Test riding in Auckland

[discotex]

Got myself a 6F and it's time to start test riding some bikes.

How long is it fair to take a bike out for? I figure if I'm going to lay down 10-15k on a bike I want to be pretty sure I can live with it for the next couple of years.

I figure going for a fang down the motorway and around some local twisty roads will help me make a first cut but to get a final decision I wouldn't mind a bit of open road time. Am I expecting too much to take a bike out for an hour plus?

Anyone have any tips or routes around they normally use that don't take too long but have good twisties?

Any shops more accommodating than others?

[Gremlin]

Depends if the shop knows you... I shop at one all the time, and they allowed me to take 2 bikes out back to back, to clevedon... spent just about the whole day doing so

Some shops have set routes for you to ride as well... best bet is to start with shops you know, and ask straight up. Honesty is always the best policy.

[Swoop]

A recent bike-purchasing mission left me with the impression that test rides are "verboten"...

Go the Auckland bike shops.......

[nodrog:Me]

i brought an RSVR from amps a couple of years ago, was just expecting to get to ride it around the block, but then got told i could have it for 2 -3 hours, so it got a "proper" test ride

[vifferman]

I've never had any problems with test rides, but then again, I've never tested one for more than about 15 minutes. I guess I should've made the most of it. I've test-ridden maybe 20 bikes in the last few years, the craziest of which was the VifFerraRi, as I had no intention originally of test-riding it, and certainly none of buying it. That just shows that if the shops are free'n'easy with test rides, then they're more likely to make a sale.

[janno]

When my ex bought his new BMW in Perth, he took it out for an hour and the shop was surprised to see him back so soon. I thought that was normal until I came here . . .

[Devil]

I found about 30mins was enough to cull the bad ones, and give me a shortlist.
Then longer was required with each bike. I haven't had an issue with test rides before. When I got down to the final two bikes with Holeshot, they let me take each one overnight.

[owner]

Botany honda has a pretty good test track.
Bloody redbaron told me I could test ride their R1 for only 15 mins
How far can an r1 get in 15 mins I came back in 30 and they didnt seem to worried
hole shot and colemans seemed pretty cool about it
Wild West Honda is the best shop in ak anyway

[vifferman]

I guess for the purposes of discovering problems, a longish ride is needed. But as far as deciding whether a bike is "the one", sometimes as little as 3 minutes is enough to eliminate the wronguns.

I'd really love to do some more test rides, but as I have absolutely no intention of replacing the VFR, it makes me feel very guilty about going through the charade.

[EJK]

How long is it fair to take a bike out for? I figure if I'm going to lay down 10-15k.....

All I know is, you can take it out for maximm of 20 minutes....

200kph = 3.33km/ minute

3.33 km/ minute x 20 minutes = 66.6km


Cut the answer in half if you want to stick to the legal limit lol

[007XX]

Ask Jrandom, he's been test riding quite a few lately...

[jrandom]

I simply rock up to the dealer, make sure they've filled the bike's petrol tank, and say "I'll be gone for an hour or two".

I then ride up the motorway from whichever dealer I'm at and do the Albany hill, Coatesville, Riverhead, Old North Road, Kaukapakapa, SH16 back down to town loop.

I think it's important to get a decent ride in on any bike you're considering buying, and it's also important to do the same ride on the different bikes in your potential lineup.

Just ask politely, book your test ride a day or so in advance to make their lives easier, and make it clear that you're a competent rider and a serious customer. Even if you simply tell them that you're not sure what you want yet for your next bike, it'll be fine. After all, how will you decide what sort of bike to buy if you haven't ridden them?

Binning on test rides is not recommended, though; dealer insurance policies always have a $2000-$3000 at-fault excess.

To name names, so far I have nothing but praise for the relaxed and helpful attitude of the sales staff at AMPS and Haldanes. I've certainly been swayed in favour of preferentially buying from either dealer if I end up choosing a bike that they stock. (No, the brands they sell don't overlap.)

[discotex]

All I know is, you can take it out for maximm of 20 minutes....

200kph = 3.33km/ minute

3.33 km/ minute x 20 minutes = 66.6km


Cut the answer in half if you want to stick to the legal limit lol

200km/h? WTF kind of slow arse bike do you think I'm buying EJ?

[discotex]

I simply rock up to the dealer, make sure they've filled the bike's petrol tank, and say "I'll be gone for an hour or two".

I then ride up the motorway from whichever dealer I'm at and do the Albany hill, Coatesville, Riverhead, Old North Road, Kaukapakapa, SH16 back down to town loop.

I think it's important to get a decent ride in on any bike you're considering buying, and it's also important to do the same ride on the different bikes in your potential lineup.

Yeah I'm thinking of doing that for the final showdown. That's a pretty decent test track eh. I'll be doing half my testing at lunch time so half an hour is pretty much my range for the first cut. I figure that's enough to cut a bike or two off the list and hopefully leave me with one or two long weekend runs.

Just ask politely, book your test ride a day or so in advance to make their lives easier, and make it clear that you're a competent rider and a serious customer. Even if you simply tell them that you're not sure what you want yet for your next bike, it'll be fine. After all, how will you decide what sort of bike to buy if you haven't ridden them?

Binning on test rides is not recommended, though; dealer insurance policies always have a $2000-$3000 at-fault excess.

To name names, so far I have nothing but praise for the relaxed and helpful attitude of the sales staff at AMPS and Haldanes. I've certainly been swayed in favour of preferentially buying from either dealer if I end up choosing a bike that they stock. (No, the brands they sell don't overlap.)

I work close to Colemans so popped down their at lunchtime to take a gixxer 600 and SV1000S out. They didn't have a demo gix or K7 SV there but I ended up taking a K5 SV out for a spin. I dealt with Matt and he was pretty cool about it which was great. No "I see you have a temporary licence" type shit. Just here's the waiver and here's the keys.

Down the motorway to Gt North get the tyres warm and get a feel for the brakes. Bit of a cruise through a few of the local 20km/h corners at the speed limit then back into town via the Waterview on-ramp. I know that curve so well it's a great test of a mid speed corner.

Then port exit and back up via that fun little twistie bit that takes you up to the domain from Stanley st. Then back over Grafton bridge in lunch time traffic to Colemans.

As it turned out it was a pretty good sample of the majority of riding I do as I ride to work every day.

Things I learnt about the SV...

1. The SV isn't thaaat slow to turn in sub 100km/h but it does resist a lot more than my ZXR ever did. Can't wait to get on a supersport and see the difference again.
2. 80-130+km/h is way too easy. 130km/h feels slow with that twin revving so slowly.
3. Around town.. 3rd gear? Do you need more than 2 gears around town on an SV? Motorway.. Do you really need 5th and 6th?
4. Ergonomics are soooooo much better than the ZXR. My knee caps don't get compressed when riding with the balls of my feet on the footpegs. Reach isn't too bad either. Nice clear clocks and although the seat is hard my arse was fine for the half hour I was out.
5. Getting stuck in the traffic didn't faze me. Not sure why people diss the thou as a commuter. The thou is fine.

So far I'm impressed with how much bike you get for the money with the SV and I was on a K5 model not the K7 with Yoshi deal that Colemans have put together.

Bring on lunchtime tomorrow when I try to find me an R6, 636 or gixxer 600 to take for a spin. Think I'm going to have to raid Holeshot tomorrow then Haldanes on the weekend

[Black Bandit]

Gotta give the boys at Mt Eden MC a shout. One the best in my experience, really understood that customers don't need to be hassled when doing the "next bike trials". Give 'em space, give 'em time and the customer will make the right decision.