Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
BMW
2,756 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where R 1250 GS Adventure TEs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 17.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
95.2%
Pass-after-fix
1.6%
Fail
2.8%
Avg miles
10,958
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,756 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old R 1250 GS Adventure TE examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
94.8%
Fail
3.3%
PRS
1.9%
Avg mileage at test
11,787 mi
Pass
95.3%
Fail
2.8%
PRS
1.6%
Avg mileage at test
10,889 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,756 MOT tests, the R 1250 Gs Adventure Te returns 95.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is uneven braking force. Tyre tread under the limit and handlebar grip insecure to handlebar round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 10,958, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution
12 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
9 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Handlebar grip insecure to handlebar
4 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Audible warning sound not in accordance with requirements
3 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
A tyre cords exposed or damaged
3 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
3 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens seriously defective or missing
2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
A stop lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Restriction in the movement of the handlebars from lock to lock
2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£120–£190
If every one of this R 1250 GS Adventure TE's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy BMW R 1250 GS Adventure TE makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
95.3%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 95.3% — a 0.5-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort, tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
94.8%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 94.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: reflector slightly defective, unable to be tested, and reflector seriously defective. Average mileage on test for this band is 11,787 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (95.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (94.8% pass). That's a 0.5-point spread across 211 older tests and 2,545 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a R 1250 GS Adventure TE and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.