Over the past 4 years I've only test ridden one bike from a dealer (BMW) & had to sign my life away for the priviledge
I read a recent complaint in the bike media from a bloke who wanted to test ride a Suzuki & was told "We don't have test bikes because people buy our bikes on spec "
Anyway this dude goes & test rides a Triumph because he could. He was impressed & bought it because there was "nothing to compare it to "
Same thing happened to me about 12 years ago. I wanted to test ride a Suzuki Gixxer 1100 & no ride for me then either. I then went to City Yamaha. Sure, you can test ride that VMAX, go for your life son. I came back & wrote a deposit cheque & never regretted it for a second .
Can you test ride other makes now or what
The Newcastle BMW / Triumph dealer always has a fleet of demo bikes available.
The Suzuki / Aprilia / Moto Guzzi shop has a couple but not many of each brand.
I don't know about the The Harley / Honda / Yamaha dealer cause I've never been tempted.
Kawasaki shop will throw trade plates on a new bike if you are serious about testing for a buy.
Rgds BUSGO
"TAKE MY ADVICE"
I'm not using it anyway!
I test rode the (Red/black) 99 Busa back in 1999. (Mick Hone Boxhill Melb)
Fairly impressed... Got back on my ZZR1100 and it was so comfortable I gave the Busa a miss.
I was having a set of tyres fitted to the ZZR1100 in Bob Jane Melb and walked down to Action MC. Saw a demo Busa (Red/Black) there and had an hour to kill, so I test rode that one too...
Ended up back there a while later with the trade in?
Had to wait a few weeks for the wheels to be polished and the Yoshi 4 into one to be fitted. (In the mean time I crashed the ZZR1100... But that's another story)
So back to story. Yep I test rode the Busa twice and bought the bloody
I did test ride the Blackbird and the Triump Sprint also that year. The Triumph had no power and the Blackbird was too uncomfortable...
I would not buy another bike without a test ride. Unless it's Busa number 3?
Now what's the number of the BMW dealership ???
Cheers, Riding not Talking
(Fugen cold in Vic in the morings at the moment! )
I think the deal goes(with the jappo manufacturers anyway)each has a specific number to share around the dealers.
So if you happen to be at a dealers who has the bike for that week/fortnight whatever,you get a ride.
Having said all that,ive only ever owned 3 brand new bikes,most of the others have been low kay,few year old units,
so the maximum deprechiation has already happened,and if you look after it and dont stack it ,you wont loose too much
when its time to trade up.
But yeah,it is nice to own a brand newie.
Anyway getting back to the topic,dont have any trouble getting a test when you buy 2nd hand.
Its not the phantom anymore,its the urban assault legend!
Fat Busa Racing 1347
Guest
When I went shoping, I rode VFR 800, VTR 1000, Busa, GSX
1400, all new demos and then rode a GSXR 1000, and Busa
( that I now own ) both bikes used. I went out on the GSXR
and came back on the BUSA and signed up for her there...
Now that was a fun week off. I still had to fly down to
Brisbane from Townsville to do all this. You cant get that
many rides up home
Regards Richard..........ZX14 killer
I was frankly gobsmacked when after years of "we don't do test rides the bikes sell themselves" at Frasers Ducati in Sydney when I wondered in one day and got a ride on not only a 916 but also 996. Didn't buy either as I didn't have the nearly $30grand they wanted for them and after 20 minutes on both I could hardly walk let alone stand up straight.
The Bus I got a ride on and the GSXR11 before that and the FJ2 before that etc. I wouldn't ever buy a bike I couldn't test ride a model of first,
Max Madmax - GSX1300R Black and Grey Buses Rule
Good Bike, Good Woman, Good Road, Good Weather, Good God - Good Bye!
Smith and Wesson - The original point and click interface.
Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
I test rode a copper/silver from Action, whilst having my ST1100. Good ride and decided I had to have one, but lousy changeover offered $4000. so sold my bike for $16.800 privately and bought a copper bus for $15.500 with 265klm/s on the clock from an impulse buyer who just had to have one (6 months old)....even tho he didnt have a license. ermmm he paid $21.500 with akro 4.1
Test rode the new ST1300 at a Honda day promo, wasnt impressed. Not that I was considering anyway, just curious on the new model.
ZX14 will be available in a week which I will give a run, just have to find somewhere to turn the tap on. Also not serious on the ZX but hey why not give it a burn to see what the fuss is all about. Might even dissapoint me.
Yeah good idea Volvi to add some figures.
All these figures are not including running costs and extras added.
85 Yamaha FZ750,paid $4000,traded in value $4000,owned 2 years,did bout 30,000km on it.
VFR 750 92 mod,32,000km when bought,paid $10,500,owned 7 years,sold with 150,000km for $6000.
2000 busa, 35,000km,paid $12500,owned 2 years, sold with 75,000km for $11,500
VFR 750 95 mod, 33,000km paid $7,000,owned 2 years,sold with 56,000km for $7,500
The tankslapper 80,000km, paid $1500,owned 9 months,current milage 103,000km and still going strong.
05 kawasaki Z750, 7,500km,paid $8,200,owned 3 weeks,current milage 9000km,still current also.
So as you can see i do ride and it hasnt cost me a bundle over the years
Its not the phantom anymore,its the urban assault legend!
That should read 05 Kawasaki paid $8200 PLUS a seat hump Rocket
FF1
Well FF1,i managed to get the hump fixed with a little araldite,
well more than a little ,so alls good,just need to get the scratches out of it now.
Its not the phantom anymore,its the urban assault legend!
Some dealers in Shepparton get test fleets, local honda is having a test day Sat with a range of bikes available, i tried the VFR, CBR & Blackbird last time and nearly caused an incident with a cruiser when i leaned it into a slow corner and bottomed out most of the undercarrage
Kawa dealer has a shop bike available!
Suzuki's test fleet several yrs ago sold me on the Busa,
Can't understand why Suzuki tests are no longer available .
The Suzuki test fleet came to Newcastle a few months ago and they sold about 3 bandits, 2 x M109s and 2 busas.
Since then the shop has not had a new busa on show.
Rgds BUSGO
"TAKE MY ADVICE"
I'm not using it anyway!
Just spend a couple of months working for Team Moto TYKawasaki in Parramatta (Granville actually). I found they were one of the easiest places to go for a test ride. They used to encourage us as salesmen to get the customer on the bike as quick as possible. The idea was to try and sell u the bike just after you had ridden it. Part of the test ride lap was up the freeway, so as long as you didnt get stuck with a wanker salesmen you could open it up and have a go.
If you want to test the zx14, take your bussa down and say you want to compare, give them a hint that you might trade up to one and they will throw the keys at you.
Tycho
Red and Black
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