Thanks for the comments DT.
The bike passed last year and the grip was the same. I have only ridden 450 miles on the bike since the MOT last year - there are a couple of reasons for that, that I will come back to - and I can't see the drum being that misshapen in so few miles (same testing station) so I guess that it was like that last year too.
Before I took it for the MOT I dropped in a 180 MJ. The bike was very different at the top end and seemed to just run out of "go" at about 65MPH. Not holding back, just like it has reached the maximum speed for the amount of fuel it could suck. Yesterday with the old MJ in (210 by the way), it went well past 70 MPH without going anywhere near the beginning of the red line. Took the plug out after 25 miles and with the 180 MJ in, the colour is a fair bit darker but I was happy with the plug colour with the 210 MJ in it anyway. I have now decided to compromise and have put a 200 MJ in it. I haven't ridden it yet with the new jet in.
Anyway, the bike now has a MOT for the next 12 Months.
The reasons that it has been ridden so little is for two reasons:
1) the electrics have always been "dodgy", overcharging and killing the battery so I ended up with no brake lights, horn or indicators part way through a ride. Hopefully the new routed wiring and sealed battery will fix this and after the ride today, and with the engine off, the battery was showing 6.17V and all of the electrics worked fine.
2) I don't have a side entrance or garage so the bikes, apart from the SV, are kept in the rear garden. If I want to ride one I have to push the bike through the part of the house that used to be the side passage but is now the dining and utility area extension. It is a straight run front to back but I have to negotiate 2 UPVC doors. I am expecting that to change soon as we are looking for a possible new home next year so access/garage/space for a huge workshop is high on the list of must haves (well high on my list), I think my better half has large kitchen-diner/bedroom sizes/original features and other stuff on her must have list. That last bit is not quite true, we know what we like and she is more than happy for some big workshop space and garage when we move.