[Thatautoguy46]

I own a Suzuki Gixxer SF250 and tell you that the bike can be really brand new. Because, the dealership in my place operates across the city and had stock of the bikes as Gixxer isn't a great seller. Mine was brought from the yard though, it did had some dust on it (So not used after it came from the Factory). The SA even sent me a photo of the Bike in the yard along with the Chasis number. My bike was just 11 days old when I picked it up.
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But to be sure, check VIN which tells you the Month of production. There will be a small sticker which even tells the date of production of too! My bike had one. It was a Pink colour sticker, placed on the Tail Tidy. Check the Tyres too. You can identify brand new tyres easily, the breaks don't at all have proper bite if it's new.
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Check for any scratches or paint imperfections, the Mirrors usually lose paint quickly. So check for paint chippings just to be sure about it. All the best for your purchase

[no_fear]

From your post, it's highly unlikely the bike you rode is a demo bike. My guess is that, either the dealer had to order the minimum quantity from the manufacturer, as he is bound to under a contract and cannot sell the excess inventory, or, he had a buyer who backed out. The latter is very common. A bike sold by a manufacturer to a dealer is non returnable. It is the dealer's headache on how to sell the bike and recoup his cost.

The way the sales guy spoke to you is a bit shady and much is left to interpretation but the bike is brand new.

[SkylineGTR]

I think people have misunderstood my original post because of the way it was phrased. Since I can't edit it now let me clarify:

I went to the showroom with the expectation of being given a test ride vehicle. I myself was shocked when the sales manager gave a non insured, non registered bike to TD. I even protested but he said he did not have a TD SF250. So, not wanting to waste my time, I took the bike, drove it very sedately for under 2 km and gave it back.

My concern is that the bike might have been TD by other people before me and they might have revved it too hard, leading to piston scarring which will cause problems in the future. that is what I am here to clarify; how big of an issue this is and whether my fears are justified or not. I don't even care that other people rode it or that it's not "new", all I care about is accidentally buying a bike with engine damage because of being revved hard during the break-in period.

Thank you all for your responses. I will wait for some more members to reply and will then make a call. In the meantime if someone could help me decipher the markings on the pics I posted it'd be a great help.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

In the meantime if someone could help me decipher the markings on the pics I posted it'd be a great help.

The markings are not of any use. They are parts serial numbers and not VIN.

Suzuki motorbike VIN for India manufactured models start with MA - ME.

Revving a brand new bike a few times doesn't actually cause much engine damage. I don't think there are any issues per se.

However, given the stress and mental discomfort you are feeling about this issue, I would recommend you not to proceed ahead. Look elsewhere. You will find other bikes, or expand your search and buy a bike from elsewhere. Save yourself the agony.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

I live in a small city, not many people buy 250 cc bikes here so he might not get fresh stock. Plus there's just one Suzuki dealer since like I said its a small Tier-3 city

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

I think people have misunderstood my original post because of the way it was phrased. Since I can't edit it now let me clarify:

I get your point.
A few BHPians have already voiced their opinions on the matter, therefore I choose not to comment further on it.

My concern is that the bike might have been TD by other people before me and they might have revved it too hard, leading to piston scarring which will cause problems in the future. that is what I am here to clarify; how big of an issue this is and whether my fears are justified or not. I don't even care that other people rode it or that it's not "new", all I care about is accidentally buying a bike with engine damage because of being revved hard during the break-in period.

Now coming to your concern with regards to engine break-in, IMO it shouldn't be an issue. Even if a few people have test ridden the bike prior to you, I assume all those rides would have been short in-city rides lasting not more than a few minutes. A mere few seconds of hard revving or even redlining is not enough to damage a modern engine like the one in SF250. Prolonged high speed riding or even riding at a relatively low speed for a prolonged period of time is what that can possibly damage a new engine.

[JatinKishore]

I recently bought a Dominar 250 and was in a similar situation as you. Since I live in a small city where most people don't buy a 250 class bike, the dealer didn't have a TD bike. They had just the one in stock and gave me for test.
They asked me to consider buying the one I test rode which I initially refused and they happily agreed to provide another one. After about 20 days I finally decided to book it and they again asked me to consider the TD one stating that I was the only one who asked for it. Good thing was that the speedo wasn't disconnected while I tested it and the bike had manufacturing date of just a month ago.
Did a thorough inspection, had the engine oil and brake fluids changed and bought it.

So if you can make sure that the bike is in a good condition and be satisfied with it I say go for it.

As for the number of kms clocked, I read somewhere that bikes with digital speedometers report the odo reading from the ecu so even if it's disconnected during td when they reconnect, it will update the actual mileage. (Correct me if I am wrong)

[MaheshY1]

Be it a new bike or a used one, a thorough inspection is a to-do item for me. So, if the vehicle is in good shape, then I wouldn't mind picking up the same bike but ask for some discounts in exchange for dealer's antics like unplugging the odo.

Else, order something in another color and check with the dealer every couple of days to not allow him enough time to make my bike a TD bike.

I'm not much worried about someone redlining a vehicle. I do mind redlining it in neutral and redlining it without warming up. If the traffic situation demands extracting the best acceleration, then hold it at redline if you have to. It's only a machine, after all. Otherwise, what's the point of having the power and never using it.

[saikishor]

I don't understand why you are making a fuss out of this. If you are absolutely hell bent on the SF250 and this dealer didn't live up to your expectations, just get it from another dealer. As simple as that.

If you don't have another dealer in your place, get it from some other neighbouring town or city. I'm pretty sure this will not sound like a hassle since you're sold on this bike, and a little extra effort in making it yours will not hurt.

Sorry for sounding rude, but the whole ordeal could have been avoided with a simple resounding NO!

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

Maybe my behavior could have been more ethical. But then, the responsibility of not giving booked bikes for TD to random people is the dealership's responsibility. If they confirm over phone that they're offering TDs for a particular model, then I reach there and they say the bike is meant for another person but its okay I can TD it and if I want I can even buy it the next day, am I really a bad person in this scenario? They could have just outright refused like the Yamaha guys did. Why are they being so coy about the whole situation?

As far as the question of riding the bike exists, I hope you will agree with that there's a world of difference in how a BHPian will treat a new machine and how common people would treat a machine. We are all motorcycle lovers here and treat the machine gently(as I did), most regular people however won't think twice before redlining a TD vehicle. Hope you see my perspective.

I see multiple red flags here. 1) It's not a responsibility. It's a seller's market, a free for all. The dealer wanted to make a sale, and maybe the other guy wasn't serious, and they probably sensed you were, and tried to make a sale (Nothing illegal, but unethical). 2) You rode the bike allotted for delivery to someone else without insurance. Would you have taken responsibility if something had happened, as Neil pointed out? 3) If this happened to someone else's bike, there is a good chance it will happen to yours (walk away from this dealer).

I hope you will agree with that there's a world of difference in how a BHPian will treat a new machine and how common people would treat a machine.

Sorry about being blunt, but I see a lot of us TBHPians taking an elitist attitude on this forum ( I may have been guilty of it too, but I try to consciously avoid it). Do you really not see the irony of your statement here? On one side, you say BHPians will treat a vehicle gently, because the underlying sentiment is that we are enthusiasts and care for all cars and bikes. If you really feel that, why did you take some poor chap's bike for a TD. Dealers will do that every time they see a potential sale. We as "enthusiasts" should be willing to walk away. It happened to me as well. An RE dealer offered me a customer's Interceptor that had come in for service for a TD. I gave him an earful and walked away. The message I took out of it was that if I give my bike to him for service, he's going to give it out for TD. I walked away.
If you really love the SF, buy it or go to a different dealer/company.

[neo_narender]

One thing that irks me more than anything else is disconnecting the speedo cable of a bike at dealership. That is a major red flag that no one talks enough about. No one will ever know how many kms a supposed new bike has ridden.

Coming to test rides, before buying my FZ25, I was shopping around too & I really wanted to take a test ride of the new R15. The dealer told me there are no R15 test bikes in any dealership in the city, but there is a bike that has come for its first service & I can take a test ride of that. Even though it was registered & insured, I could not dare & said no thank you.
And I never got to ride an R15 & ended up with FZ25, as they had a test ride bike available.

Missed opportunity to have owned an R15? Sure. But it could have gone a lot worse too.

My suggestion to you now, walk away!

Neo

[RMN]

I feel like you are overthinking this a bit.

1. Not fair that one TD's a vehicle meant for someone else but refuses to buy one that someone else TD'd

2. Dealers can for several logical reasons have excess inventory like many explained above.

3. Dealers are often desperate and will try to convince you with whatever works best for them.

4. A few TD wouldn't really hurt the bike but I get where you come from, even I would never be satisfied buying something someone else had a run at. So its fair that you don't want this particular piece.

5. If you don't have access to another dealer, you can still order another piece with this dealer and make sure you follow up regularly and track the bike from when it hits the yard to when its delivered to you. Ideally, ones it reaches the yard it shouldn't take many days to be in your hand. As long as you keep following up, dropping by the showroom now and then and keep track on the progress, the chances that it will be TD'd are really low. Note the VIN of the TD vehicle too. This way you can do your best not avoid any foul play that you are worried about.

[TheHelix0202]

You got the test ride you wanted. Go to a different showroom and book a bike there. And don’t turn in your bike to showroom A for sales and spares. As simple as that.

[ruskinash]

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

Maybe my behavior could have been more ethical. But then, the responsibility of not giving booked bikes for TD to random people is the dealership's responsibility

Essentially, what you’re saying is, I shot someone because the government has allowed me to own a gun. If they didn’t want me to fire a gun they should’ve never given me a license.
The onus of being responsible, and doing the right thing, starts and stops with you.

This is a case of being opportunistic, and shifting blame.

[vijaysrk]

Originally Posted by ruskinash

Essentially, what you’re saying is, I shot someone because the government has allowed me to own a gun. If they didn’t want me to fire a gun they should’ve never given me a license.
The onus of being responsible, and doing the right thing, starts and stops with you.

This is a case of being opportunistic, and shifting blame.

Guys, sorry but this conversation is bordering on the ridiculous!

Let's be clear on one point here: The dealership bears the "duty of care" here with respect to their inventory, TD vehicles and to a certain extent also towards their prospective customers as far as their physical wellbeing and legal liabilities with respect to test drives are concerned.

Can we please shed this woker-than-though attitude and call this out for what it is: a less than ethical dealership that's using inventory stock vehicles for test drives, in an effort to save the procurement and maintenance costs of a dedicated test drive vehicle?

Let's not shame the victim here. I really wonder how many of us would have turned down a test drive of a vehicle that we intend to purchase, merely on a suspicion that it could have been allotted to some other customer. Not me, for sure. Me taking a test drive of a vehicle that was offered to me by an unscrupulous dealer does not make me an accessory to the crime.

[ruskinash]

Originally Posted by vijaysrk

Guys, sorry but this conversation is bordering on the ridiculous!

Let's be clear on one point here: The dealership bears the "duty of care" here with respect to their inventory, TD vehicles and to a certain extent also towards their prospective customers as far as their physical wellbeing and legal liabilities with respect to test drives are concerned.

Can we please shed this woker-than-though attitude and call this out for what it is: a less than ethical dealership that's using inventory stock vehicles for test drives, in an effort to save the procurement and maintenance costs of a dedicated test drive vehicle?

Let's not shame the victim here. I really wonder how many of us would have turned down a test drive of a vehicle that we intend to purchase, merely on a suspicion that it could have been allotted to some other customer. Not me, for sure. Me taking a test drive of a vehicle that was offered to me by an unscrupulous dealer does not make me an accessory to the crime.

Would have made sense if the OP was not made aware. He was explicitly told that it wasn’t a TD vehicle.
As someone has mentioned earlier, I have seen more than a few dealerships offer their customer’s vehicles for test drives. I flatly refuse, that’s just me though. You’re free to exercise your conciseness they way you see fit.