Refused a test ride!!?!

[Dunno]

Ive never had a problem test riding bikes. Usually if they have a few in stock, they will have a designated demo bike.
I see a lot of demo bikes with a few mods & after market pipes etc. Its a good way for the dealer to make some extra cash. When you ride a demo bike & go back to the shop & say I want that bike with those pipes he has just made an extra $1000. Easy.

My brother always buys the demo bikes when they are done with em. He picked up a Z1000 with a full Akrapovic system & rear hugger, 1000 km on the clock & got it for $1500 less than a brand newy off the floor.
He also picked up an SV1000 with a Yoshi system in a similar deal.

My theory is simple. How do I know if I like the bike if im not allowed to ride it ?

 

[Tailgate]

Test riding a bike is like asking to test ride a woman. You can look, but don't try it unless you're going to commit. No seriously, I can understand why dealers don't like newbies from test riding new merchandise. I wouldn't want that a bunch of lookers test rode my new FZ6 before I bought it. Hank, I didn't even know if I wanted MYSELF to be the first one to saddle break my '07 FZ6. I know a dealer who has a sign not to sit on a selected model (but it's okay to look).

 

[paul1149]

Sadly, no testing is typical. But it doesn't have to be. At the local BMW/Ducati store they WANT you to test ride. They check your license and insurance card, then they swipe your credit card. You wreck it, you bought it. Seems fair to me.

What doesn't seem fair to me is to lay out a large amount of cash for something you haven't put a couple of miles on. Something majorly wrong with that. Seems to me that the first metric dealer to break tradition on this starts winning hearts and minds big time.

p.

 

[teeter]

About a year before i accidentally discovered the FZ6 (that's another story) I was in the market for a small dual sport. I had my heart set on a Yamaha XT225, but at 5' 4" I wanted to be sure that I could put at least my toes on the ground and sit comfortably.

Obviously I expected to test ride one before buying. No dice. The worst part is that the dealer had two in crates (none assembled) and said that they wouldn't build one until it was purchased. WTF? Obviously I went down the road to another dealer who at least had one I could sit on. And that's who I bought it from.

I bought my '06 FZ6 new in 2007. That dealer allowed a full and proper test ride without even blinking.

All three dealerships are in Virginia for what it's worth.

 

[mglowe]

For those that like a visual reason why NO test ride allowed...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw4mDqh8nBI"]YouTube - bike crash[/ame]

 

[Dunno]

That vid is a classic.
He should hang his head in shame & hang up his leathers for life.
People like that are out to prove Darwins theory is correct.
If not to protect himself at least to make the roads safer for those of us who ensure that our brain is in gear before we dump the clutch.

 

[Tailgate]

One dealer offered to let me start up a FZ6 (I declined, decided w/o even riding that it was the FZ6 that I wanted). This is probably a good compromise that, I think, all dealers could offer to serious inquirers. I can understand that there's some apprehension on the part of dealers to let one of their bikes leave the lot for a possible thrill ride. What do they get as collateral in case the rider absconds with bike? Okay, maybe dealer can make a copy of d/l, pre-auth a credit card, etc., but this doesn't preclude all problems. Now, with a cage, salesperson is going to accompany the "possible" customer and even then, there's still an element of risk. During a test ride an accompanying salesman was shot and dumped on the side of a freeway a few years ago.If it's a brand new vehicle, the set-up person will likely have already test driven it. If I ever sell my bike to a private party I'll have face a similar decision. I loved that video---it's priceless!

 

[Dr.Volts]

At my request, my dealer let me test a used 06 FZ6. I showed them my lifetime AMA membership card and all the worry went away. They said "I guess that shows you are qualified." They photocopied my driver's license, and I signed some paperwork. They then encouraged me to wring out the bike because it hadn't been run for a while. They also photocopied my AMA card.

I didn't ask to test a new one. As for myself, I wouldn't want to buy a bike that someone "fully tested" during the break-in period, especially if I am the one that tested it. If they let people test them, the pipes would be brown and people would be riding new slick tires making them even more likely to crash. I bought a new FZ6 shortly after the test ride.

Back in about 1977 one of my friends worked at a Yamaha dealer. They had just gotten their first new 3 cylinder XS750. Yamaha hadn't offered a 750 for a few years so it was a big deal. The bike was a demonstrator. My friend (who was an expert motocross rider) crashed the XS in a turn when the exhaust drug the ground. I was right behind him (on a TX500) and got to watch the flying sparks and parts. He only suffered road rash. I had to listen to the phone call he made to his boss explaining that he crashed the new 750. That probably hurt worse than the road rash. We figured that we were the first to crash an XS750 in America.

 

[keira]

I have heard this on many occasions. I'm not surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised

 

[afpreppie04]

When I went to buy my FZ6 they offered to let me ride it, but my bike was used. They had all the new bikes inside on the show floor, fairly sure they don't give rides on them.

When I saw this thread the first thing I thought of was this video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vYwFMxx8F4"]YouTube - Funny Test ride[/ame]

 

[08fz6]

my dad was a yamaha dealer for 10 years had two locations. It is a liability thing. He would allow cruisers but not sport bikes. Basically with his insurance policy if he let anyone including us use the dealer plate to ride a sport bike they would cancel his policy. I know he was paying crazy money as it was. So yes it is an insurance thing! And its not just Yamaha Dealers. Ever try to go to a high end sports car dealer and try to get a test drive basically they will run your credit card for about 1/4 of list price before they would let you. but yes that is another thing no one wants to pay retail for a bike with a couple miles on it......

 

[koolfz6]

I found this a strange policy at my local Yamaha dealer when i went to look at an 07 Leftover. I said to the salesman i would like to test ride their last 07 leftover before i buy...he said "we dont let customers test ride any of our bikes". I was like...HUH! I explained to him it would be silly of me not to be able to test ride something so expensive and something that I will use as my daily driver. He said it was the policy that no customers are permitted to test ride any bikes, even cruisers. Anyone run into this also?

My yamaha dealer let me test drive the FZ6 and a cruiser, As long as i had my endorsement. Odd that other dealers won't let you. It's like buying a car, if it doesn't feel right, i am not buying it.

 

[krid80]

My yamaha dealer let me test drive the FZ6 and a cruiser, As long as i had my endorsement. Odd that other dealers won't let you. It's like buying a car, if it doesn't feel right, i am not buying it.

Surdyke in Festus, MO will allow test rides as long as you show you are proficient. Sport bikes they are hesitant on though.