Should I feel guilty doing this?

[stanleychung]

No its not what you think get your mind out of your gutter.

I recently achieved my full motorbike licence and suddenly more than usual I'm noticing/starting to look/desire bikes of larger cc than mine. Ideally if i had a wee more power in mine i'd be perfect for 2 up touring (it will do it now but I'd feel more comfortable with a bit more) but it would be silly to invest too much money in my VL250.

A certain local dealer did call me recently and invited me to come in and test ride a few/all bikes to see which i like (he even said I could spend the whole day there). Although nothing could please me more than riding all sorts of different bikes all day, I used to be in the car sales and I didnt particularly like prosepctive customers who test drove all day and were just tire kickers (maybe i was just a poor salesman lol).

As a rule of thumb for myself when i get to the test drive/ride stage I'm about 1 step away from handing over the cheque. Should I feel guilty taking his offer? Dont get me wrong, given the right price/bike I do intend to upgrade but at the moment without riding any of the bikes I think I want I'm soo confused on what to get and I'm not to adverse in keeping the faithful VL.

[retro asian]

Do it. Can't see any reason why not?

The sales person knows that its not a done deal until they can convince you that their bike is your next bike...

[stanleychung]

Ah thats an interesting perspective, they have to "convince" me their bike is the one I should have.

[Maha]

Ah thats an interesting perspective, they have to "convince" me their bike is the one I should have.

Turning that around would be the better option..
Convince yourself their bike is the one you should have.

Dont be convinced into buying a bike just because the salesman says' man you suit that bike'...thats their job.

[Big Dave]

A few k's on some demos is a cheap investment in a happy prospect.

[2wheeldrifter]

Take your time dude... the showroom of bikes, trade me etc etc are not going anywhere, there will always be bikes for sale.

Take your time, ride them all... whats the rush, this bike has to suit you and YOUR needs not the salemens

[Mully]

How do you know what you want unless you test ride all the options??

If you feel bad, you could say "Look, I don't know what bike I want, so I want to ride some others as well"

[phoenixgtr]

Totally do it Stanley. I love test riding. It's the only way you going to know if you like other bikes and if there is one out there that is better for you than the VL

[stanleychung]

How do you know what you want unless you test ride all the options??

If you feel bad, you could say "Look, I don't know what bike I want, so I want to ride some others as well"

How true. More and more, I'm finding bike dealers are soo different to car dealers. Maybe its a christchurch thing.

[p.dath]

I can't be bothered doing test drives/rides until I'm ready to do a purchase.

Otherwise you try something out, and it gets sold, a newer model comes along, you get offered some hot deal by someone leaving the country, etc .

[Dave Lobster]

Do it. The chap in the shop is offering you a go on his bikes. What are you thinking??

[Azi Dahaka]

after i got my full i purchased a vl800 upgraded from my gn250. get a bike you like it dosn't matter the size but the look as far as i am concerned. as long as you are comfortable to handle it and it is comfortable to put your fat ass on.

i test rided a 2008 vl800 and loved it but hated the white colour so got a 2007 model which is black. THAT WAS MY REASONING.

[stanleychung]

Thanks guys right all i have to do now is find which bike i want to ride. Might try a Bandit or an M50.

[awayatc]

cars you buy with your head,
bikes with your heart......

try a few and see which one you just "gotta have"

[James Deuce]

Don't feel vaguely uncomfortable.

However.

It has to be said.

You sound like the sort of car salesman I never buy cars from.

If I can't load the whanau and make sure we fit and it works well for us I won't buy it. I'll tyre kick for months too, and I'll go back to the dealer with the best attitude, not the cheapest deal.