Buying a new motorcycle without test drive

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alwaysthenewbie

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Hi
I am looking to buy a new motorcycle (Indian scout) and the dealership said that you cannot test drive any of the bikes unless you have an m license. I will have my m2 by July end (need to wait for 60 days after m1 and safety course). Will it be advisable to buy motorcycle without test drive. It will be new so don't have to worry about mechanical issue but was wondering how will I understand if I will like the bike without riding it. Looking forward for your suggestion
 
alwaysthenewbie said:
Hi
I am looking to buy a new motorcycle (Indian scout) and the dealership said that you cannot test drive any of the bikes unless you have an m license. I will have my m2 by July end (need to wait for 60 days after m1 and safety course). Will it be advisable to buy motorcycle without test drive. It will be new so don't have to worry about mechanical issue but was wondering how will I understand if I will like the bike without riding it. Looking forward for your suggestion
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Welcome to the forum.

And welcome to the struggles we all face. You could try to keep your eyes open for a demo day event for the brands you`re interested in, you can speak to the appropriate dealerships to find out about when they might have one or keep an eye on the thread we have going;

www.gtamotorcycle.com

2024 Demo Days

Just says 'participating dealers' 🤷‍♂️
www.gtamotorcycle.com www.gtamotorcycle.com

But, long story short is most of them seem to be moving towards requiring an M license. Most dealers do not offer demo rides due to insurance reasons.
 
Yeah the sales rep mentioned the same thing about insurance. If this is the norm I think we can't do much about it except wait for demo days. Thanks for your reply. Appreciate it
 
alwaysthenewbie said:
Hi
I am looking to buy a new motorcycle (Indian scout) and the dealership said that you cannot test drive any of the bikes unless you have an m license. I will have my m2 by July end (need to wait for 60 days after m1 and safety course). Will it be advisable to buy motorcycle without test drive. It will be new so don't have to worry about mechanical issue but was wondering how will I understand if I will like the bike without riding it. Looking forward for your suggestion
Click to expand...
Welcome to GTAM

Perhaps it is best to wait until you have your full M before purchasing a new motorcycle, this way you can be sure it is the right make/model for your riding requirements, in the meantime buy a lower cost used bike while you have your M2, you can trade it in or sell it privately when you're ready to move on and you have a full license and a good understanding of insurance in Ontario. Ride safe!
 
alwaysthenewbie said:
Yeah the sales rep mentioned the same thing about insurance. If this is the norm I think we can't do much about it except wait for demo days. Thanks for your reply. Appreciate it
Click to expand...
You can do what some riders on GTAM do and buy what you think you want and sell it again if it doesn't work for you. Not the cheapest approach for sure but you get the opportunity to ride it as you want in many different conditions prior to making the decision to sell or keep. Even if you were allowed to test ride, it's a small sample of riding conditions (often with few corners and very limited speed) and it isn't a guarantee that you'll love the bike as an owner. It can help weed out bikes you really hate, but I'd be surprised if many riders hated the scout (stock exhaust makes the bike sound chirpy imo but that's easy to fix).
 
Honestly, I highly recommend a used bike as your first as you'll likely drop it and may want to move to something else later anyways and you won't lose as much re-selling as you would lose on a new bike.
 
Jampy00 said:
Welcome to GTAM

Perhaps it is best to wait until you have your full M before purchasing a new motorcycle, this way you can be sure it is the right make/model for your riding requirements, in the meantime buy a lower cost used bike while you have your M2, you can trade it in or sell it privately when you're ready to move on and you have a full license and a good understanding of insurance in Ontario. Ride safe!
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Thank you!
 
GreyGhost said:
You can do what some riders on GTAM do and buy what you think you want and sell it again if it doesn't work for you. Not the cheapest approach for sure but you get the opportunity to ride it as you want in many different conditions prior to making the decision to sell or keep. Even if you were allowed to test ride, it's a small sample of riding conditions (often with few corners and very limited speed) and it isn't a guarantee that you'll love the bike as an owner. It can help weed out bikes you really hate, but I'd be surprised if many riders hated the scout (stock exhaust makes the bike sound chirpy imo but that's easy to fix).
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Thank you for the idea! Appreciate it
 
LBV said:
Honestly, I highly recommend a used bike as your first as you'll likely drop it and may want to move to something else later anyways and you won't lose as much re-selling as you would lose on a new bike.
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Thank you for the idea. I think I will start looking into pre-owned bikes to see if I can find something good there
 
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Reactions: LBV
LBV said:
Honestly, I highly recommend a used bike as your first as you'll likely drop it and may want to move to something else later anyways and you won't lose as much re-selling as you would lose on a new bike.
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I must the only person to not drop my first motorcycle, I hear "You'll drop it" on almost every new rider motorcycle related post..
But LBV does provide good insight on buying used, your first motorcycle is rarely the only motorcycle you'll ever own and you'll feel much less guilt about any small mishaps you may have with it up to and including dropping it it is also a good learning experience in regards to general maintenance etc. as well as hopefully less to ensure versus a new purchase.
 
Jampy00 said:
I must the only person to not drop my first motorcycle, I hear "You'll drop it" on almost every new rider motorcycle related post..
But LBV does provide good insight on buying used, your first motorcycle is rarely the only motorcycle you'll ever own and you'll feel much less guilt about any small mishaps you may have with it up to and including dropping it it is also a good learning experience in regards to general maintenance etc. as well as hopefully less to ensure versus a new purchase.
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U lucky.

I dropped mine the first day I picked mine up at an intersection that’s 5 min from my house. lol.

To OP, if money allows for it I would go new, chances are older starter bikes have histories that you may or may not like. I often see listings of starter bikes on Kijiji and most have been dropped etc… and chances are it’s prolly rides well and no issues but the peace of mind with a dealer bought bike.

Or may be look into some dealer used bikes? They usually don’t pick up nasty conditions but I could be wrong here.

Good luck and safe riding.
 
Homme007 said:
U lucky.

I dropped mine the first day I picked mine up at an intersection that’s 5 min from my house. lol.

To OP, if money allows for it I would go new, chances are older starter bikes have histories that you may or may not like. I often see listings of starter bikes on Kijiji and most have been dropped etc… and chances are it’s prolly rides well and no issues but the peace of mind with a dealer bought bike.

Or may be look into some dealer used bikes? They usually don’t pick up nasty conditions but I could be wrong here.

Good luck and safe riding.
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It's important to distinguished between dropped and wrecked. Every once in a while my foot went down on gravel at a stop and the bike took the opportunity to take a nap.

I sell my bikes no test rides. For the few thousand in equity I prefer to keep my record clean. Insurance is nasty if there is a claim. The traffic ticket goes against the rider once. The premium bump goes for years.

I have no idea what dealers pay for insurance to cover test rides. Where there are ride days the bikes may come from the manufacturer's stable and already have a few scratches.

If there is an injury do the rehab costs go against the bike owner, the dealer, or the rider's insurance, assuming they are listed on another policy somewhere?
 
Homme007 said:
To OP, if money allows for it I would go new, chances are older starter bikes have histories that you may or may not like.
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I would take this advice with a bag of salt.
I've been riding over four decades and I'm on bike 15 I think. In all that time I have never owned a brand new bike. Never had an issue related with the bikes past history, that I can recall.

Until my hips complained the Squeeze and I would take week+ long trips into the states on a used 30 year old Goldwing.

Buy used. Own more.
 
timtune said:
I would take this advice with a bag of salt.
I've been riding over four decades and I'm on bike 15 I think. In all that time I have never owned a brand new bike. Never had an issue related with the bikes past history, that I can recall.

Until my hips complained the Squeeze and I would take week+ long trips into the states on a used 30 year old Goldwing.

Buy used. Own more.
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The only thing that bothered me about my 1200 Wing was the charging system.

The key to buying a used toy is not letting testosterone fuel the decision.

1) Be realistic in what you intend to do with the toy and don't buy someone else's image

2) Research suitable toys and how they fit into your social / family mix.

3) Research the weaknesses of your choices and what ones you can live with.

For example: You can drop $40,000 on a brand new Goldwing and head for California and have reasonable expectations of getting there with few problems.

Or you can buy a used Goldwing for $4000 and head for California and probably get there. If you have a problem en route you have $36,000 in your pocket to resolve it.
 
Homme007 said:
U lucky.

I dropped mine the first day I picked mine up at an intersection that’s 5 min from my house. lol.

To OP, if money allows for it I would go new, chances are older starter bikes have histories that you may or may not like. I often see listings of starter bikes on Kijiji and most have been dropped etc… and chances are it’s prolly rides well and no issues but the peace of mind with a dealer bought bike.

Or may be look into some dealer used bikes? They usually don’t pick up nasty conditions but I could be wrong here.

Good luck and safe riding.
Click to expand...

Never dropped a bike. First, or tenth.
 
nobbie48 said:
The only thing that bothered me about my 1200 Wing was the charging system.

The key to buying a used toy is not letting testosterone fuel the decision.

1) Be realistic in what you intend to do with the toy and don't buy someone else's image

2) Research suitable toys and how they fit into your social / family mix.

3) Research the weaknesses of your choices and what ones you can live with.

For example: You can drop $40,000 on a brand new Goldwing and head for California and have reasonable expectations of getting there with few problems.

Or you can buy a used Goldwing for $4000 and head for California and probably get there. If you have a problem en route you have $36,000 in your pocket to resolve it.
Click to expand...
Indeed if the Wing had ever puked hard we would likely have just bought Greyhound tickets.
 
Don't buy your dream bike as your first bike.

Your first bike should be something small, light, old, and cheap, but roadworthy. Something you'll ride, but have no long term attachment to.

Cheap learner bikes can usually be sold on for little or no financial loss as long as you don't completely wreck them.

Dirt bikes and close relatives (not enormous ADV barges) are great first bikes.

You may discover after getting some experience that what you actually want, isn't what you thought.
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