Triumphrat

Superdeluxe

I was just wondering how many of you test rode your bike before you bought it. When I bought my bonneville from South Bay Triumph I test rode the bike and loved it. But recently a friend of mine bought a brand new Yamaha FJR1300 without really even sitting on it. So...is a test ride mandatory or not?

fatass

Nope. I saw it and had to have it....I considered a Thruxton, but I went specifically for a blue and white Scrambler, and that's exactly what they had.

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The 80s
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Sp00ky

Definitely. You can only tell so much from looking at a bike and sitting on it in the showroom.
Riding it on a test ride will tell you *all* you need to know.

S.

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2010 Street Triple. Black.

"Just because you're breathing doesn't mean you're alive"

Overkill0084

I test rode mine. I'm 6'3" and I need to know something is going to fit.
That being said, If you were going from an older bonnie to say a new Scrambler, you could likely get away without it.
Going through a dealership, I'm probably not going to buy from them if they won't give me a test drive.

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Cheers,
Greg

2010 Thunderbird SE

Superdeluxe

For me, if I couldn't test ride it would be a deal breaker. How can you tell how the motor behaves or how it handles or if the breaks are any good? All the review on the net don't mean a thing, I think you got to ride before you buy.

30942

Dealer was 100 miles away. Called him on the phone, made the deal, picked it up 3 weeks later (had plane tickets to go on vacation 1st).

Never regretted it, but with that said, I've ridden many Bonnies and Tigers that were my brothers, so I knew what I was getting into.

propforward

No I didn't. Sat on one in the showroom.

Went away, thought about it, phoned the dealer up and bought one. Ordered accessories and everything over the phone on Monday, went and picked it up friday evening. I hadn't even seen mine - it wasn't at the dealer when I went and sat on their showroom one. It had been delivered the day I phoned to say I wanted one....

Fabbo.

My dealer did have a demo Bonnie - I just never gave it a try.

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Rustic Road Progress

tangomike

No, it was missing an exhaust pipe and had crappy wiring. I didn't need to though, it was worth the money even if the motor was frozen.. Even non running it was a really good deal. I was only concerned with the frame. If I were to buy something I expected to run, I would certainly ride it, as that is why I would be buying it. Common sense.

TangoMike
The only thing you should buy without trying it out is a hooker!

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If it's not leaking oil, there ain't none in it.

hobbes80

nope. Dealer didn't even have one in stock. He let me sit on a customer's that was in for repairs. I knew I liked the styling, I had sat on my friend's bonneville and it was OK, but didn't wow me. I knew I wanted something sportier than my cruiser, but not something that was a full out race bike.

I knew the second I sat on it that it was right. Didn't even need to ride it.

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"...of course, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus, but I'd still need to bum rides off of people"

oldretrorider

After buying a Sportster without ever having ridden one, I swore I would never do that again. I test rode a BMW F800ST and it didn't seem right. Then I tested a Bonnie, and it just felt perfect. When the ride was over, I had a big grin on my face and knew I had to buy it. So, lesson learned -- it doesn't matter how the bike feels in the showroom, or what the stats are. The only way to be sure it's the right bike for you is to ride it. Otherwise, it's just a throw of the dice, and an expensive one at that.