So whilst eyeing up some new wheels, obviously it's not really possible to go and test ride anything at present. Would you consider buying a new bike without ever having ridden or even sat on one before, or is that just nuts?
There is a topic on here and yes, people do do it. @shakeys dad has just gone from a Monster to a V4 SF without a test ride. What are you considering ? Andy
I've just done it. My last 4 bikes I hadn't ridden and bought them anyway. 2 Were shipped from NI, both spot on 1 was Track bike so not possible to ride Last was last week. Did sit on it but not ridden yet
Difficult call given the limited number of dealers in the UK and the poor reliability reputation that mark has earned. Andy
I had a Benelli before the Monster, so I'm used to idiosyncrasies. It wouldn't be my only bike either, and I'm also not a million miles from Bennetts, who are generally rated as up there as about the best MV dealer in the country. 3 year warranty as well...
I bought the first fireblade after reading a magazine article,it said for experience riders only......feck that i having one,the goods news about the read, it said the front flapped around wth that 16" wheel,so when it did it was not a issue.
I'm the same as have always bought s/hand and partly empathising with the owner and the thoughts of compulsory purchase if I dropped it anyway.
I was thinking of buying a 2012 fireblade , but it's possible we could be in lockdown till mid July , so don't see the point , I already have 2 bikes I can't ride .
I bought a bike last week that I haven’t ridden, but I had sat on one ! Did the same with my previous bike too. There are very few bad bikes around today and with so many good reviews available online the prospects of making a terrible mistake must be pretty slim !
I’ve often bought blind in the past but the latest two, both dirt bikes and both bought during lockdown, had issues. A 1979 DT175 described as “perfect” that I bought for myself is in generally good order but has some starting and electrical issues. After an initially belligerent response, the trade seller is now being reasonable and has agreed to pay for the remedial work. However, the DT125R I bought from a private seller for my son which was described as “fully rebuilt” is little more than a death trap and I’m not letting him ride it until I’ve stripped it down and rebuilt it again myself because it’s frankly fkn dangerous. It’s also concerning because it has a fresh MOT and I’m seriously considering reporting the test centre to the DOT. Here’s an example of just one of the potentially lethal bodges I discovered a couple of days ago: (small) Bike Things You've Done Today
