How the heck are you suppose to buy em if you cant try em?

Message

Social Distortion · Thu May 04, 2006 4:56 pm

hey everyone!
So i was out of town for business and had time to kill, so i went to 4 Yamaha dealers in the area (dallas).

Asked to look at the V Star 650's and if i could test ride em. Now, obviously i was not gonna buy them since i am from Chicago, but the salesperson did not know that.
*Note- i was cautious to not take any salesperson off the floor if someone else was a serious buyer.

At all 4 sites, all the salesmen told me that i could not demo any V Stars.
I sent emails to most of the Yamaha dealers in Chicago asking them what i need to bring for a demo and have not heard back yet.

So how can i demo the bikes to see Fit, Engine Power and so forth if the dealers wont let me take em for a spin?

I dont think going to another dealer will help since in my couple hours in Dallas, the 4 that i went to shot me down.

Will Harley D. shops be the only place i will be able to demo a bike?
Please say it isnt so!

rapidblue · #2 Unread post by **rapidblue** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:09 pm

good luck with that.....seriously.

95% of the dealers won't let you test ride them. Too many noobs and not enough skill.

I could even get the dealer here to bring in a bike I wanted to buy. I would of had to sign on the dotted line before they brought the bike into town. I told him where to go pretty quick.

Most companies olny have demo days where they truck in a whole slew of bikes to test for the day, and it's always a zoo of people.

Shiv · #3 Unread post by **Shiv** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:12 pm

Liability. Too many joyriders. Stolen bikes, etc.

And some people take very long test rides. They return the bikes but after about an hour or so.

camthepyro · Thu May 04, 2006 5:17 pm

I didn't think any dealers let you test ride their bikes.

Social Distortion · Thu May 04, 2006 5:18 pm

doesnt seem like such a positive outlook for me and test riding a motorcycle.

So did most of you just flat out buy your bike before trying it?
Did friends let you ride thier bikes and you made your decision from there?

Did you just sit on the bike for hours at the dealerships and just dealt w/ the uncomforting feeling that all of the shop guys were staring at you wondering when you'd get off thier bikes?

On the same note, lots of Harley dealerships here in Chicago will have demo days in May. Might be fun to demo a sportster and just imagin what it would be like on the bloody V Star.

#6 Unread post by **Jamers!** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:19 pm

camthepyro wrote:I didn't think any dealers let you test ride their bikes.

kawasaki dealer i got my EX from let me ride it around their lot, then again it was used and a junker anyways. . .

JWF

Sev · #7 Unread post by **Sev** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:53 pm

I just sat on, then bought both of the bikes I own/owned.

BubbaGump · #8 Unread post by **BubbaGump** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:57 pm

I won't buy a $40 pair of shoes from Wal-Mart w/o tryin em on. I have made my choice down to two bikes and one dealer has a bike lined up for me to test. If the other dealer won't play ball - he'll lose a $15K sale. I'd say keep shoppin.

Dealers could get around newb idiots by demanding a $500 cash deposit and credit card, license and blood sample...

Ninja Geoff · Thu May 04, 2006 6:02 pm

BubbaGump wrote:Dealers could get around newb idiots by demanding a $500 cash deposit and credit card, license and blood sample...

+1

ofblong · #10 Unread post by **ofblong** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:06 pm

BubbaGump wrote: Dealers could get around newb idiots by demanding a $500 cash deposit and credit card, license and blood sample...

thats almost exactly what you need to test drive a porsche/ferrari etc so I dont see why a bike dealer cant do the same.