A time ago i was interested buying in a Buell so i went to the local HD/ Buell dealership and asked for a testride with a XB9 City. The dealership told me i could drive one but they're would me 100€ (125$) for it if i didn't buy it. Is this normal, at a Ducati dealership you don't have to pay for a testride.

Not normal in the states, I would not buy from someone who charged for a test ride and I would tell them the same.

The fact that many Harley dealers do not offer test rides, speaks volumes. In essence they're saying, it doesn't matter how it rides, it's how it looks that's important. After all, its a Harley, and you do want to be in that very special club, don't you?.

Unfortunately, this approach seems to work, as there are countless Harley owners out there who never rode a bike like the one they bought until theirs was delivered. Perhaps that's why so many of these end up as 'garage art' and are sold off with extremely low mileage after a year or two.

Was it a weekend long test ride, like a rental? That I could see. For a normal 15 - 30 minute test ride, I think that's out of line. I've never heard of anyone in the US doing that. Sounds like a sales scam to me, or they just get a lot of people who test ride and they never have any intention of buying the bike.

--Chris

no, that's called " RENTING "

Not sure how it is in other parts of the States, but in this area it seems that at least 4 times throughout the summer the dealers here have a "Demo Days" promotion. No charge for riding one. Maybe thats why HD doesn't offer many demo rides?

It was for a 30 minute trest drive. They indeed told me they did it to avoid letting people drive their bikes who weren't seriously interested in buying one.
I don't know if it's company HD/Buell company policy over here or just this particular dearship. I know you gan get a free testride at the local Ducati and Triumph dealers.

Biel, I'm glad they have demo days, but they're not always during times one can show up. Example: the last one at my local dealer was on a Friday between 10-2. Nice idea, but impractical timing. Besides, if I'm going to drop $20,000+ on a vehicle, I want to take it out for a ride now, and not have to rely on a memory of what it was like when I rode it two months ago (along with four other bikes I tested that day). I have no problem leaving a cc for a deposit, but I'd expect not to be charged just for the opportunity to test ride a bike. I wouldn't accept that kind of crap from a car lot; why would I accept it from a bike dealer?

Case in point: when I bought my last car, I was looking around and found an indy who had a used, but immaculate Dodge Stealth for sale on the showroom floor. The car was in mint condition, had all records (I saw them first-hand), and the maintenance schedule of the previous owner was anal even by my standards. However, when I asked to schedule a time/date to take it for a test drive (as I knew he'd need time to get it outside), the dealer's comment was "are you kidding? You know how these things drive!" I've driven' Stangs and Vettes before, but never a Stealth, so no, I didn't know. I also never went back to him.

Now, on the other hand, I have known people who have gone to dealerships to test drive vehicles they had no intention of buying, just so that they could take a high-end vehicle out for a ride. It sucks that people are willing to take advantage of dealers like this, however, it is one of the hazards of the industry. The dealerships should either accept this fact of life or close shop.

I notice a lot of 'Demo Days' require that you make a $10.00 donation to a charity in order to demo a bike. This weeds out the riff-raff I guess.

Don't get me wrong, I think that demo rides should be free of charge and upon request of a prospective customer. Out of the 4 dealer demo days in my area, I haven't been able to make a single one so I can relate to what you are saying. I also believe that some one serious about buying a bike is more likely to make a decision within a few minutes to a day or two of the test ride, not a few months. I know the dealers here (during demo days) offer "get a free back pack" or something for testing a bike...I'm sure many come in just for that.

I'm willing to pay 10$ for a testride but 125$ is way over the top for me.

I would never buy ANY vehicle that I can't test drive. I don't care if it's an exotic car or a Chevy. If I show up at a HD dealership and after talking to the salesman about which bike I want and he says I can't take it out for a ride, then he's not getting my sale. There are plenty of HD dealers around and surely one of them would allow a test ride. Of course, I'm not planning on buying anything new for awhile. Why do that when I can find a used bike with low miles and let the original owner take the initial hit.

Demo Day are pretty rare around here.
You can find them at the Myrtle Beach Rally, but you have to wait in line for quite a while and may not be able to get the exact bike you want to ride...without waiting longer.
Dealers here want to charge a rental fee, and deduct it from the price if you buy.
Funny thing though, I was at a Victory Dealer a few months ago and they were very anxious to get me to take a test ride.....for free.

Was it a weekend long test ride, like a rental? That I could see. For a normal 15 - 30 minute test ride, I think that's out of line. I've never heard of anyone in the US doing that. Sounds like a sales scam to me, or they just get a lot of people who test ride and they never have any intention of buying the bike.--Chris

I have to agree. It has been my experience that most Harley dealers want you to test their bikes and providing you have a license encourage you to do so. Quite often I will see adds from the local Harley dealer reading free test rides and the dates which are typically on a weekend they are having some to do at the dealership. To me, this was way outside the norm......

Is there another dealer around you?

I'd call Harley and at least let them know why you will not be buying their bike. Who knows, maybe they will send you a free rental certificate then you can test drive for a full day.

SEMJPM

This one is 10km from where i live. The nearest other dealer is about 80km.
I'll wait untill the XR1200 comes out.

Most demo rides I have been part of suck anyway. They take you out in a pack of demo riders on a specific route. They ride the speed limit and the speeds rarely get over 45 mph. How does this tell you anything about the bike?
As someone mentioned earlier about Victory Motorcycles, they made a copy of my license and handed me the keys. On the way out they said that they close at six. This gave me about five hours on the bike at my discretion. It was a Vegas Jack pot and while I did not buy it from him I did end up showing my brother who is into Polaris. Now he is getting his finances in order.
The Victory people were very happy to help and they knew their bikes inside and out. I would recommend one to anyone who does not want a Harley.

Sam

I would never buy ANY vehicle that I can't test drive. I don't care if it's an exotic car or a Chevy. If I show up at a HD dealership and after talking to the salesman about which bike I want and he says I can't take it out for a ride, then he's not getting my sale. There are plenty of HD dealers around and surely one of them would allow a test ride. Of course, I'm not planning on buying anything new for awhile. Why do that when I can find a used bike with low miles and let the original owner take the initial hit.


Here Here.....


I went to the local harley dealer and after talking about a half hour with the rep I requested a test ride (I had my wife and 16 year old son with me, so it wasn't like I was gonna take off and leave them). I was told that they don't do test rides...I said WTF? There is no way I am going to give you about 10k without testing the product...What if I buy it and then I get it 15 minutes down the street and it totally sucks...etc....He said sorry company policy..I said OK....later....

I then went and found a nearly new sporty from an individual buyer and had a test ride and I bought it on the spot........

The next day I went back to the dealer and spoke with the manager just to show him he lost a sale...I wasn't trying to be an a:censor ss. Just wanted to show him I was serious and that I had money I was trying to give him....

Hell....When you buy a house you have it inspected and you walk through many times....

Three dealerships in my area all have different policies on test rides...one is very willing to let you test ride, but an employee from the dealership must accompany you on another bike...one of the other dealerships doesn't do test rides, but does the rent one and we'll deduct the rental price if you buy one policy, and the other dealer will roll the bike you're interested in off the showroom floor to the outside, make a copy of your license, and away you go! Being an ol' military man, I'm used to standardization, so this independent concept is a little new for me!

My Stealer Actually encouraged me to test ride some bikes before buying ! Of course the 07's were on the way and the remaining 06's had to go !
At my 1000 Mile service I was looking at the 07 XLC (mine is an 06) and my salesman came over and asked if I wanted to take a ride on an 07 ! I declined but still was cool of him to ask me.
I never knew anyone at Crossroads HD in N. Wilksboro, NC before calling them to talk about a bike,
But they treated me like a family member there !!!
They are about 100miles from me and there are several dealers closer but I will go back there when I am ready for another one, Just because of that !

I agree with the former post toasties, If they wouldn't let you test ride it and you are serious about buying one, Tell them they just lost a sale,

Wouldn't hurt to tell them that your going to the Yamaha dealer where you can !!!!!:laugh :laugh :laugh

Does anyone really think that telling a dealer they lost a sale really bothers them and will cause them to change their test-ride policy? They don't care.

Losing a sale does bother them, otherwise they wouldn't have bikes on the showroom floor!

Does anyone really think that telling a dealer they lost a sale really bothers them and will cause them to change their test-ride policy? They don't care.


No but it made me feel better...LOL

The local dealer here has test ride days once in a while. Its on saturday so the working guy can show up. Its a group ride and I never tried it. I would if I was ready for a new bike.

A time ago i was interested buying in a Buell so i went to the local HD/ Buell dealership and asked for a testride with a XB9 City. The dealership told me i could drive one but they're would me 100€ (125$) for it if i didn't buy it. Is this normal, at a Ducati dealership you don't have to pay for a testride.

i had a demo ride on a xb9 here in austria for free. i don´t remember if there was a special promotion day or something like that.

Wouldn't hurt to tell them that your going to the Yamaha dealer where you can

I'd prefer a Yamaha MT O1 over many Harley's.:laugh

Of course take your new ride to the dealer that wanted to charge you for a test ride and show them what you bought from a dealer that does not charge for test rides. He won't care but you will feel much better :)

I have a dealer just a few blocks from my house. They not only wouldn't let me test drive one, they won't even let anyone sit on one in the showroom. I went to another dealer on the other end of town and was encouraged to test drive. It was one of the ones that copy your DL and say "we close at 6". I bought my 04 XL 883C that afternoon. I did go back to the dealer and told him that it was the test drive that sold it. He was disappointed. I do get my service and accessories at the dealer closer to me and he never fails to offer me a test ride on any bike that I happen to be looking at. He also lets me sit on any bike I want to now. Maybe most of them don't care if you go somewhere else and buy, but this dealer seemed to.

Well done Mike.

An important thing to remember is that an idiot on a test ride can ruin a new bike doing burnouts, drags or whatever. Bert has axed those types from the forum but what about a moron in a showroom that gets turned down and vandalizes a new scoot? Making that call is not a job I would want! Matt

I'm sure a dealer is insured for this or at least should be.

My dealer asked how long I had a license and of course seeing that I had an actual jacket and full helmet knew I had was serious about riding/buying. I was simi interested in a buell ulysesses SP? He encouraged me to take it for a spin also but he said I could take either, pick up the wife and go for a couple hour cruise, just have it back before we close, that was at 9 in the morning.

An important thing to remember is that an idiot on a test ride can ruin a new bike doing burnouts, drags or whatever. Bert has axed those types from the forum but what about a moron in a showroom that gets turned down and vandalizes a new scoot? Making that call is not a job I would want! Matt

Thanks for weeding out the knuckleheads, Bert. I wonder how many dropped bikes out of every hundred test drives? "That is what insurance is for" is pretty lame. A dealer has a higher deductible than you may think. I would say that qualifying a prospective buyer to weed out the joy riders would help. If the prospective buyer says he would finance a portion or all of the balance, run his credit. If he is a RAT, no test drive. Lets not forget the first 50 mile break in period. Is a dealer to let anyone who wants to go and flog the bike on a test drive in the first 50 miles? Are you going to buy the bike new with 30 - 40 miles on it not knowing if the rev-limiter was bounced 25 times in this period by a couple of joy (test) rides?

Don't get me wrong, I believe a test ride is a very important part of the sales process - just short of being mandatory. A dealer has to protect its inventory for the future owners. If there is a doubt about what will happen on the test ride, go with. Set rules up front. Explain the importance of the break-in period. This will be appreciated by a prospective buyer. A joy rider may not like it so much.

By the way, anyone that wants to test drive a motorhome for free is welcome to anytime. I WILL be along for the ride!

I went to a demo day at the dealer. I believe the bikes were provided for the event by HD. Hog road captains one in front and one in back took several riders on a ride around a 5 to 10 mile loop. I was able to try out a Softtail Custom, Road King, Street Bob, Street Glide and VRod. There was no cost at all. Most of the metric dealers will not budge on test rides. Some also deliver new bikes to the customer's home. Too many bikes have been wrecked on the dealers property or within a couple of blocks. I would not want to buy a new bike that had been fixed up after the last test drive.

An important thing to remember is that an idiot on a test ride can ruin a new bike doing burnouts, drags or whatever. Bert has axed those types from the forum but what about a moron in a showroom that gets turned down and vandalizes a new scoot? Making that call is not a job I would want! Matt
how about this?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3446542136910048655&q=mustang+test+drive&hl=en

Thanks for weeding out the knuckleheads, Bert. I wonder how many dropped bikes out of every hundred test drives? "That is what insurance is for" is pretty lame. A dealer has a higher deductible than you may think. I would say that qualifying a prospective buyer to weed out the joy riders would help. If the prospective buyer says he would finance a portion or all of the balance, run his credit. If he is a RAT, no test drive. Lets not forget the first 50 mile break in period. Is a dealer to let anyone who wants to go and flog the bike on a test drive in the first 50 miles? Are you going to buy the bike new with 30 - 40 miles on it not knowing if the rev-limiter was bounced 25 times in this period by a couple of joy (test) rides?

Don't get me wrong, I believe a test ride is a very important part of the sales process - just short of being mandatory. A dealer has to protect its inventory for the future owners. If there is a doubt about what will happen on the test ride, go with. Set rules up front. Explain the importance of the break-in period. This will be appreciated by a prospective buyer. A joy rider may not like it so much.

By the way, anyone that wants to test drive a motorhome for free is welcome to anytime. I WILL be along for the ride!
I have to say that I am not letting anyone run my credit until I am sure that I am going to buy from them. Everytime someone runs your credit you lose points from your becon score, granted it's not much but still. I have ran into problems with getting test rides many of times because of my age, which is somewhat understandible. My thing is, I may only be 25, but I have 20 years on bikes (counting off road) and I have had a motorcycle licences for 9 years. I know that I am a better rider than the 40 year old going through a mid-life crisis and buying his first bike, but yet he can take a test ride anytime he feels the need. I personaly won't buy a bike until I have rode it and if a dealer can't understand that, then I won't buy from them and I'm sure not going to pay for it.

well renting a bike before you buy is IS a good idea...just make sure you pay the little extra for the "liabilyty waiver"

I turned up at a big dealer (forget which one now) , asked for a test ride and they told me to arrange a date as they stored all their bikes dry, and would need to change filter , fill with oil and petrol before I could ride!!


DIDNT BOTHER

Paying for a test ride is BS if you are a serious shopper looking to buy a bike.
My dealer will give me the keys to any bike I want to ride.;)

I was at the dealer picking up goodies for the Sporty. Struck up a conversation with a sales guy, wanted to sell me a BT:) I said I really wouldn't know what kind I would want to buy, as I had never ridden one. No problem, he says. They keep about half a dozen out front just for test rides. Pick one out, take it for a ride. Pretty easy going.

The jap dealers lose out heavily here. Very few offer demos. Reading test after test is about the best you can count on. I am quite sure they pay DEARLY for insurance if they offer test rides - and H-D probably self-insures their North American dealers.

I have really only been disappointed in one new bike over the years. The despicable, Honda CB500T - which I soon replaced with the far superior Yamaha SR500. Kick starting that worked versus electric starting that only ran the battery dead, and far less vibration, was a big relief.
But, I can easily see how a person who did not get a chance to take a serious demo ride on an 883L might find (after purchase) the very meager power disappointing and the ride overly harsh - leading to it sitting in the garage and perhaps souring them on future motorcycling. Many dealers plan on selling bikes based on looks alone, ala - CB500T.

my local Honda dealer tried selling me a Pan European once, told me not to come back until I had been out on it for 3 hours!! on another occasion, they were displaying on an old airfield, I was asked to ride a couple of bikes upthere and someone would bring me back to take others up.
not all like it but a lot here are.

It's 70 degrees here in PA and my Sporty is put up for the winter, so I stopped by the dealer yesterday just to bit*h about it. I was speaking to the gal who sold me my bike and she suggested that I come in on Saturday take something else out. I ended up trying the Softtail Custom. (Nice ride, but not my Sporty - that's a topic for another thread) I was going to take a Street Bob out next, but I knew I was out for a long time on the Softtail and when I got back, it looked like she was working a sale so I didn't want to interrupt. I could have taken out bikes for the rest of the afternoon. Only had to show a DL and proof of insurance or a CC.

So, why did she do this if there was no direct gain (e.g. me buying a bike today). She knew that I was not in the market for a new bike right now. Well, I can only guess, but it's service like this that will have me going back to the dealership, and specifically, this salesperson when I go in for HD #2. Plus, If anyone I know asks me where to buy a bike, I know where I am sending them. It's an old concept, albeit a forgotten one, but what she was doing today was part af the sales process. It's just going to be a little longer before she closes this one.

P.S. All other things aside, having that 6th gear was SWEET!

A time ago i was interested buying in a Buell so i went to the local HD/ Buell dealership and asked for a testride with a XB9 City. The dealership told me i could drive one but they're would me 100€ (125$) for it if i didn't buy it. Is this normal, at a Ducati dealership you don't have to pay for a testride.

I tried to test drive a Ducati Monster at a Ducati Dealership and they said they did not let people test drive thier motorcycles period. If we are really interested they said i can test drive one off craigslist, then come back and buy one. I was serious about buying one too, after that i wasnt.

The fact that many Harley dealers do not offer test rides, speaks volumes. In essence they're saying, it doesn't matter how it rides, it's how it looks that's important. After all, its a Harley, and you do want to be in that very special club, don't you?.

Unfortunately, this approach seems to work, as there are countless Harley owners out there who never rode a bike like the one they bought until theirs was delivered. Perhaps that's why so many of these end up as 'garage art' and are sold off with extremely low mileage after a year or two.


Actually makes perfect sense......... for the Dealer. At least that way it ends up as garage art in someone elses garage. Not on the showroom floor :p

It's 70 degrees here in PA and my Sporty is put up for the winter, so I stopped by the dealer yesterday just to bit*h about it. I was speaking to the gal who sold me my bike and she suggested that I come in on Saturday take something else out. I ended up trying the Softtail Custom. (Nice ride, but not my Sporty - that's a topic for another thread) I was going to take a Street Bob out next, but I knew I was out for a long time on the Softtail and when I got back, it looked like she was working a sale so I didn't want to interrupt. I could have taken out bikes for the rest of the afternoon. Only had to show a DL and proof of insurance or a CC.

So, why did she do this if there was no direct gain (e.g. me buying a bike today). She knew that I was not in the market for a new bike right now. Well, I can only guess, but it's service like this that will have me going back to the dealership, and specifically, this salesperson when I go in for HD #2. Plus, If anyone I know asks me where to buy a bike, I know where I am sending them. It's an old concept, albeit a forgotten one, but what she was doing today was part af the sales process. It's just going to be a little longer before she closes this one.

P.S. All other things aside, having that 6th gear was SWEET!

thats the kinda place I wanta to business with..

The last time I went to test drive a "jap" bike they were happy to let me do it, provided I stayed on their parking lot. Obviously you can't determine much in a small parking lot. I don't think the "no test drive" bias is limited to HD. I don't let novice riders on my bike, I can't blame the dealer for feeling the same way. The dealer has no way of knowing what kind of rider you are, and they are taking a risk with their insurance. Addertooth

I don't know about dealership practices in Europe. Maybe your dealerships try to recoup wear and tear, and insurances costs, by charging for test rides. Here in NJ, USA I've taken some really fun Buell test rides, and the dealership rewarded me for the honor. One time I received a Buell hat, and another time I received a Buell backpack.

I went to a Harley Demo day, they lined the riders up in three rows in the parking lot. A lady on a sportster lost control on the way out and took out two dressers (customers bikes), all three bikes went down, no one was hurt.

Was kind of funny.

The jap dealers lose out heavily here. Very few offer demos. Reading test after test is about the best you can count on. I am quite sure they pay DEARLY for insurance if they offer test rides - and H-D probably self-insures their North American dealers.

I have really only been disappointed in one new bike over the years. The despicable, Honda CB500T - which I soon replaced with the far superior Yamaha SR500. Kick starting that worked versus electric starting that only ran the battery dead, and far less vibration, was a big relief.
But, I can easily see how a person who did not get a chance to take a serious demo ride on an 883L might find (after purchase) the very meager power disappointing and the ride overly harsh - leading to it sitting in the garage and perhaps souring them on future motorcycling. Many dealers plan on selling bikes based on looks alone, ala - CB500T.

Not to hijack the thread, but do you still have the SR? Here's a pic of mine, an 81 SR500H which I had to sell after having for 22 years to buy the Sporty...(wife wouldn't let me keep 2 bikes...:( That was the pic I took just before selling it, still looked like it was new. I still miss that bike...
http://webpages.charter.net/andyman58/IM000117.jpg

When hell freezes over. :censor

That is absolutely ridiculous. I would tell him to take the bike and ...

The fact that many Harley dealers do not offer test rides, speaks volumes. In essence they're saying, it doesn't matter how it rides, it's how it looks that's important. After all, its a Harley, and you do want to be in that very special club, don't you?.

Unfortunately, this approach seems to work, as there are countless Harley owners out there who never rode a bike like the one they bought until theirs was delivered. Perhaps that's why so many of these end up as 'garage art' and are sold off with extremely low mileage after a year or two.

I just bought a 96 with 883 with 79 miles on it. The owner said it shook to much. High Plains Harley in Clovis NM will hand you the keys if you have a license.

Me and my brother-in-law tested an 883C at the HD main dealers in Wolverhampton, they were very good, they said : "here it is, we are very sorry theres only 1 bike available for you to test, we tried to get 2, see you later have a good day!" We were impressed a lot of dealers wont allow test rides! The dealer I got my Sporty off is a main Yamaha dealer that took her in on a trade in, they let me loose for an hour on a second hand bike! Ive never heard of pay to test in England.

The only demo ride I did that took you in a pack was for the Vrod ride... and they certainly didn't go 45! I had that thing up to 95 at least. This was at the HD factory here in KC at the open house.


Most demo rides I have been part of suck anyway. They take you out in a pack of demo riders on a specific route. They ride the speed limit and the speeds rarely get over 45 mph. How does this tell you anything about the bike?


Sam

I've had good luck with test riding bikes.

I went to TSI Harley Davidson in Ellington, CT and all I had to do was point out which Buell I wanted to try and provide a driver's license.

And when I was in the dream stage of getting my Sportster, the sales lady at Ronnie's Harley Davidson in Pittsfield, MA told me, "what are you going to dream about if you haven't ridden them?"

She gave me a scenic route to take and I rode three different bikes....... :tour

A time ago i was interested buying in a Buell so i went to the local HD/ Buell dealership and asked for a testride with a XB9 City. The dealership told me i could drive one but they're would me 100€ (125$) for it if i didn't buy it. Is this normal, at a Ducati dealership you don't have to pay for a testride.

Some dealers are pretty friendly and helpful. Others act like a bunch of A--holes. I think it also depends on how many bikes they have to sell. If you stroll into a dealer that has a half dozen bikes sitting around it seems that they avoid selling the bikes. They need at least a couple to make the place look like a bike shop not a boutique. How else are they going to sell T-shirts and over priced leather? In March or April when the shop is full of bikes they are a lot more interested in getting you to throw a leg over one.

That said I would never pay a penny to test ride anything. I bought my last bike from Surdyke. They were willing to let me ride any bike in the place. In fact they were really excited about getting me to check out a V-Rod after I told them I wanted a Sporty.

I think it helps if you pull up on a motorcycle! I suspect they get a lot of people in that just want to say they rode a Harley. If you don't look like a serious buyer the charge for a test ride is a good way to separate the lookers from the buyers.

Local dealer won't let anyone test ride, and when I went in to talk to them they gave me the full-court press just like a car dealership. When they finally got to the bottom line it was shocking, $9500 for a bike that lists at $6595!
I ended up driving 200+ miles (each way) and got a good deal at a great place. Pity they are not local.
I went back to the local to talk service, and to make a long story short I bought a service manual on Amazon and will service it myself. Don't trust them as far as I can throw my Sporty.

I stopped in at the HD in San Jose to check out a 1200N. I told them I was riding a DRZ400SM and tht I was a bit nervous about buying a 1200. The sales guy said to come back on Sunday between 11 and 1 to test test one. They copied my license and made me sign a waiver and contract stating that having it out too long (don't remember how long) would be considdered theft. He the pointed me in the direction of one of 6 demo bikes out in front of the building (of various styles) and said "Have Fun". I didn't get to ride the N, but I did get to ride a 1200C...no charge.

It wasn't as quick and easy as testing at a car dealer, but at least they let me go nuts by myself for a little while. I'll be going back there to buy as soon as I can convince my wife that we can afford another bike.

I drove 90 miles one day to a HD dealership to find they didn't have a Nightster there (their internet site showed one). I was going to get one for sure I thought. I wanted to at least sit on one before buying it. I looked over the bikes on the showroom and headed home. I got a good idea of what I wanted if I didn't like the Nightster when I found one.

I found a silver and denim Nightster at a different HD dealership130 miles away in a different direction. The salesman told me I needed to take it for a ride. He gave me a helmet and his sunglasses, copied my drivers license and I signed a waiver if I wrecked it..I buy it. That was my first ever ride on a Harley. Crazy amount of torque..I was in love with the Harley but the Nightster didn't fit me. I new after 3 miles I was too cramped up. I didn't want to spend the extra money to make it fit me. Great looking bike but I'm soo glad I got to test ride it.

I knew I was going to buy something that day and they had the black 1200 custom that was my second choice..It fit better just sitting on it. Again the salesman asked if I wanted to test drive that one but I knew it was the one for me. No regrets since I bought it 10 days ago. No high pressure sales at all.

If I couldn't take a bike for a test drive I would have told the owner of the dealership to stick it! If they tried to charge me for a test drive, I think I would still be telling them off!!

Sounds ridiculous to me, i've never heard of such a thing.

Don't get me wrong, I think that demo rides should be free of charge and upon request of a prospective customer. Out of the 4 dealer demo days in my area, I haven't been able to make a single one so I can relate to what you are saying. I also believe that some one serious about buying a bike is more likely to make a decision within a few minutes to a day or two of the test ride, not a few months. I know the dealers here (during demo days) offer "get a free back pack" or something for testing a bike...I'm sure many come in just for that.

Where I work the test drives are only offered on days that end in Y. I feel that it is the most important part of the process.

I went to my local Dealer last weekend and asked to demo a Road King. Just photocopied my licence, made me sign a damage waiver, gave me a helmet and rolled a brand new bike off the floor.I have seen Salesmen there even ride a bke to a prospects work during lunch to let them test ride.

I have called several local dealers about test riding a new sporty and none of them will let you do it. Why can I drive a 40K truck of any brand and not a 10K motorcycle? No test ride no sale for me and its just that simple. I told the dealers that and they act like they dont care one way or the other.

The local Victory dealer is begging me to ride one of their bikes by the way. One of these days these arrogant HD dealers are going to get what is coming to them. I have news for them and that is that some people dont think these bikes are made out of gold and some of us actually ride them. HD needs a wake up call imo.

Ride em.
Local HD Dealer doesn't even want you to sit on them without their being right there. The stack em in so close you can't get to them, they have to get it out for you and put it in the isle then of course they are all over you like flies. I saw a guy get on one whil still stacked and when he sat on it it was real close to the one next to it. They bout had a fit. Salesman even walked ove and put his hand on the end of the bars to keep it from rubbing.
Now this was on a Sportster mind you.

T

I don't know if it's company HD/Buell company policy over here or just this particular dearship. I know you gan get a free testride at the local Ducati and Triumph dealers.

Nah,it's a dealer thing,bike dealers are just like car dealers they all have their own ways of doing business and some are multi brand dealers so you can hardly blame the moco for what a dealer does or doesn't do.
The dealer I go to will let me ride any bike I want any time ,never a problem.
Others won't even let a guy sit on a bike,go figure.

I would never buy a bike without test riding it first! I sure as hell would not pay them for a test ride either. As someone who works for a dealership, I can understand why they would not let a novice have a test ride or why they would not let someone take an all day test ride. A reasonable test ride should be free. Trust me, they will make plenty of money if they sell the bike.