Kawasaki ER6 MOT pass rate and common failures

Kawasaki ER6 motorcycles pass the MOT 78.83% of the time, measured across 1,129 tests in the DVSA record. A further 7.53% passed only after a defect was put right at the test station.

Worse than average: 8 points below the 86.87% figure for all motorcycles tested.
Pass rate 78.83% 890 of 1,129
Fixed at the station 7.53% passed after an on-the-spot repair
Average mileage at test 23,663 miles
Average age at test 16.17 years old
Engine 648cc MOT class 2
For sale now 0 Kawasaki ER6 adverts

What to check before the MOT

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

  • Start with not working - it accounts for 28.6% of failed tests on this model.
  • Then check missing and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, the next two most common reasons.
  • Age matters here: 84.21% of 6-10 year old examples pass, against 77.32% at 16+ years - a gap of 6.9 points.
  • The most common advisory is noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition (10.4% of all tests) - not a failure, but money you will spend sooner or later.
  • Average recorded mileage at test is 23,663 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
6-10 years 84.21% 38
11-15 years 80.6% 433
16+ years 77.32% 657

Why the Kawasaki ER6 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 Not working 28.6% 44
2 Missing 18.2% 28
3 Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm 15.6% 24
4 Has a serious fluid leak 14.3% 22
5 Inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 13% 20
6 Does not illuminate simultaneously with the position lamp(s) 10.4% 16
7 Excessively binding 9.7% 15
8 Excessively loose 9.1% 14
9 Too low 9.1% 14
10 Does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls 8.4% 13

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 Noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition 10.4% 117
2 Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm 6.9% 78
3 Excessively loose 5.1% 58
4 Less than 1.0 mm thick 4% 45
5 Has a serious fluid leak 3.9% 44
6 Has an excessively worn bush 3.9% 44
7 Worn to excess 3.6% 41
8 Indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort 2.7% 30
9 Excessively binding 2.3% 26
10 Significantly and obviously worn 1.9% 22

Kawasaki ER6 for sale

No Kawasaki ER6 in stock at the moment - 1,109 other Kawasaki bikes are advertised.

Similar bikes compared

Models of comparable capacity, so the comparison means something.

Model Tests Pass rate   Avg mileage
Honda CB 397-750cc · 397-750cc 5,400 89.76% 19,444
Honda NC · 741cc 5,311 89.53% 22,765
Suzuki GSF600 · 600cc 4,890 80% 29,308
Honda CBR600F · 599cc 4,710 85.56% 30,651
Kawasaki ZX-6R · 599-636cc 4,510 81.62% 26,019
Suzuki SV650 · 646cc 3,834 80.99% 27,644

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

Kawasaki ER6 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for the Kawasaki ER6?+
78.83% of Kawasaki ER6 MOT tests end in a pass, based on 1,129 tests in the DVSA dataset.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Kawasaki ER6?+
Not working, which appears in 28.6% of failed tests on this model.
Does the Kawasaki ER6 get harder to pass as it ages?+
At 16+ years old the pass rate is 77.32%, against 84.21% for examples 6-10 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.
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