Red Baron & the 7km test ride

[outlawtorn]

I was just at the infamous Red Baron in Auckland and one of my work mates is looking to buy a bike, he has done loads of research and has narrowed it down to the Versus and some other 650 streetbike.

So we go in there to have a look around, per chance to have a test ride. We then get told that if we want a test ride we can take it on a 7 kilometre route that Red Baron have worked out, we can't do any more than 7km's as it would put too much mileage on the bike.

Now can anyone here please tell me that they would know if they where right for a bike, especially something like an adventure/tourer bike after 7 k's of town riding????

Once again this goes to show how much I dislike Red Baron.........they simply have no idea!

[imdying]

Just say yep, no problem, and then take as long as you need. What are they gonna do? Charge you? Take you to court to get the money? I'd like to see them try :rofl:

[Mully]

IIRC, there notice says (well, used to) that they were only insured on their set route.

So, I guess you can go where you want, but if you bin it, be prepared to cough up the purchase price.

[suckingair]

I have never taken a test ride from Red Baron, but you might find that their insurance premiums might be reduced if they have a set test ride route.. Just a thought.

I have taken a bike from a bike shop on Barrys Point Rd, and I took it for about 2 hours, I have no idea what km's I did.

Shop around.

[Indiana_Jones]

7km? you can't even get it onto the open road in that lol, that just sounds retarded and another reason not to goto Red Baron I guess

-Indy

[007XX]

Although I can vaguely understand their interest in the concept of a predetermined route for test rides, I'd see it as poor customer relations and would be put off dealing with a company like that.

Hence the fact I will go with Holeshot unless they don't have the bike I want.

[Ixion]

7km may be enough if the bike is pretty similar to the one you already ride.

But IME it takes at least 1000 km or so to get to grips with an unfamilar *type* of bike.

When I first rode the BMW, I thought " OMG. What have I done. This is horrible, I'll never to able to live with this. ".

But, after a bit , I changed my technique a bit, got used to where things were (like the indicators !) adjusted my thinking and decided "Hm, well, yes, it's certainly *different*. But, not actually bad. In fact, quite good".

Similarly, the SV. Initially "Oh, I'm not comfortable, I don't like this, nothing falls readily to hand etc". In that case, a few hundred clicks to think "Hm, OK getting the hang of this machine now". But that was maybe because in some ways (riding position mainly) it is not dissimilar to my old RD350. Old memories came back.

I'm just a poor old man, can't afford new bikes, but if I did ever win Lotto, I don't think I'd bother with a test ride. Or else I'd go the other way and try to hire one for a prolonged period.

[Firefight]

pm sent,

had many test rides, Yamaha, Kawa and Honda dealers, always given full tank of gas and told take bike for a few hours, (mostly north waikato roads)

pm me if you want dealers details


F/F

[Hitcher]

As a point of clarification, does this 7km limit apply just to brand-new bikes or to all bikes that they retail?

If it's the former, I can see a thin shaft of logic. Otherwise it sounds like a great way of driving business elsewhere.

[outlawtorn]

As a point of clarification, does this 7km limit apply just to brand-new bikes or to all bikes that they retail?

If it's the former, I can see a thin shaft of logic. Otherwise it sounds like a great way of driving business elsewhere.

I'm not too sure to be honest, the bikes we were looking at were brand new.

[007XX]

Holeshot are awesome testriderers.
I'm filed with awe every time I go there.
I must go there again soon - haven't test ridden anything for over three years...

Hmmmmm...I'm trying to stay away at the moment, as they have a black lil' number I drool over...

[SPman]

Unless it's changed (doubtful), it's "up New North Road, turn right, take the on-ramp onto the NW motoringway, then take the offramp at Waterview (or whatever it's called), then back through Western Springs to Red the Baron."
Plenty of "open road" <_< unless of course the NW is gridlocked, in which case it's poifick for testing communtering abilities. :rolleyes:
I found, on the Z1000 I rode on that route, that 130k down to the motorway with a little wheelie on the way was quite possible, a good test for the brakes and set the tone for the rest of the 7 killermeters. Then I rode the circuit three times, just to be sure!

[FzerozeroT]

Go to Waikato Yamaha, you can intend to go for a 15minute loop around the block, get lost and come back 1 3/4 hours later with 100k's on the clock :oops:

[Big Dave]

But IME it takes at least 1000 km or so to get to grips with an unfamilar *type* of bike.




I can sometimes make up my mind in 500mtrs, sometimes it takes 100km to change it.

I reckon if you did the 7km test ride, proved that you have the bona fides to make a purchasing decision and indicated that you needed a slightly longer ride to confirm it, it should be forthcoming.

AMPS are also good with their demos.

[The Pastor]

i was put off with there test ride deals, probably wont be buying from them.

[SPman]

AMPS are also good with their demos.
Waddaya mean - after 2hrs on the Buell Thunderbolt, they wouldn't let me take it to the Coromandel for the weekend!
Just coz it was the first one they had............

[The Pastor]

I hope you told them that.
I'm sure they'll be heartbroken.
at the end of the day, i just feel like they are dodgy as. money talks tho.

8k zxr250, yes plz.

[Tank]

the issue is that red baron get their bikes on consignment. So they only have to pay ones they hit a mileage fig. Thus if you go for a long test ride and dont buy the bike - they have too.

They often try to get you to fill in a sale and purchase agreement BEFORE test riding saying you can cancel if if there is a REALLY big issue.

[Big Dave]

Waddaya mean - after 2hrs on the Buell Thunderbolt, they wouldn't let me take it to the Coromandel for the weekend!
Just coz it was the first one they had............

2 hours on a thunderbolt and i need a knee operation.

[Disco Dan]

Dumb Baron have given us yet ANOTHER reason to shop elsewhere.

Overpriced and shite service.

Next !



Want a good bike shop? ---- Henderson Motorcycles and MotoHaus

MotoHaus gets my first pick everytime.

[F5 Dave]

. . Similarly, the SV. Initially "Oh, I'm not comfortable, I don't like this, nothing falls readily to hand etc". . .
If I was on a bike & something fell 'readily to hand' I'd move it just so I didn't have to hear that phrase.

Next it will be "does it corner on rails?"
Indeed.

Positively like a locomotive.

[mitchilin]

the issue is that red baron get their bikes on consignment. So they only have to pay ones they hit a mileage fig. Thus if you go for a long test ride and dont buy the bike - they have too.

They often try to get you to fill in a sale and purchase agreement BEFORE test riding saying you can cancel if if there is a REALLY big issue.

That's a pretty good reason to limit test rides and explains their position nicely.

[Swoop]

Unless it's changed (doubtful), it's "up New North Road, turn right, take the on-ramp onto the NW motoringway, then take the offramp at Waterview (or whatever it's called), then back through Western Springs to Red the Baron."
Plenty of "open road" <_< unless of course the NW is gridlocked, in which case it's poifick for testing communtering abilities. :rolleyes:
I had the pleasure of assisting a biker who had broken down just as you head west on that "route". His demo bike had stopped about 400m west from the Newton Rd onramp.
I don't think he was too impressed with that test ride!

[crazybigal]

its a load of crap, and i bet they also say it has an excess of $2k, lots of they say that shit but its just to scare people off who dont intend on buying a bike


IIRC, there notice says (well, used to) that they were only insured on their set route.

So, I guess you can go where you want, but if you bin it, be prepared to cough up the purchase price.

[mitchilin]

However, it does their potential customers no good whatsoever. A very good reason to scrap the policy.

- just kidding! Everyone knows bike shops aren't there for the benefit of customers!

Good point.It's the bike shop that's going to suffer in the end.

[Hitcher]

Why don't they just have demonstrator bikes like most other shops do?

[jrandom]

Any bike shop that refused to let me take a bike on my usual 60km-ish northwest test loop would simply lose my business, and that'd be all there was to it.

Of course, sometimes a shop will let me take a bike out on the loop and generally provide excellent sales service, and then I'll run off and get a bike from a dealer at the other end of the island...

:o

(In other words, both Colemans Suzuki and Dave Anderson MC get the official jrandom thumbs-up.)

[crazybigal]

its not their fault there are dumb shits out there who will pay the 8k! with 36% intrest and insurance costing more than the bike!


at the end of the day, i just feel like they are dodgy as. money talks tho.

8k zxr250, yes plz.

[aderino4]

pm sent,

had many test rides, Yamaha, Kawa and Honda dealers, always given full tank of gas and told take bike for a few hours, (mostly north waikato roads)

pm me if you want dealers details


F/F


Likewise, I can recommend a honda dealer in Auckland that does that too.

[Baracus]

Just thought I would post up my experience from the weekend....

Went and had a look at a couple of bikes at KTL motorcycles in Western Springs upon lots of recommendations to "go see Kerry".
I had excellent customer experience from the young lady there (sorry - can't remember her name) - no pressure approach.

I was allowed to take a bike for a test ride without hassle or conditions. :2thumbsup

Still not too sure if that was the bike for me but I wouldn't hesitate to give them my business when I make my mind up.

They also have a website so check it out!
http://www.ktlbikes.co.nz/links.php

Setting a test ride route sounds silly in my opinion - but only if it doesn't allow you to make an informed decision about the bike you want. I personally take a lot of factors into consideration and check out forums/etc as well as a test ride.

[SPman]

its a load of crap, and i bet they also say it has an excess of $2k, lots of they say that shit but its just to scare people off who dont intend on buying a bike
Take one out, drop it and report back to us............:whistle:

[Mully]

its a load of crap, and i bet they also say it has an excess of $2k, lots of they say that shit but its just to scare people off who dont intend on buying a bike

I don't doubt it. It must be frustrating to have people come in, ride dozens of bikes and then piss off never to be seen again. I guess that's a cost of doing business.

On the two bikes I've ridden from shops (AMPS and Henderson), I've never had any dramas about where to ride. Had to sign a form saying I'd pay for tickets and the excess if I binned it though, but don't mind that.



I had excellent customer experience from the young lady there

More information please.

[discotex]

I'm kinda in two minds about this.

Red Baron get truck loads of tyre kickers who are never going to buy so I can understand them not wanting to rack up milage on new/demo bikes.

I took an R6 and ZX-6R out from Red Baron and they didn't say shit about route. Just "don't be too long we've only got a couple of dealer plates". (was a busy saturday with non stop test riders)

I'm all for a short first test ride anyway. Up to waterview the back to port exit and up through the twisties in the domain should give you a good feel if you hate the bike or not. Certainly was enough for me to love the R6 and hate the ZX-6.

One you whittle down the options the 50km test comes into it and I'd walk away from a dealer who wouldn't let me do that (once I'm a serious buyer). I didn't find out if they'd do a long test but I'm sure they would have if the money was up for grabs.

[Edbear]

Well I wasn't intending a test ride, but when I took my bike into Bikesport in Helensville for its 6k service, Matthew wheeled out the pristine, white M109R and told me it was the loaner for me to get back home on...:confused:

Now, I suspect he had an ulterior motive for this, as I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED taking the long way home due to taking the wrong turn and getting lost....:msn-wink:

[SVboy]

NORJO MTRs in ChCh have the test ride thing licked----they wont let you!!!. As if, "hey thats a pretty colour, I will take it!". Still, they are still in business.......

[jtzzr]

Was looking at buying a zzr11 from Red baron ,and they said take it where-ever , They gave me $20 for gas , took it down the North- western to glenfield , then back into town over the bridge , back to red b , went inside "Do you like the bike ?" No it`s crap I said , 4 days later I`m there took a Vtr1000 for a ride (around the &k circus), that too was crap, Spied a Blackbird , took that for a spin( around the 7k circus) and bought the bird the next day , What I`m trying to say they probably will let you take it for a longer test ride , but I reckon 7k is long enough to figure out if a bike suits ya.:done:

[Rockbuddy]

Well I wasn't intending a test ride, but when I took my bike into Bikesport in Helensville for its 6k service, Matthew wheeled out the pristine, white M109R and told me it was the loaner for me to get back home on...:confused:

Now, I suspect he had an ulterior motive for this, as I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED taking the long way home due to taking the wrong turn and getting lost....:msn-wink:

same sort of thing here, took the VN800 in for its 10000km service in the morning they gave me a demo VN900 and said have it back around 5pm Mt Eden motorcycles definatly get my business next time i buy another bike

[geoffm]

As a point of clarification, does this 7km limit apply just to brand-new bikes or to all bikes that they retail?

If it's the former, I can see a thin shaft of logic. Otherwise it sounds like a great way of driving business elsewhere.

It certainly applied a few years ago before I got the beemer - I was looking at a 2nd hand Kawasaki they had there, and it was the 7km GP at 5PM rush hour. This top way of testing a litre bike in it's natural environment, and may explain why I didn't buy it.

[quickbuck]

The VFR750 felt good within about... ooh... approximately 100m.
The VT750 felt weird within about... ooh... approximately 100m, and then got somewhat better, except for the very crappy 1-2 gearchange, so I did away with first gear altogether:

My thoughts exactly.
Every bike I have bought I have worked out it was the one for me in about that distance.
The rest was a play :whistle:

[Ixion]

My thoughts exactly.
Every bike I have bought I have worked out it was the one for me in about that distance.
The rest was a play :whistle:

I am a rather perverted soul. I try to buy bikes that I feel are *not* 'the one for me'. I feel that buying a bike that feels like 'the one for me', I am probably just getting another bike like my previous ones, and settling into a pattern. By buying bikes that I do not feel comfortable with, I force myself out of any incipient rut, and am forced to acquire new skills, new outlooks. It pushes me out of any comfort zone I may be developing. Which I think is a good thing.

And , interestingly, in every case , once I fight my way through the initial "I hate this bike, it's horrible' phase I end up thinking 'oh, yes, I guess this does suit me after all'.

But it makes the choosing between several bikes , neither of which is 'the one for me' more difficult.

[MaxB]

Was looking at buying a zzr11 from Red baron ,and they said take it where-ever , They gave me $20 for gas , took it down the North- western to glenfield , then back into town over the bridge , back to red b , went inside "Do you like the bike ?" No it`s crap I said , 4 days later I`m there took a Vtr1000 for a ride (around the &k circus), that too was crap, Spied a Blackbird , took that for a spin( around the 7k circus) and bought the bird the next day , What I`m trying to say they probably will let you take it for a longer test ride , but I reckon 7k is long enough to figure out if a bike suits ya.:done:

ZZR is crap? or it was in crap condition or not the bike for you?

I've had probs with poorly prepped models on test rides. One Jap import BMW I test rode had not been set up for NZ roads. It was still covered in crap from storage. The mods take all of 10 mins and I had ridden a prepped version for comparison. I didn't buy the bike.

[Disco Dan]

ZZR is crap? or it was in crap condition or not the bike for you?

I've had probs with poorly prepped models on test rides. One Jap import BMW I test rode had not been set up for NZ roads. It was still covered in crap from storage. The mods take all of 10 mins and I had ridden a prepped version for comparison. I didn't buy the bike.

Mods for a ZX11 huh? .....ooooooh!!!!

[90s]

As a point of clarification, does this 7km limit apply just to brand-new bikes or to all bikes that they retail?

If it's the former, I can see a thin shaft of logic. Otherwise it sounds like a great way of driving business elsewhere.

Hmmm, I nearly found out about 2 yrs ago when I was in there. I was looking at a Ninja and talking with a sales guy about taking it for a ride. I was actually sitting on the bike in the showroom when another salesman came over and asked me to get off it as some people wanted to see it, and had cash, and he'd given them first dibs. They bought it.
Wasn't not impressed with their attitude virtually bustling me off the bike with the sight of $$ in their eyes. Ironically of course I had money to spend when I found a decent bike (which I did the following week) - but I made sure it was elsewhere.