Test Riding a used bike

[halfabusa]

Hi,

Are most bike dealers good mannered enough to let potential buyers do a test ride on their used stock in your experience? I'm thinking of testing out a burgman 400 and there's only one nearby that fits my requirements. Should i call them before travelling there to find out whether they'd let me do a test ride?

What do they usually require? Licence obviously... What else? Insurance? Deposit in case we damage the bike during test ride?

How long do you reckon they would be happy for me to ride it? I'd like to test it out on a motorway ideally, so i'm thinking 30-45 minutes but would that be too long?

[Earl]

They used to ask for the keys to your vehicle, but too many people were turning up with stolen cars then buggering off on an R1 lol

[horobags]

Ive known my local dealer for 20 years, so I dont even have to put any fuel in them, but other dealers usualy want your licence, c/card, and a utility bill, best phone them up first and ask them to "saddle it up" ready for a test run.

[R1K SU]

I asked if I could test ride the Fz1 before I eventually bought it, they just said give us 10 mins notice so we can get it out of the showroom ready, We went back at 9am the next morning, they checked oil and air in tyres, took my keys,and off we went Been there loads so they knew me.
There shouldnt be a prob, ring them first. An hour is a good expected time for a test ride.
I used to take test ride bikes on the Mway to see how fast they went but a scoot, ?? you prob get top speed on A roads, as you need to see how it handles the twisties

[ridinhigh]

ive been looking at a x8 400 dealer offered me a test ride and said its wise to have one

[Deleted User 796]

As other have said it shouldn't be a problem, after all you wouldn't buy a car from a dealer that wouldn't let you test it first.

They may want both parts of your licence so remember to take the paper bit just in case...

[StevenM]

If your coming on saturday to buxton you can try mine

[halfabusa]

Thanks for all the input guys, i'll ring them up beforehand and enquire what they would need. Keys, licence, documents, not a problem. What i don't like is sales people that treat me as if i'm a time waster from the first moment. I once had such experience when i was looking for a car when i asked the guy if i could test drive the bmw, he asked if i was gonna buy it if i liked it, and i said i don't know yet, so he said come back when i made my mind up... Needless to say he didn't get a sale that day and i don't regret as i ended up with a better model in the end.

This bike i'm gonna check is from a dealer called john's of romford. They seem to be quite close to where i am so i'll see how keen they will be for a test ride...

StevenM thanks for the kind offer! Unfortunately i won't be coming this weekend as it's quite far away and i haven't planned for it anyway.

Edit: one more question...

i know that generally dealers offer much less for part exchange than private sale to cover their margins but how much difference does that mean for a bike that's worth about 2 grand anyway? Would they offer me peanuts or be reasonable and offer close to it's value?

[gn2]

With a trade in, it's not about how much they give you for your old bike that you need to concern yourself with, it's the "how much to change" figure you need to look at.
If you are trading your bike in against something the dealer is struggling to sell he will have more incentive to give you a better deal than if you are trading in against a strong seller, so the trade-in value at the same dealer is variable.

A private sale will usually net you more cash, but will you get a lower to change figure...?
By the time you sell yours the one you want may be gone...?

As for the value of your current bike, you will only find that out when you try to sell privately.
A good guide is to look at completed listings on eBay.

[halfabusa]

hmm valid points. I guess time of year doesn't play a big role in this exchange scenario does it? I know winter is the time to buy and spring/summer is the time to sell but in the case of part exchanging, or private selling then buying, it doesn't really matter as the sell and buy prices will go up or down together depending on the season.