[Sarkastik]

What's the deal with private dealers and test riding? Do/or would most private dealers allow for someone to test ride their bike, if they were interested in buying it? Even if that person didn't have a motorcycle license yet, and is looking to get their first bike?

What about public dealerships?

 

[CG]

What's the deal with private dealers and test riding? Do/or would most private dealers allow for someone to test ride their bike, if they were interested in buying it? Even if that person didn't have a motorcycle license yet, and is looking to get their first bike?

What about public dealerships?

good luck trying to test ride a motorcycle without a license hahahahaha :laughing

I've heard most dealers wont let anyone test ride if they are under 25....

Just imagine this, some 18 year old squid walks in, (no license, or just got his license, you choose), wants to test ride a gixxer 1000 for a first bike.... see what i'm gettin at? I have heard of many stories of people buying fast bikes and crashing them as they pull out of the dealership

i'm not sure what ya mean about private dealers, I guess you mean private sellers (aka. Buysell, etc)??

they best way to test a bike out is to find friends/people who have bikes....

 

[atomlowe]

Ive never seen a dealer had over keys to a new bike. As far as without a license, not a chance, their insurance wouldn't allow it. The best chance you have to ride anything is if you ride to the dealership on your own. I have test ridden 2 bike last year for fun, but I left mine their.


atom

 

[adamantium]

Well, I think it all depends on how you carry yourself. I've test rode bikes since I had my license (I really don't think your getting to ride anything without it). Funny thing is, I called ahead once to make sure that the Yamaha dealership had an R6 for me to try out, and the guy immiedetely interogated me as to my age, did I just want to wheelies, etc.. bizzare.

RMS has always let me take stuff out.. as long as they have a demo of it.. same with Carter..

 

[bl1tz]

dealerships have never let me test ride their bikes

 

[Bluestone]

dealerships have never let me test ride their bikes

DO you wonder why?? I wouldn't even ask, being a 20 year old male with less than 1 year of riding experience. Even after buying two bikes from Trevor at BK, i don't think he'd let me test ride anything!!! I would totally expect the under 25 type of rule from all dealerships.

 

[Sarkastik]

I see, ya I was expecting to get answers like that. I was just curious though.

I'm looking to buy my first bike in late May, after my course down at Action. And when I go looking for a bike, I don't want to buy a bike that has been through too much abuse. A bike could look good from the outside, but be messed up on the inside or with the mechanical parts. Maybe I'm getting too much ahead of myself, but I want to make sure I don't buy a piece of crap.

And as of friends with bikes, none. Nobody I know has a bike or atleast not anybody that I know well. I guess I'm kind of starting it up with my crew. All my friends talk about having a bike and that it would be cool and that they would impress the ladies, but it's more than that for me. I've been interesting in motorcycles for a long time now and I am ready to finally get one.

Maybe if I get to know some of you a bit better, you could come and help me choose my first bike.

 

[Bluestone]

Don't worry, as soon as you've got your license, I would let you ride my Honey. Slowly, mind you, and in a parking lot at first, but I would let you check it out if you were looking at a ZX6R.
Don't worry, if you've got your license (especially from Action, as most of us went there) you'll probably get the same response from many of us on this board. I'm in the same boat as you, I was one of the first in my group to get a bike, and now there's 3 of us.

 

[Sarkastik]

Cool man. I might have to take you up on that.

 

[Bluestone]

What size/model of bike are you looking at buying?

 

[Sarkastik]

I'm not even sure yet. I want to go out and sit on every kind of bike and see what is the most comfortable. And then figure out what would be the best for me. I'm 6 feet 7 inches tall. I don't think I want anything less than a 600 however.

 

[Bluestone]

6'7?!?!?! Wow. Talk to Jim. I think he's another tall guy. (6'5 or something like that, if I remember correctly). Then i would agree that you should only get 600 or above, 'cause you aren't gonna fit on a 250. My buddy is 6'7 too, and he sat on my 250 once, and it was way too awkward for him. You'll ride 250's at Action though, so you'll see what i mean. Did you play ball in highschool? (I'm gonna assume you did) What year did you grad?

 

[Sarkastik]

I graduated in 2000. Ya, I played ball. Basketball was my life but due to an injury I couldn't play my grade 12 season. And since then I just haven't really played again, but I am looking to get back into it soon.

 

[Sarkastik]

Bluestone ---> Where'd you go to high school? When did you grad?

 

[Kit]

The only way i have tested bikes is by boring friends

 

[vrecksler]

I guess since I am older I have never had a problem. And mainly I go to the same dealer that I have purchased 2 bikes from, they know you are not a test rider or window shopper.

But I think attitude does factor in as well. If you walk in with your helmet and gloves, and know exactly what bike you want I think you would be allowed to ride. If you walk in looking at everything, sitting on a few totally different bikes, they are not going to accept you as a serious buyer.

One way to ensure a ride is borrow a buddy's bike and ride it in. Or get doubled in and pretend it is yours--I have done this with a friend of mine and it worked well. He pretended he was thinking of trading in my bike for something newer and they let him test ride 3 bikes that afternoon!

 

[Bluestone]

Bluestone ---> Where'd you go to high school? When did you grad?

I graduated from Sentinel Secondary in '99, and I played ball so I thought i might have played you. We had a sweet team.... and there aren't that many 6'7 guys around. What school?

 

[Kit]

I graduated from Sentinel Secondary in '99, and I played ball so I thought i might have played you. We had a sweet team.... and there aren't that many 6'7 guys around. What school?

damn im old i graduated university in 1999!!!!

 

[Hu99]

I've never had a problem test riding a bike if the dealer has a used model in stock, but nobody will let you ride a brand new zero km model, unless they are planning on making it the demo. Let's see here: 6'5" should fold up nicely into a Kwak ZX-12R!

 

[Sarkastik]

Bluestone ---> Sentinel eh. Ya, I think we might've played you sometime or another. I went to R.C. Palmer Secondary in Richmond. But I didn't play for my grade 12 year.