Would you buy a demo bike?

[tigertim20]

10% off the price doesnt seem too bad its its only done 450km.

There is fuckall margin on most vehicles, so rather than expecting 20%, 30% whatever off the price (they'll probably tell you to fuck off) You'll be better asking for something like having the first service covered for free since its done half the first service Kms anyway.

If it's a demo bike, then the on road costs shouldnt be charged as an extra either if its already on the road.

9k for a 10k bike, ride away with first service free sounds like a win.

And I think youre worrying about nothing re: break in etc.

[v twin]

Things may have changed these days but I bought a brand new 'pre regd or demo' zx7r and wrote it off. The insurance only paid out on a 2nd hand value..... maybe worth looking into ?

[Digitdion]

I have purchased 2 demo bikes before. Never had an issue. The only bike I had issues with was a bike I bought brand new. That was a real lemon.

[R650R]

The real question is would you buy an overpriced second hand bike?
As thats what many demo bikes are. I'm fastidious with early oil changes and worry too about have the initial oil changes actually been done on time at least if at all or just once the demo group gang bang session has ended.
Modern bikes are very good but i tend to keep things for a long time so would rather run in myself than get a mediocre discount.
The stealerships complain about margins and overheads etc but a demo bike is cost effective advertising, what would direct marketing to potential customers cost.

[AllanB]

The stealerships complain about margins and overheads etc but a demo bike is cost effective advertising, what would direct marketing to potential customers cost.

Hang one here ....

Here's the rub for a dealer. If you punt up a demo bike you do get a better purchase rate off the importer but I understand not a lot. You hope you have picked the right bike and the demo rides equal sales.

Or you don't front up with a demo bike and take a punt that potential buyers will lay down hard earned cash based on a couple of magazine reviews.


Now there are bikes that are exceptions - supercharged Kwackers, limited run Ducati's etc that type of thing - people with coin just order them. The rest of us generally want a ride or two first before laying down our money.

So - me I am grateful to any dealer wetting up a demo bike.

My understanding is they generally do not make a lot or any off them. Indeed I know of bikes that have been demoed then at later in the run the importer discounts the bike to under the special dealer demo purchase price, so they have a demo bike owing them more than the new ones selling off the floor! Honda Hornet 900 is a example - started at $15k - last run was discounted to $10.

Dealers take a shit load of flack on KB but no one ever offers up an alternative to a factory backed dealership..........

Me I expect them to make money out of me - and they need to make money out of you too so if I have a warranty issue they are still in business to fix it, and when I want to trade it they are still in business and remember my business.

Be kind to your dealer. Some that were very good to deal with have been lost over the past 6 years. Presumably they concentrated too much on customer care instead of profit! And there is the rub again ....

A happy life is about balance.

[mossy1200]

Hang one here ....



So - me I am grateful to any dealer wetting up a demo bike.

I think what 650 is saying is if a dealership pays 9k including onroads for a 10k retail bike as a demo then cuts the ex demo price to 9k then profit is zero but cost of having the demo bike is also zero. Bike shop get free advertising value from that bike.
Personally I think 9k for a 10k retail bike isnt enough discount but I dont own a bike shop and if thats what they get then they priced it correctly.

I think when I bought my ex demo r1200s I saved 4k but its a more expensive bike. I only bought mine because it was the only black one available. All the rest were titanium and red. I liked the look of the black one more.
Its the one bike I wish I still owned.

[R650R]

Hang one here

Be kind to your dealer. Some that were very good to deal with have been lost over the past 6 years. Presumably they concentrated too much on customer care instead of profit! And there is the rub again ....

A happy life is about balance.

I'm very grateful to dealers who provide demos but ive rarely been able to make use of them, often due to work hours.
I've bought brand new twice on specs/knowledge of bike alone twice with no demo.
Recently I would have bought brand new again but the demo was 'booked' for someone else to ride who wasnt even in the shop. Also they wouldn't entaertain the idea of a trade in, too much work for them. Yet another dealer would without even seeing the bike! I only would have needed 5mins up the road to decide if i like soemthing or not, buying impulse switched off there. Left phone number and no call back.
Awhile later I was ready to buy again, demo was there but dealer not very proactive in offering ride.... get the story about limited availabviulty etc... then couple weeks later they are selling several of the same 'out of stock' bike......
One dealer gave me his own bike to ride of a model i hadn't ridden.
Rode demo Tl1000S when released, bought gSXR750 instead.
Rode demo Bandit 1200 and Blackbird for media articles I wrote at time.

Dealerships are dissappearing because people aren't buying bikes as much or as often before, we're an endangered species.
Nothing to dow ith people not wanting to pay too much for secondhand (demo) bikes.

Recently my partner bought a new (second hand) car from a dealership for about half its market value. The dealer says he sells 60 brand new vehicles a week and just cant afford to store trades so flicks them quick as for whatever he gets. If bike shops did that they might get more new sales, plus parts on the trade they sold. Cause thats half the problem when upgrading is selling your old bike.

[R650R]

I think what 650 is saying is if a dealership pays 9k including onroads for a 10k retail bike as a demo then cuts the ex demo price to 9k then profit is zero but cost of having the demo bike is also zero. Bike shop get free advertising value from that bike.
Personally I think 9k for a 10k retail bike isnt enough discount but I dont own a bike shop and if thats what they get then they priced it correctly.

I think when I bought my ex demo r1200s I saved 4k but its a more expensive bike. I only bought mine because it was the only black one available. All the rest were titanium and red. I liked the look of the black one more.
Its the one bike I wish I still owned.

Yeah something like that.

Also the dealership often has a Salaried plus commission sales person. So whats a couple of $K loss (if any) on a demo when your paying your worker 30-50k a year?????

[Gremlin]

Or you don't front up with a demo bike and take a punt that potential buyers will lay down hard earned cash based on a couple of magazine reviews.

Boss is interested in an MT10, but can't find a demo. Too bad... Apparently the SP will arrive at some point which would probably tempt him more, but in limited numbers I wonder if there would be any demo?

BMW does demo days where they have one fleet that travels the country, seems to be a balance between no demos and some...

[rastuscat]

I woud'na thunk a CBR500 was a proper sports bike either to be fair

No, but it's LAMS approved so a few learners might have hammered the clutch out on a demo ride.

[Luckylegs]

...have hammered the clutch out...

Thats a particularly technical term for an instructionator. It gives the impression of the complete opposite of what i would think most learners would be doin to the clutch

[jdz89]

will you be buying a cbr500r when you're done tootling around on the duke?

Like I said mate, we're all 10ft tall and bullet proof and lets not forget about the mountains of knowledge we have from watching videos of sub par riders on Youtube. Straight to the Super Duke R

[T.W.R]

When I worked at the Kawasaki dealership we'd regularly have customers wanting to check demo bikes out, unfortunately for us & the customer getting one for them was next to impossible. We'd have beg, steal or borrow to get what the customer was after...usually ending up having to turn one of the bikes in store into the shop demonstrator.
When the ZG1400 was released we had 2 customers desperate to try out a demo bike and we busted our guts trying to get one down for them, it didn't happen and after plenty of phone calls to other dealers found one a customer could try so we sent said customer up to try the bike out whilst we had one coming on order; the customer liked the demo they got came back to us and paid in advance for the bike and came and watched as it was unpacked and assembled, PD'd for them to ride away.

Buying stock in...yes buying stock! from Kawasaki for the shop we'd have our purchase price & a RRP the margin between was our working profit, depending on what model of bike the difference between the RRP & our purchase price wasn't that great. And sometimes cementing a sale cut pretty deeply into the profit.

Each month Kawasaki send out a current held stock list & order form along with an outstanding balance of money owed, used to be a bit disheartening seeing the boss going through the list of bikes available knowing that we should be getting hold of certain models yet just plainly not being able to afford the expense of doing so.
We almost got in the shit when Kawasaki announced KDX200s were to be no more, there were only a handful in the country at the time and all the dealerships were trying to get their mitts on them, so in desperation we contacted Kawasaki America to purchase about 20 or so directly from them. Big K NZ gave us a right bollocking for making the attempt and announced they'd secured a handful that were destined for another country of which we laid claim to 12

[pritch]

The real question is would you buy an overpriced second hand bike?
As thats what many demo bikes are. I'm fastidious with early oil changes and worry too about have the initial oil changes actually been done on time at least if at all or just once the demo group gang bang session has ended.
Modern bikes are very good but i tend to keep things for a long time so would rather run in myself than get a mediocre discount.
The stealerships complain about margins and overheads etc but a demo bike is cost effective advertising, what would direct marketing to potential customers cost.

What oil changes? The bike in question has only done 450k. Demonstrators are not necessary second hand, they may have been ridden on D plates. (X plates?)

Some dealers use a trusted staff member or other person to take a new bike for it's first ride. I have done that for two different dealers the only instructions were not to thrash the bike and just ride it normally.

[Luckylegs]

Like I said mate, we're all 10ft tall and bullet proof and lets not forget about the mountains of knowledge we have from watching videos of sub par riders on Youtube. Straight to the Super Duke R

Yep, leaving the more mature learner rider to purchase the likes of a cbr500 after a careful and nanna(ly) test ride on the demo.


...[Posh voice]Advantage luckylegs[/posh voice]