Buying a demo/test ride bike: Key points to keep in mind

The biggest concern when buying a demo/test ride motorcycle is that it is usually ridden at higher revs during the break-in period.

BHPian phoenix.rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I was looking for an entry-level bike to start riding. I shortlisted bikes to test ride and find which ones fit me best. I am more of a sport-tourer kind of guy. I like a little aggressive position which should also be comfortable enough for long rides. I shortlisted the following bikes:

• Duke 390 - not RC because it is way too committed and the hardware is also outdated compared to the Duke.

• Dominar 400 - because it is good value for money when compared to the Duke.

• RE Himalayan - because it is very versatile, you can see it as a take-it-everywhere bike.
• Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 - because it is a good sports tourer.

After shortlisting, I started test riding the bikes and I was mostly looking for a bike that is sporty enough but also comfortable.

I liked Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 because it matched all my requirements. It made me feel like that I need to learn how to control a 26HP machine because when I was test riding and gave full throttle my heart started pumping, I was scared of that 26HP only.

I wouldn't talk about all other bikes because this post is mostly about buying a test ride vehicle. I will write about the overall test riding experience and owner experience in separate posts.

After test riding Gixxer, I was about to book the bike but I was not sure which colour to book. I came back after a few days to book the bike but when I reached there, the salesperson introduced me to the BS4 test ride bike which they wanted to sell because the BS6 model was released and the showroom had a BS6 bike for test rides.

I test rode the BS4 bike which only had 1000 km on the odometer and it was almost the same as the BS6 bike. BS4 and BS6 have only 1 difference. BS6 has a little more refined engine (less vibration) than BS4. I was instantly hooked on the idea of getting an almost exactly same bike at half the price without going bankrupt.

After taking the test ride I did some preliminary tests. I checked the below points to make sure that 1000 km on the odometer are real and not tempered.

• Checked the RC and ensured that the bike is registered in the name of the showroom.
• Checked the tire tread to make sure that tires are not used a lot. I also compared the tire manufacturing date with bike manufacturing month and year and they were from around the same period.

• I also checked the sprocket teeth to make sure that there is no unusual wear and they were in perfect condition.
• I also checked for any scratch marks on the lever, body panel, mirror, exhaust because these places can tell if the bike has fallen or not. One loophole here is that showroom guys can change these parts.

• I checked the bike's service history to see whether any part was replaced and the servicings had been done at the right time or not.

After checking all the above points, I was convinced that the bike was not used a lot and it is the best deal I can get.

One suggestion I will make to anyone who is buying a new bike is that he/she should try to look at the test ride units because they are a lot cheaper compared to the new ones and depreciation will be very low.

The biggest concern when buying test bikes is that they all are ridden in the high rev range during the break-in period but I don't think this makes such a huge difference to the performance because my bike runs smooth and gives good economy (always 35kmpl+). I have done 12K km in 6 months. Here's the link to the test conducted by Motorcyclist Magazine that shows that the break-in method doesn't make such a huge difference.

Once you have the bike in your possession, the only thing you need to worry about is getting the bike transferred in your name.

Here's what BHPian ebonho had to say about the matter:

Congratulations on a great deal.

Doppie and Figgy, my 2 Bullet 500s, were both ARAI company test bikes, purchased directly from the company. No dealer involved.

ARAI test bikes are handpicked by the companies. You are getting literally the cream of the litter.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Showrooms typically give short test drives, and these happen to be in city traffic. So I don't think even that high-revving you have mentioned would be for longer durations.

If you are satisfied, go ahead. Try to get a warranty for the bike.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.