notchy	2.5%	60
5	Has a serious fluid leak	1.5%	37
6	Noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition	1.5%	35
7	Excessively binding	1%	24
8	Tread not clearly visible	1%	23
9	Excessively loose	0.9%	22
10	Excessively distorted	0.8%	18

BMW F 800 for sale

No BMW F 800 in stock at the moment - 86 other BMW bikes are advertised.

Used BMW F 800 Used BMW All BMW BMW MOT statistics

Similar bikes compared

Models of comparable capacity, so the comparison means something.

Model	Tests	Pass rate	Avg mileage
Triumph TIGER · 969cc	16,144	91.27%	22,934
Triumph BONNEVILLE 642-904cc · 642-904cc	12,456	90.8%	12,824
BMW S 1000 · 999cc	8,445	91.96%	15,282
Yamaha YZF R1 · 998cc	6,022	88.01%	23,152
Yamaha MT 800-1000cc · 800-1000cc	5,720	90.98%	16,130
Honda NC · 741cc	5,311	89.53%	22,765

Source: DVSA MOT testing data, 2025 · updated Aug 2026 · licence and method

BMW F 800 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for the BMW F 800?+

93.18% of BMW F 800 MOT tests end in a pass, based on 2,390 tests in the DVSA dataset.

What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW F 800?+

Has a serious fluid leak, which appears in 27.8% of failed tests on this model.

Does the BMW F 800 get harder to pass as it ages?+

At 11-15 years old the pass rate is 90.3%, against 93.33% for examples 3-5 years old.

Where does this data come from?+

From the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, which records every MOT carried out in England, Scotland and Wales. It is published under the Open Government Licence and covers 2025.

Does a high pass rate mean the bike is reliable?+

Not by itself. The MOT checks safety items - brakes, tyres, lights, structure - and says nothing about engines, gearboxes or electrics. Read it as a maintenance signal, not a reliability score.