No test rides?

Originally Posted by Luckypants

I am surprised by the SORN argument, because they have trade plates which allows untaxed vehicles to be on the road. I have certainly test ridden a bike on trade plates as it was not taxed.

+ 1, as far as I am aware.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

+ 1, as far as I am aware.

+1 - the Z750 I test-rode was on Trade Plates.

never test rode any of my 2nd hand bikes, and have never let anyone do a test ride on a bike im selling (part from my rs125 and even then the buyer got lost on it!)
v nearly wasnt allowed to test ride my 675 either as im under 25 (insurance reasons) but dealership knew me so ok'd it

[johnnyrod]

Never ever buy a bike without a test ride. Dealers are becoming a massive pain over this though, some even try charging you money for it. It's the complete opposite in the car business, dunno about you but I've never had any trouble test driving cars of any age. Some bike shops think they can get away with murder.

[Biker Biggles]

I think a test ride should be done once the sale is agreed "subject to test ride"
That way the price is sorted and the cash can be put up front and the bike is sold unless the test ride shows up a show stopper problem.From the sellers point of view the bike is safe and if you bin it you bought it.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

I think a test ride should be done once the sale is agreed "subject to test ride"
That way the price is sorted and the cash can be put up front and the bike is sold unless the test ride shows up a show stopper problem.From the sellers point of view the bike is safe and if you bin it you bought it.

this is what i was trying to say.......but described better!

people buying bikes without test riding them sounds a bit silly to me

I bought both my CG125 (what can be wrong with a CG125 that can't be fixed easily? ) and SV without test riding them.

I bought the CG from a mate I'd known for years, and knew how he looked after his bikes, so no issue.

For the SV, I didn't even have the licence when I bought it! To me, I was buying a new bike to save money on commuting, performance would be better than the car regardless, and it came with a 2 year guarantee. So I wasn't fussed about test riding it.

I've been with people to buy private bikes, most of these have been "leave the cash with me & you can take it for a spin." One of these I remember there being a slight concern over a front end noise (on a 636) when the buyer rode it. So I hopped on & took it down the road & back with no lid. Seller didn't care as he already had the cash.

As for the OP, the SORN issue is bull, they just didn't want to let you out on the bike. The other dealership may of been genuine, try calling back in there in a couple of months, they'll probably change their policy for the rush of people buying bikes in summer.

Never had an issue before, in fact I think I've always been offered a test ride whenever I've shown interest in a used bike at a dealer.

Its always a difficult one when offering test rides. We have a large demo fleet and also will offer test rides on the used bikes.

Problems and reluctancy arises often due to age of the person, I WONT ever allow anyone to demo a bike new or used unless they are covered by my insurance or their own. If they have their own then its got to be fully comp. Our insurance covers 21 and upwards full licence only. Too many dealers will let riders out un-insured!. Quite scarey really.

As a dealer I own the bikes, new and used. I need to know im protected and so is the customer. I also have to cover a depreciation loss when selling demos.

I also dont ever want to have to claim on my trade policy as it costs me over £10k per year as it is. Ive had two drops in the past 4 years. One the guy was totally upfront, honest and offered to pay even more than the excess to cover the damage. The other tried to deny it was him that did it and refused at first to pay. I then found out he had been involved in an accident with a car that was his fault. He then tried to blame me for allowing him to ride a bike that was beyond his ability!.

I guess some dealers, yep could help themselves alot more, but id guess some are just covering their backsides.

[glade]

Originally Posted by BigFootIsBlurry

As I've mentioned in a couple of other places on this forum I'm currently looking for a first bike, ideally an SV. Today i went to a couple of local dealers who both had used bikes I would have been interested in and that fell into my budget. However, neither place would allow test rides on there used stock. Is this normal practice for a dealer? I expect private sellers to be reluctant to allow test rides but I fully expect to be able to ride before I buy at a dealer, not least because I'm still not 100% sold on what bike I'm going to get.

Are these dealers the exception or am I just going to have to buy without a test ride?

George White do this. However they offer a 14 day cool off period, BUT you can only swap for something of equivalent value in their stock.

I nearly bought a ZX6-R, but couldn't test ride it. So I didn't go to the hastle of part-ex and finance for something I may not have enjoyed! Shame because I may have been blown away, and gone for it.

Dealers will often have demos of new bikes. Copy of licence, utility bill, and sign for a £500 excess and you're on your way. I had a superduke for a whole afternoon.

Dealers usually have demos