Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 2,042 tests

Pass rate climbs 10.1 points across the cohorts — newer Yzf R125 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 908

Pass

66.1%

Fail

24.8%

PRS

8.2%

Avg mileage at test

23,665 mi

2018–2020 cohort 949

Pass

77.0%

Fail

14.1%

PRS

8.1%

Avg mileage at test

12,724 mi

2021+ cohort 185

Pass

76.2%

Fail

14.1%

PRS

9.2%

Avg mileage at test

9,888 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Yzf R125: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 1,341 MOT tests, the Yzf R125 returns 73.5% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is transmission belt, chain. Footrest missing or insecure and a non-functioning shock absorber round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 16,702, 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.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

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Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely

60 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
02

Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

58 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
03

A footrest missing or insecure

55 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
04

Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

50 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
05

Steering head bearings have excessive wear or play

40 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
06

A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn

39 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
07

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

39 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
08

Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake

38 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
09

A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

29 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
10

Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute

27 occurrences · 1.3% 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

£170–£350

If every one of this Yzf R125'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 10.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Yamaha Yzf R125 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

77.0%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 77.0% — a 10.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 12,724 miles — roughly 11K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has excessive wear or free play, less than 1.0 mm thick — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

66.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 66.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 77.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, missing, and missing. Average mileage on test for this band is 23,665 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (77.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (66.1% pass). That's a 10.9-point spread across 908 older tests and 949 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Buying or keeping a Yzf R125?

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 Yzf R125 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.