Will motorcycle dealerships let you test ride new bikes?

Question

I want to buy a new motorcycle but have owned used bikes for the past couple of years, will dealers let you test drive new bikes, are the bikes on the showroom floor ready for riding, ei do they have gas in the tank and oil in the engine. When buying a new bike what more can be done than just sitting on the bike in the showroom, i need to at least hear it if not ride it

Answer 1

It's getting harder and harder to find dealerships that let you take any bike, new or used, out for test rides. Even if you carry insurance it won't cut it. In a way you can't blame them. If you dump the bike they're stuck with a "wrecked" bike. Even if you get it repaired at your cost they won't be able to sell it for what they could have. I called a shop that dealt with strictly used bikes and in 3 months time they had something like 15 bikes get dumped on test rides. Finally they decided to put the halt to it. You are going to be hard pressed to find a place that will let you do it.

What I've come across as the norm these days is that you actually have to go through the process of buying the bike in order to take it for a test ride. If you're out riding for 20 minutes and decide that this is not the right bike you can take it back and exchange it for something else. Either way you will be buying a bike that day! I'm not sure if that applies to new bikes or not. I was looking at used and that is what I was told from about 5 different dealers.

Best bet is to find somebody selling a bike locally and see if they will let you take it for a short test ride. That way you'll find out if you like it or not without being obligated to buy it. Again, that will be up to the seller. Before I bought my Bandit the guy let me test ride it but I had to sign a make-shift waiver that said I was responsible for anything that happened to it.

Bikes are ready to go home from the showroom floor. They probably won't have a full tank, but they will have all the proper fluids (oil, brake fluid, etc) in it. Most dealers will at least start the bike up for you so you can hear what it sounds and runs like.

Other option is to keep an eye out for motorcycle shows in your area. Lot of times there will be factory support that comes out and allows demo rides for their lineup of motorcycles.

Answer 2

Motorcycle Test Ride

Answer 3

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RE:
Will motorcycle dealerships let you test ride new bikes?
I want to buy a new motorcycle but have owned used bikes for the past couple of years, will dealers let you test drive new bikes, are the bikes on the showroom floor ready for riding, ei do they have gas in the tank and oil in the engine. When buying a new bike what more can be done than just...

Answer 4

Test Ride Motorcycle

Answer 5

Unless the shop has a special bike just as a demo unit then no they will not let you test ride one. The dealer I go to a lot does have a KTM Super Duke that anyone with a permit and insurance can take out for a few hours, but I think that has more to do with a KTM demo program than the policy of the shop. They also sell Yamaha and Honda, but don't have any of those models for demo.

Answer 6

In the US, I have found that the only dealer that will let you test ride is BMW Motorrad.

I narrowed my choices to
1. Honda ST1300
2. Yamaha FJR 1300
3. BMW k1200RS

I ended up buying the BMW for that reason... I cannot spend $14000 on a bike and find out after riding it that I don't like it.

Only suggestion I have is search the used bikes and test ride a few... you never know you might find a clean used one and save a few $.

Answer 7

9 out of 10....NO!
Some dealerships do have special promotions when manufacturer's are doing a US tour like, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha, etc. I do agree with another answer because I have been to 1 local Polaris Victory dealer (I'd never go back there but that's another story), and they do have a couple of models to ride.
You will need a motorcycle endorsement, proof of insurance and a helmet.

Answer 8

Yes, you can test a model or is you are specifically interested in one bike, although the ones on the floor don't have gas in them (usually) they can put some in, in a moments notice. Call the dealers around you for the bikes you are interested in, before you go there. Let them know that you'd like to purchase a new motorcycle, giving the model or size, color etc., and I'm sure that they will have one ready for you to test out, if not on the road, they might have a designated test track area or large enough parking lot.

Answer 9

Depends where you are. In the USA, it seems nearly all dealers won't let you, and don't keep demo bikes. Here in Australia, they're more generous, and the larger dealers will be OK. I even test rode a demo bike on my learners. When I was more experienced, I took out a $20,000 Aprilia demo bike (ended up buying one, so it was a win for the dealer).

Answer 10

It depends on the polices of the shop.
Shops don't run the bikes before putting them on the showroom floor.
The carbs would then have to be cleaned before selling it, because the gas would go bad and gum up the jets in the carbs.
In my experience, most will not let you test ride one.
The liability insurance would be enormous.
Most will start and run a bike for you to hear.