Police presence on test rides

i think that's the argument here the sv has little bhp and loads of torque, when i bought my bike i thought it was great instant power and quick. my friend has a zx6r and in the corners its neck and neck and if i get the power on quick enough the torque will keep me level with him until he reaches his top end power which then the sv lacks the puff and runs out of gears. i know the bike is quick keeps up with my girlfriends suzuki rf900 till 120 (off road ) then the sv is out of gears and power. just my opinion lol.

Imo, the sv is very close to most bikes up to 80 ish, after that big horse power and torque will pull away, in a straight line of course.

The sv has embarrassed a lot of bikes on track before now, for a budget bike the engine is its greatest asset.

Torque is best, bhp is for bragging about down the pub or bike meet.

Thats why i like triples, they have both

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

Having done more than one test ride...

The ones with the Police can be interesting. It depends on the Officer and you as the rider. Only once have I had a ride where the Officer prevented me from enjoying the bike, all other times have been good fun and in my experience the boys from the MET have the most interesting approach to these rides. So long as you ride responsibly then its not an issue.

But speaking to the Officers they can understand the issue but usually they are there to do some rider assessments and promote BikeSafe and advanced training (though I'm not sure why your IAM rider behaved as you described, did you ask them about it?). Thus you only get out of it, ya-da-ya-da.

However if you want to just take the bike out for a test, go down to your local dealer and ask. Thats what I do...

I don't want people coming to my shop purely to test ride bikes if they have no intention of buying them or if they can't afford them. It's a waste of my time and the company's money. If someone is seriously interested in buying one then I'm only too happy to let them go out on it. I believe demo bikes are there as a sales tool, not a toy for the public to play with. Serial test pilots are a waste of our time, and a serious waste of precious oxygen.

We're a business, not a bloody bike lending service for the inquisitive.

We've ensured that only serious prospects test ride bikes now - we insist on a £1000 cash or card deposit to cover the insurance excess just in case the worst happens and we find the rider hasn't a bean to his name, and every test ride is accompanied by a member of staff. Most of the time someone without a grand in the bank isn't usually in any position to be buying a new bike, so in a way that weeds out the idiots wanting to blag a waste of someone else's petrol and bike's residual value. Test pilots never like putting their own money down, because they know the chances of them losing it are higher because they generally abuse the bikes. None of the serious prospects I have ever taken on demo rides has ever moaned about it, and test rides usually end with a sale.

I usually lead on the test ride unless I personally know the person riding the demo bike is trustworthy. Only once have I had to cut a test short and on that occasion it was because I asked the rider to respect the running procedure on a ZX6R and to stay behind me as I would lead - he sniffed, laughed a little and said "and you think you'll catch me if I don't"... Billy Big-Balls had obviously got ideas. He overtook me approaching a set of sharp bends and within a mile I'd overtaken and stopped him at the roadside. I took the keys from the ZX6R and told him he could wait for the van to collect the bike and ride in that, or he could walk. I was riding my Versys with all three boxes on. His mates were waiting for him back at the shop and as I pulled up I recounted what had happened so they could take the pi$$ out of him themselves. Turns out he was another serial test pilot who regularly blagged test rides just for fun, exactly the kind of person we don't want to see on our bikes.

Its a two way thing, i understand from the dealerships side and the pig's side of it because if i was to give a 18 year old girl/boy who have just passed their MOD's a 500+cc bike a test ride... Id be on edge! There's so many riders out there who think they're immortal and are the next Rossi. If the rider was to have an accident or crash (it happens) or speed down a 30/40 zone the dealership loose out on money and they could get away with breaking the law if speeding...

HOWEVER
The vast majority of bike riders are good riders and aren't stupid (after all everybody has a little speeding urge in them) and if they want to try a bike out then they want to feel free and get used to the bike, its style, controls etc etc and not have to worry about the pigs behind you feeling like they're breathing down your neck... I can imagine its not a nice feeling!

I think there should be a member of staff from the dealership or maybe two if they want to plod along with the customer who wants to test it.. Not the pigs!
The kawasaki shop located in Bolton is letting my boyfriend test his new BMW out and the guy who's dealing with the sales offered to comrades just for a plod along bbecause he wants a go of a certain bike too.. Not to watch on him!

Originally Posted by p4uls

i think that's the argument here the sv has little bhp and loads of torque,

It doesn't have loads of torque, it just makes its torque lower down the rev range. As someone mentioned earlier, the Z750 has 30% more torque, but it's higher up the revs.

THAT'S why I said he wasn't riding the Z750 properly.

An SV doesn't make little power, it makes respectable power in bhp terms - as much as a current ER6 and for a 650 twin it's a decently quick bike. Don't get me wrong, I love the SV for what it is, but a fire breathing monster that could walk all over a Z750 it most definitely is not. It's tame by comparison and both bikes need to be ridden very differently to get the best from them. I manage a Suzuki and Kawasaki dealership so I do have an inkling of a clue what I'm on about here.

Originally Posted by femaleacid

pig's side of it

the pigs behind you

Not the pigs!

You do know that PIG stands for

Pride
Integrity
Guts

don't you?

My sister, who's a pig <sic> told me that. Personally I find it highly offensive.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

. I manage a Suzuki and Kawasaki dealership so I do have an inkling of a clue what I'm on about here.

Lozzo's getting feisty

I think the main thing that stands out on the SV for me is acceleration... Its outstanding for such a little bike. When my boyfriend goes on a ride and Im passenger and 'gives it the beans a little' Im just blown back at the acceleration! (nearly literally)
Yes fair enough its not the most powerful bike with lots of torque but who cares? Its a nippy little thing and gets you from A to B with a little fun.

Originally Posted by femaleacid

Lozzo's getting feisty

I think the main thing that stands out on the SV for me is acceleration... Its outstanding for such a little bike. When my boyfriend goes on a ride and Im passenger and 'gives it the beans a little' Im just blown back at the acceleration! (nearly literally)

You've obviously never ridden pillion on a decent RGV250 or Aprilia RS250 then - both put the SV to shame. SVs don't really accelerate very quickly, they are averageish.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

You've obviously never ridden pillion on a decent RGV250 or Aprilia RS250 then - both put the SV to shame. SVs don't really accelerate very quickly, they are averageish.

I don't think id ever sit on a Aprilia... Don't like the things! Who knows why.

They're not EXTREME on acceleration they are good for a lil' bike. SV's are nice bikes but our days are over with good old Suzy :'(

[ogden]

Originally Posted by femaleacid

Lozzo's getting feisty

I think the main thing that stands out on the SV for me is acceleration... Its outstanding for such a little bike.

It really isn't. As Loz says, an RGV250 is a little bike and that'll crap on an SV for acceleration. The one I had was 12 years old and was "only" making 55bhp at the wheel, but it'd leave an SV behind on the twisties and left one SV orger on a Hornet 600 for dead in a straight line.

The SV is a deeply, deeply, average bike in pretty much every way. It's just the modern equivalent of a C90. You met the nicest people, etc.