1981 BMW R80 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years

Current Age

90.3%

Latest Pass Rate

355

Total Tests (All Years)

25,762 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1981 BMW R80 as it ages.

28 yrs86.5%

→ ↓3.6%

29 yrs82.9%

→ ↓0.8%

30 yrs82.1%

→ ↓1.6%

31 yrs80.5%

→ ↑4.6%

32 yrs85.1%

→ ↑5.4%

33 yrs90.5%

→ ↑7.1%

34 yrs97.6%

→ ↓9.5%

35 yrs88.1%

→ ↑2.2%

36 yrs90.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
28 yrs	86.5%	37
29 yrs	82.9%	35
30 yrs	82.1%	39
31 yrs	80.5%	41
32 yrs	85.1%	47
33 yrs	90.5%	42
34 yrs	97.6%	41
35 yrs	88.1%	42
36 yrs	90.3%	31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1981 BMW R80 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (36 yrs)	90.3%	31
2016 (35 yrs)	88.1%	42
2015 (34 yrs)	97.6%	41
2014 (33 yrs)	90.5%	42
2013 (32 yrs)	85.1%	47
2012 (31 yrs)	80.5%	41
2011 (30 yrs)	82.1%	39
2010 (29 yrs)	82.9%	35
2009 (28 yrs)	86.5%	37

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

86.5%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 37Avg Mileage 34,618Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.8%

2010

82.9%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 35Avg Mileage 33,349Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 11.4%

2011

82.1%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 39Avg Mileage 32,609Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 17.9%

2012

80.5%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 41Avg Mileage 36,107Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 14.6%

2013

85.1%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 47Avg Mileage 31,522Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.6%

2014

90.5%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 42Avg Mileage 25,326Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 9.5%

2015

97.6%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 41Avg Mileage 30,347Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 2.4%

2016

88.1%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 42Avg Mileage 27,187Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 14.3%

2017

90.3%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 31Avg Mileage 25,762Top Failure Motorcycle brakes — 9.7%

MOT results for 1981 BMW R80 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	28	86.5%	37	34,618	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.8%
2010	29	82.9%	35	33,349	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 11.4%
2011	30	82.1%	39	32,609	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 17.9%
2012	31	80.5%	41	36,107	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 14.6%
2013	32	85.1%	47	31,522	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.6%
2014	33	90.5%	42	25,326	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 9.5%
2015	34	97.6%	41	30,347	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 2.4%
2016	35	88.1%	42	27,187	Motorcycle steering and suspension — 14.3%
2017	36	90.3%	31	25,762	Motorcycle brakes — 9.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 BMW R80, with age trends.

Motorcycle lighting and signalling

10.4%

↓ Decreases with age

Motorcycle steering and suspension

7.5%

↑ Increases with age

Motorcycle brakes

6.2%

↑ Increases with age

Motorcycle tyres and wheels

3.0%

— Consistent

Motorcycle fuel and exhaust

3.0%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Motorcycle brakes	2.7% (28 yrs)	9.7% (36 yrs)	+7.0%	🔴 ↑
Motorcycle lighting and signalling	10.8% (28 yrs)	6.5% (36 yrs)	-4.3%	🟢 ↓
Motorcycle steering and suspension	5.4% (28 yrs)	9.7% (36 yrs)	+4.3%	🔴 ↑
Motorcycle fuel and exhaust	2.7% (28 yrs)	3.2% (36 yrs)	+0.5%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

← Back to BMW R80 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW R80 page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW R80 cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 355 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.