Test riding bikes?

[jimbob]

So I've decided to go out and get myself a new bike (current ride is a 2000 CBR600F4). The problem I'm running into is that many dealers seem to not be interested in letting me test ride a bike. I'm 38, have been riding regularly for a couple of years, been to MSF school, been to racing school, etc., so I'm not exactly a newbie rider.

I'm not interested in buying a bike without test riding it first, but dealers in my area seem to be leery about allowing test rides. Anyone else experienced this bizarre behavior? What have you done about it?

[DR-Z125L]

The dealer i go to does not allow test rides.

[robertc729]

If you want a test ride and they won't allow it, find another dealer.

[DR-Z125L]

amen

[Ext1jdh]

Seconded. If they dont allow you, then just lay down the law. The thing they want the most is to make a sale, and if they have to give a test ride to do it, then they will. Otherwise another dealership will get your money.

[Kodatech]

yeah, find a new dealer!!!, i was sitting on a superhawk and getting a feel for the controls and seating position. sales manager comes up to me and says, "hey if you got your helmet and liscense with you ill get you a dealer tag and a key and you can see how you really like it" I didnt even have to ASK!

[Deno]

The local metric bike dealer has let me take test rides on new and used bikes. The salesman in the used bike department said that a lot of dealers are no longer allowing test rides, and said that their managers have talked about it, but so far, they still allow them.

[jimbob]

Its pretty silly - I don't care if they want me to sign something that says I'm liable for any and all damage, but I'd like to test ride the bike first. Some dealers let people ride cruisers but not sport bikes, with the argument that too many test riders don't come back. In reality, another dealer said that it happened twice in 20 years and that was enough for them to stop allowing it. What a pile of crap.

[karlfitt]

Go test ride a BMW, I have never been to a BMW dealer who did not allow test rides.


On the other hand, when my friend bought a cruser, he wanted to test ride a Harley because that is what they are all styled after. Harley told him "bring your money, you can ride it. If you don't like it, we'll give you your money back." Needless to say he bought another brand.

[inspiron]

Most dealerships around here have a number of bikes available for test rides. All you have to do is show up with a valid license and appropriate clothing, and sign a form saying you'll pay for damages if any should occur. Sometimes it will be a "rental" contract, where you "rent" the bike for an hour (for some small fee like $20), but they normally won't charge you if you look like a serious customer. If you look like you are just going for the joyride, they may ask for the $20.

When I stopped at the Triumph dealership a few weeks ago (I rode up on my Suzuki), I talked to the owner for a while (I wanted to look at the Sprint ST, but he didn't have any there), so he offered me a test ride on the Tiger 1050. What a great ride!

[jimbob]

Originally Posted by karlfitt

Go test ride a BMW, I have never been to a BMW dealer who did not allow test rides.

I went to a Triumph/BMW dealer and they happily let me test ride the Daytona 675. I'm really glad I was able to test ride it because just sitting on it didn't give me a good feeling for how narrow it is, and just how high your butt winds up being positioned. I found I couldn't lock my legs against the tank because it was too narrow, and that it was definitely on the torture-rack side of comfort for the street. I wouldn't have noticed that if I hadn't test-ridden it.

What I really want to test-ride is a GSX-R 750 to see if it is (a) comfortable enough for the street, (b) has enough mid-range torque for the street, (c) puts me in the right position for the track. I'm not good enough to determine that without riding it. Anyone know of a Suzuki dealer in the MA/NH region that is willing to allow test rides?

[inspiron]

If you don't have enough experience on smaller bikes, I would stay away from the GSX-R! I ride a GSX 1400, but the GSX-R scares me. I've never ridden one, simply because I'm afraid of that much power. Even though my 1400 has over 100 HP and massive torque, the GSX-R would still be like moving from the minor to the major leagues.

I've never ridden one, but I have sat on them several times at different bike shows. The GSX-R is NOT comfortable. It's not designed to be. It is a racing bike. It has lots of horsepower, and enough torque to launch you into orbit. The torque curve is pretty flat between 4000 and 14000 rpm, with peak torque at 10,500 rpm. Suzuki doesn't even offer that model with ABS ... it is designed to be light and fast. Period.

[jimbob]

Originally Posted by inspiron

If you don't have enough experience on smaller bikes, I would stay away from the GSX-R! I ride a GSX 1400, but the GSX-R scares me. I've never ridden one, simply because I'm afraid of that much power. Even though my 1400 has over 100 HP and massive torque, the GSX-R would still be like moving from the minor to the major leagues.

I've never ridden one, but I have sat on them several times at different bike shows. The GSX-R is NOT comfortable. It's not designed to be. It is a racing bike. It has lots of horsepower, and enough torque to launch you into orbit. The torque curve is pretty flat between 4000 and 14000 rpm, with peak torque at 10,500 rpm. Suzuki doesn't even offer that model with ABS ... it is designed to be light and fast. Period.

I've got a 600 supersport, and have been on a racetrack on a supersport ('07 ZX6R), so I'm not unfamiliar with them. I'm not interested in the GSX-R 1000 - that's just overkill in so many ways for me, but I am interested in the GSX-R 750. I'm under no illusion that I can ride a 600 at its full potential on the racetrack let alone a 750, but I'd like to have more midrange than a 600 can provide, hence the desire for a 750.

I also know they're not terribly comfortable in general. That said, there are plenty of degrees of comfort. The ZX6R is very comfortable on track, less so off track. The Triumph Daytona 675 is probably the most uncomfortable bike I've ridden. Just sitting on it, however, doesn't highlight that properly - it took riding it to find that out. The GSX-R 750 *seems* to be more comfortable, but that is from sitting on it only, not riding it. My whole point is that you can't judge the comfort of a bike just by sitting on it; you need to ride it. You also can't judge throttle response, turn-in, etc. Granted suspension settings and tires can dramatically affect turn-in, mid-corner stability, and so on, but you can still get a whole lot better of an idea than from just looking at it and reading it as was so graphically illustrated for me by riding the 675.