No more demo rides? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

No more demo rides?

I know that Longley HD in Peterborough always has their own fleet of demo bikes on hand ready any day of the week. This way they aren't beholden to the "Test Our Metal" HD tour that sometimes gives you a Tuesday from 10am-2pm. Not many folks available to demo a bike on a Tuesday morning!

I'm not surprised by this trend. With the already small market in Canada and it seems to be shrinking, its got to be a costly venture where they aren't seeing the number of sales directly related to the demos to make it worth it. I'm sure if the bean counters crunched the numbers and saw that sales spiked at dealerships directly after a demo day they wouldn't be pulling out of them. Every time I've been to a demo day it's 95% guys who just want to go and try the latest SS bikes to see if the 3lbs shaved off and 3hp added makes their SS bike obsolete or guys who just want to know what it's like to try a super-moto or other weird bike they'd never actually buy.
 
It makes a lot more sense to run SS demo days on a track. It's not like you can really tell much about it on the street anyway. Charge everyone $50 to cover the track rental and refund the money if they buy a bike.

It'd still have to be a highly controlled slow train around the track or you'd have events like this becoming common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJENAP9MJrI

But yeah, if I was interested in a supersport, I'd pay a few beans to try it out on a track even at a slower pace.
 
It'd still have to be a highly controlled slow train around the track or you'd have events like this becoming common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJENAP9MJrI

But yeah, if I was interested in a supersport, I'd pay a few beans to try it out on a track even at a slower pace.

Agree. There would need to be some nannying. I was thinking Mosport RDT, come in every lap and then they meter you out at 15 second intervals (or something similar so each person can ride their own lap). RDT keeps the speed down (fast is easy, corners are fun).
 
you must have demo'd in 1903 then

Some require a credit card as collateral(GP bikes), but any time iv done test rides at a dealer, on a dealer bike, its been no hassle.

They either say yes, or no. I didn't have to put down a deposit. I was at a harley dealer + kawasaki dealer.

Funny how 2017s came out so early last spring...

I wasn't referring to demo rides, the poster stated you were not allowed to test ride bikes before you buy.

I simply pointed out that in certain cases you can/are wrong.

Demo rides are different than test rides. Show enough interest and good faith (aka deposits) they will find ya one to test ride.
 
It'd still have to be a highly controlled slow train around the track or you'd have events like this becoming common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJENAP9MJrI

But yeah, if I was interested in a supersport, I'd pay a few beans to try it out on a track even at a slower pace.

great video showing the reality of...almost looks like the rider was setting up for a right turn instead of a left. Kinda thinking he was lost on the track. Slowing down and letting a pack of bikes move ahead is a good idea at td's. This also works at demo days. Ive rode the 600 and 1000 cbrs, along with a zx6r, at demo days. I always tried to be the last out...
 
Been on a few demos. No crashes seen, but always some riders that shouldn't be on a bike, nevermind an SS, doing funky things in the corners - wrong side of the road, hammering on the brakes, onto the shoulder, passing, etc.
 
Been on a few demos. No crashes seen, but always some riders that shouldn't be on a bike, nevermind an SS, doing funky things in the corners - wrong side of the road, hammering on the brakes, onto the shoulder, passing, etc.

Last demo ride I went on (Rock The Red) a couple years ago (when the cbr650 was released), someone dropped their bike (CBR250) in front of me coming to a stop at a red light after stalling, and could not get the bike moving (stalling multiple times) at a stop sign.
This is the point where the rider was forced to turn around and go back.

Honestly, it was a pretty scary sight seeing the rider almost ram the person in front taking off after taking a spill... It was pretty obvious the rider did not know how to operate the clutch.

That being said, the leader of the rides tend to go into the HTA172 territory (on single lane rural roads), and having complete newbies trying to follow along is bad news.
 
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You should of seen some of the riders who had no business being on studded tire dirtbikes in the snow at the Grand Prix De Snow this past weekend. That said, Husquvarna did a fantastic demo day!
 
That being said, the leader of the rides tend to go into the HTA172 territory (on single lane rural roads), and having complete newbies trying to follow along is bad news.


Those are the best rides, its what made me decide i wanted my yamaha. The lead rider lets you open up the bikes a little, and you find out what its really like beyond 4000 rpms
 
Those are the best rides, its what made me decide i wanted my yamaha. The lead rider lets you open up the bikes a little, and you find out what its really like beyond 4000 rpms

Although it is great to experience "opening up" the bike, think about someone having someone who just recently received their M2 from the test in a parking lot doing 130km/h and coming to a hard stop while having no experience going faster than 80km/h EVER.

It is truly a recipe for a disaster.

IMO, there should be a "Riding experience" requirement, however, the point for them it to "sell" the bike. That bike specifically to beginners.
 
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which is why they dont let newbie riders on 600/1000cc SS

suzuki wont even let you ride anything bigger than a 750(cruiser, or otherwise)


Really if they **** up on a 250....they would have ****ed up on a vespa.


Pace is determined by the lead rider who im guessing is with the tour, or the dealership, all in all I had a great day that time. A year later I bought the bike I rode
 
Last summer GP Bikes asked me to sign a $2500 deductible insurance policy to join the Triumph demo ride. Being the first time I’ve heard of that, I said no thanks. I’m sure it’s normal policy.


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Last summer GP Bikes asked me to sign a $2500 deductible insurance policy to join the Triumph demo ride. Being the first time I’ve heard of that, I said no thanks. I’m sure it’s normal policy.


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That seems reasonable and it would eliminate most of the tire kickers while still providing access to people that were legitimately considering a purchase.
 
Although it is great to experience "opening up" the bike, think about someone having someone who just recently received their M2 from the test in a parking lot doing 130km/h and coming to a hard stop while having no experience going faster than 80km/h EVER. It is truly a recipe for a disaster. IMO, there should be a "Riding experience" requirement, however, the point for them it to "sell" the bike. That bike specifically to beginners.
130, ur funny. That might be another reason. i.e. the attorneys have figured out how fast these rides have been going.
which is why they dont let newbie riders on 600/1000cc SS suzuki wont even let you ride anything bigger than a 750(cruiser, or otherwise) Really if they **** up on a 250....they would have ****ed up on a vespa. Pace is determined by the lead rider who im guessing is with the tour, or the dealership, all in all I had a great day that time. A year later I bought the bike I rode
That's not been my experience. It's not too difficult to get an M. It just takes ~ 2years, you don't even have to ride much. Lots of inexperienced riders signed up for the SS's and wobbling around.
 
130, ur funny. That might be another reason. i.e. the attorneys have figured out how fast these rides have been going.

The highest potential ticket ever for me was on a demo ride. We were 120 over when we went past a cop. He didn't bother (thank god).
 
130, ur funny. That might be another reason. i.e. the attorneys have figured out how fast these rides have been going.

Was speaking hypothetically.

"Think about someone..."

Point being, people riding beyond their limits and level of experience around a large crowd of riders in close proximity.
 
Point being, people riding beyond their limits and level of experience around a large crowd of riders in close proximity.

Who are all on bikes they have no experience on (many with passengers) and in most cases are riding bikes with much more hp than what they have ridden previously. When you actually think about it, it is amazing that they lasted this long. I figured the manufacturers were eating the physical damage and most people that crashed had the decency not to use insurance to fix their own stupidity. Maybe there were some claims in the last few years. Think about how easy this is for the scammer, you just ride into a soft ditch and claim life altering soft tissue injuries and ptsd caused by roads.
 
Last summer GP Bikes asked me to sign a $2500 deductible insurance policy to join the Triumph demo ride. Being the first time I’ve heard of that, I said no thanks. I’m sure it’s normal policy.


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That seems reasonable and it would eliminate most of the tire kickers while still providing access to people that were legitimately considering a purchase.

I thought this was standard... I think it's just that nobody reads the paper/waiver they're signing.

It's all about getting on that ride.
 
I suspect that somewhere, someone sued after wrecking on a demo ride, and now insurers jacked their rates making it unaffordable (or simply not justifiable) anymore for the dealers. If a full day of demo rides yields 2 sales, maybe $5K in profit, but the insurance is $4K for the day and then someone dorked a bike on top of it that the dealership probably will eat the cost to repair vs putting through a claim...would you do it?

Add in the risk of someone suing, and the possibility of multiple bikes getting dorked in a single day, and this is the result.

Lots of rich kid special snowflakes out there with lawyer parents, and of course nothing is their fault. There's always that turd in the punch bowl that ruins it for everyone else.
 
I suspect that somewhere, someone sued after wrecking on a demo ride, and now insurers jacked their rates making it unaffordable (or simply not justifiable) anymore for the dealers. If a full day of demo rides yields 2 sales, maybe $5K in profit, but the insurance is $4K for the day and then someone dorked a bike on top of it that the dealership probably will eat the cost to repair vs putting through a claim...would you do it?

that's very likely part of what led to this. Buddy gets the invoice for the waiver he signed, saying he would make good for what he did in the rhubarb, then counters with ' you put me on an unfamiliar machine and pressured me to keep up' . Now the insurance settles and a fellow in a nice suit says, I can fix that from coming up again.
 

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