Red Baron & the 7km test ride

[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.

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...



(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.

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.