Dealerships take advantage of us because we let th

umairhashmi

Registered
Anyone ever thought in detail but the no test drives policy of most motorcycle dealerships.Ever see the amount of posts on this board by veteran riders who say should i get a cbr600rr or gsxr600 or an R6? How come they cant let people with a valid motorcycle license get test rides if you sign a disclaimer that says they are not responsible if you hurt yourself on their bike? I dont get it.Im sure they have insurance on those bikes.You can sit on their bikes and accidentally drop them while they are on their floor and im sure their insurance would cover it.Think about it? Any joe can walk into a mercedes benz or bmw dealership and test drive a 100k car.So why not a 9k bike if you have a valid license and are willing to sign a disclaimer? Im happy with my bike for the most part but it would have been nice to ride most of the ones i liked and then made the choice.I feel the only reason they pull this off is because people dont say anything about it.If one dealership starts offering test drives im sure others would have to as well.But since the customers arent claiming too much they dont care.
 
Been thinkin' the same thing for years .
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as for suzuki.....you'll never see the sport bikes out there for test rides at sponsored events either.

talked with a suzuki rep a couple of years ago at daytona.....he said the theft factor and crash cost ratio is too high.

it doesn't take much damage to total a bike....and besides...there are too many stupid people out there...


but there should be a qualification program that dealers would recognize.



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Well for one disclaimers NEVER EVER hold up in court. As the lawyers say you never "know" how dangerous
something is from a piece of paper.
Two the amont of damage you can do to a bike (or 3) or person while sitting in a showroom stationary is negligible
compared to what you can do with a moving pickle.
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Thus the insurance is quote as much much less, with a cavat that ANY riding is A. Not covered B. voids the policy.
Hence most dealerships have a mileage allowance they give you when you purchase (& insure) a bike. Bring it back in 24 hrs or 30 miles No questions asked as long as the bike is "as new".
That is the Manufacturers recommended policy. Of course really good customers get test rides.
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Raider out.



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well this is what i think. People are anal when they are shopping for a bike. Let me explain. You have a expensive bmw that you can test drive. You rack up lets say 50 miles. 50 miles are nothing when it comes to car shopping cause they can still easily sell the car. The dealer can tell you something like well that was put on from delivering the car to that specific dealer. And that could be true. as car dealers do car swaps all the time. Ok now when it comes to a bike.. Let say you are able to test ride a bike. It would be a lot harder to sell that paticular bike. Noone wants to see any miles and a new bike that they are shopping for. Unless they know its used. I know for a fact when i look at bikes one of the 1st things i check for is mileage. Its not easy to move a bike with some miles on it as compared to a car. Chances are if someone test rides a bike and add miles on it and decide its not the bike for them the next person who does decide that they want that bike would rather get the same one but with No miles on it. I know i would. Insurance wouldnt be the problem. as to fix a fender and some blinkers 500-1000 most compared to a 9k-13k of profit that just stiing on the showroom floor not being sold.
 
oh yea and i forgot to mention. You know how many people there would be out there who who love to just test ride a bike beat the hell out of it and not have any real interest of buying it? and lest not forget about the stupid break in procedures of the motors.
 
The problem is the risk of theft or that the bike could be totaled in a matter of seconds. Test drive a car and the salesman normally goes with you....your not going to demo a bike two up
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Even if you have a license and full coverage....if your use to a GS500 and you want to demo a GSXR1000, the 1K is a whole different animal
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well they will let you test drive a used one at some shops around hear if they feel like you are serious about buying it.

but they won't let you test drive a new one
 
when i bought my first bike it was used they let me ride it but the salesman went with me he told me keep it under 75 needless to say after 120 mph we slowed down so they will let you test ride but usually only used
 
yeah that test ride policy sucks cause if you have liability insurance of any kind it actually covers anything you drive    I know this for fact! but I'm sure it would be if you had a valid mc license



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Fast by Ferracci in Willow Grove, PA, has new demos (Ducs, MVs, Yamahas) available for test rides. In fact, before I traded in my old Duc on the Busa, I test drove a 999 several times, as well as an MV Agusta.
 
Buell has a "test fleet" that travels around by enclosed trailer. When they're in town, you sign up and go for a nice long ride.

ALL brands should have such an ingenious sales tool!
 
Not many dealers around here will let potential buyers - especially younger ones interested in sportbikes - take them for test rides. And I can kind of understand that. Years ago - like 1972 - the local Yamaha dealer let any Tom, #### or Harry test ride new bikes. I took an RM350 (a two-stroke 350 twin - I think that's the model number) for a ride and not being used to the two-stroke power band, it got away from me in a turn and low-sided on grass. It still scuffed it up and the handlebar bent and dented the tank. They told me they'd take care of it as the cost of doing business. A little of that goes a long way on the books, however.

Then there's the Honda dealer where I did business and had bought perhaps a half-dozen bikes. I had my 1980 CB900F in for service and it wasn't done when it was promised, so they gave me a CBX for the night! (No, I didn't lay that one down.)

But if I was a dealer, I don't know how eager I'd be to turn young guys loose on sportbikes. That could get real costly real quick. But if someone was 99% sure he wanted a certain bike and needed a test ride to seal the deal, I think we'd sign papers and have the funds before allowing him to go for a ride. If it came back with not many miles on it and no damage but he just didn't like it, I'd tear up the paperwork and return the funds to him. Otherwise, he would be the proud owner.

Ed


Ed
 
Depends on your familiarity and relationship with the dealership. i can name three dealers I can walk into today and ride anything in the store if I'm interested in buying it. Harley, Suzuki and Kawasaki. Been riding for many years and know a lot of people and more imortantly they know me and how I conduct myself and my business. I did not ride my Busa before I bought it for a few different reasons. a) It was being assembled while I was doing the paperwork b) I had ridden several others and knew what to expect c) I didn't have my helmet or jacket with me. i had the bike trailered to the house and test drove it for about 100 miles that night
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Being a Honda dealer, owner, I know for a fact that our insurance will not cover sport bikes. No matter how young or old the rider is. Licensed or not. As far as AHM you can not demo any of there sport bikes.
 
Probably the same reason I don't let anyone ride my bikes if they are interested in buying them.
#1 Insurance if he crashes and sue's me because of something I didn't tell him.
# 2 Thief.
If you want to  ride, put your money down and away you go. If it comes back broken - WELL it was your bike anyway. If you crash, hope you had insurance
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If it comes back OK and you don't want it, well that's OK also. You get your money back
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Probably the same reason I don't let anyone ride my bikes if they are interested in buying them.
#1 Insurance if he crashes and sue's me because of something I didn't tell him.
# 2 Thief.
If you want to  ride, put your money down and away you go. If it comes back broken - WELL it was your bike anyway. If you crash, hope you had insurance
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If it comes back OK and you don't want it, well that's OK also. You get your money back  
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+1
when I sold my zx-11 I would not let the guy test ride until I had the cash in hand.
 
If its used bikes at the dealer you might can get a test rides, but brand new? nah!!! don't think its possible...if you are the next person in the show room floor...will you buy a sport bike has a 20~30 unknown miles in it? I wouldn't...to me the most important thing is the brake in period...all those painful time I pay?  is for the perfect sounded bike...I bet, alot of people will buy a used cars but not the used bike especially the sports bike...least that's what I think...
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