Test Rides

[eoszlak]

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I'm not sure about Snow City, but I emailed Ready Powersports and got the following response " We do have used inventory as well, and we do allow our clients to test ride them (if available) as long as they have a valid motorcycle license and appropriate gear."
I do remember Kahuna, but that won't help the OP now.

 

[supernova12034]

I'm not sure about Snow City, but I emailed Ready Powersports and got the following response " We do have used inventory as well, and we do allow our clients to test ride them (if available) as long as they have a valid motorcycle license and appropriate gear."
I do remember Kahuna, but that won't help the OP now.

Yeah i just got back from ready, They let you test ride, but brampton powersports do NOT. They only allow the demo days

So far it seems this place in Vaughan and ready are the options in the GTA, but ill look to see if i can find outside the GTA.

apart from burlington any other places that let you do private rides Outside the GTA? Ideally they should have kawi/yammy in the same place




EDIT

Im doing the MSF course this weekend but because of the 60 day wait time after your M1, i wont actually get the M2 till may 17 so wont be able to participate in vos yammy day

 

[eoszlak]

i'd try searching autotrader and kijiji for the models you'd like to ride used from dealers based on ready powersports policy about test riding used bikes only. i tested an 09 vrod with no problems and had a blast. somewhat different circumstances led me to the ride/bike, but result was good and experience was certainly positive. I did a quick search on autotrader for ya for used ninja 300's @ dealers and found 4 in ontario- that oughta give you a basis to start with so look for the others and see if any of the dealers have more than one model. they may even let you ride with an m1, but i doubt it.

 

[Yanny]

As far as I know, Snow City doesn't do private test rides. Factory demo days only. That's why I test rode and bought my Kawi from Kahuna (remember them) even though I live closer to Snow City. Still like Snow City for other stuff.

Unfortunately Snow city does not have demo bikes available anymore for test ride. Reason being not cost effective.

 

[LPakkala]

Yes, and there is no reason for that. All they wanted is to restrict joy rider by limiting amount of people eligible. Crazy. And don't tell me insurance coverage, if one demo can accommodate M2 on SS, others can as well.

PS: I got full M 4 years ago.

Not our (dealership) rules, not our bikes. I do support them though. I have yet to meet a rider with an M1 that I would be comfortable riding near, on a supersport. Given the amount of time to get an M2 (90 days at longest, from memory), I can't think of any excuse that would be valid for not at least having an M2. If time and effort come up, then they are likely not buying the bike anyway, and I would prefer to put someone on it that is trying to make an informed purchasing decision. As opposed to professional test riders, which we see a lot. I'm not implying this is you by any means, but it costs the dealerships money to host a demo day and we like our investment to be enjoyable and safe for as many people as possible. If the brand new riders are offended that they are not allowed to ride someone else's $10,000 plus toy, then there is nothing I can say except: too bad, sorry.

 

[Yanny]

Not our (dealership) rules, not our bikes. I do support them though. I have yet to meet a rider with an M1 that I would be comfortable riding near, on a supersport. Given the amount of time to get an M2 (90 days at longest, from memory), I can't think of any excuse that would be valid for not at least having an M2. If time and effort come up, then they are likely not buying the bike anyway, and I would prefer to put someone on it that is trying to make an informed purchasing decision. As opposed to professional test riders, which we see a lot. I'm not implying this is you by any means, but it costs the dealerships money to host a demo day and we like our investment to be enjoyable and safe for as many people as possible. If the brand new riders are offended that they are not allowed to ride someone else's $10,000 plus toy, then there is nothing I can say except: too bad, sorry.

Yes, and this is why snow city no longer have demo bikes. I was annoyed by 'factory demo days', not dealers. I know dealer pays too. The cost is fixed per itinerary, same cost doesn't matter how many riders show up on that day.

 

[Iceman]

I can't really understand why anyone would want to do a demo day unless they were really shopping for a new bike. I'd rather ride my own bike and a few hundred km on it than wait in a parking lot for my turn. Ymmv

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[abkdt41]

I can't really understand why anyone would want to do a demo day unless they were really shopping for a new bike. I'd rather ride my own bike and a few hundred km on it than wait in a parking lot for my turn. Ymmv

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Or wait an hour for a 15 min ride around the block

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[LPakkala]

Yes, and this is why snow city no longer have demo bikes. I was annoyed by 'factory demo days', not dealers. I know dealer pays too. The cost is fixed per itinerary, same cost doesn't matter how many riders show up on that day.

Or wait an hour for a 15 min ride around the block

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Yup to both. It can be a challenge for sure. Our issue has always been trying to get everyone who wants a ride, a chance. Our route is not perfect, I wish it was longer and had some faster sections. But we are limited by geography and time.

 

[AF4iK]

I can't really understand why anyone would want to do a demo day unless they were really shopping for a new bike. I'd rather ride my own bike and a few hundred km on it than wait in a parking lot for my turn. Ymmv

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Isn't that pretty much what they're for? Aside from that though, it's an opportunity to try out different types of bikes that may influence your buying decision down the road even if you're not planning to buy immediately.

 

[GreyGhost]

I can't really understand why anyone would want to do a demo day unless they were really shopping for a new bike. I'd rather ride my own bike and a few hundred km on it than wait in a parking lot for my turn. Ymmv

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I wanted to take a 250 for a spin. In my head it would make a fun street bike while keeping the speeds under control, in reality, meh. I wanted it to rev more, maybe one of the old 4 cylinder 250's would satisfy my itch.

It is a good way to try out bikes completely different than your own. I completely agree with you though when people show up on a 600ss and take a 1 year newer 600ss out for a ride, I'd rather ride my own bike at that point.

I am actually surprised that these events still exist in their current form. So many tire kickers and I suspect very little effect on sales. It would make a lot more sense to have the demo day at a track and require ~$500 deposits from participants (to be applied towards a bike if you purchase). If you are serious about purchasing, you get a free day at the track, if you aren't, they get some money to cover the costs involved. It doesn't need to be a huge track, CTMP RDT would be nice, it's close, keeps the speeds somewhat under control and should be reasonably affordable to rent (especially if multiple brands attended the same event).

 

[eoszlak]

i wouldn't have gotten my first harley last season had i not ridden it at the HD demos.. it obviously helped seeing a few of them for the right price range, but i certainly wouldnt have even looked at them or been interested had i not ridden them and enjoyed the bike. i'm not a huge fan of demo days, but i do understand them for sure.

on a completely different note, has the OP had any luck finding a place to ride the bikes he wanted to try? til m2 is actually on his license he'll probably have any even more difficult time figuring this out.

 

[-Maverick-]

Look at some of the exotic brand 600's. I'm sure you will get a great insurance rate. Triumph 675 would be a good bike for you. There's plenty of used ones at good prices.

 

[Yanny]

I can't really understand why anyone would want to do a demo day unless they were really shopping for a new bike.

Absolutely not. If that's the case they wouldn't only make ONE demo day PER YEAR. What if I missed it, do I wait another year to buy a bike? Just think about it.

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