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Rally Demo Rides

MCRyder

New member
Got up early enough (6AM) to participate in the demo rides Saturday. Arrived at the demo area at 6:20am and was #57 in line. Even with that early time I was only able to get the 12:30 slot, but was still happy to get on at all. Got my choice of ride, the R12ST :thumb . This might be the future Beemer in my garage. The demo was great, 45 minutes of riding time, BMW NA even managed to find a few good curves to test out the cornering capabilities. I came away impressed with the ST, my first ride on an Oiler after having owned 3 non-Telelever K's and an Airhead. The Telelever is everything I've heard about it. And those servo-assist brakes...WOW! The blood kept rushing to the front of my brain on some hard stops :wow Plenty of acceleration on tap in a controlled fashion and the ergos fit well. The only nit I had was having to wait for the bike's computer to go through it's programs before I could start it, about a 10 second delay. Don't know if I can own a bike who's IQ is higher than mine :laugh. Guess I'm too used to turning the key and jabbing the red button. Kinda reminds of the wait for my diesel truck before starting it. My appreciation to the BMW NA for providing the ride, a bonus to attending a great national.
 
I'm curious about something. Don't most BMW shops have demo bikes available to ride? I know that my dealer in Grand Rapids lets you take out any bike he has. In fact, he will even let you take it for the day. Perhaps this is the exception. I just could not figure out why folks would get up so early, wait in line, and just maybe get to ride a bike they are not interested in? This is not a criticism and I surely appreciate BMW making the demo bikes available. I just don't understand why folks went through the hassle.

Michiganbob (BMW MOA # 369)
 
michiganbob said:
I'm curious about something. Don't most BMW shops have demo bikes available to ride? I know that my dealer in Grand Rapids lets you take out any bike he has. In fact, he will even let you take it for the day. Perhaps this is the exception. I just could not figure out why folks would get up so early, wait in line, and just maybe get to ride a bike they are not interested in? This is not a criticism and I surely appreciate BMW making the demo bikes available. I just don't understand why folks went through the hassle.

Michiganbob (BMW MOA # 369)

It's always mystified me, too. Our (now defunct) Indianapolis dealer always had lots of demo bikes available for rides, yet many Indianapolis riders were eager to queue up for a demo ride at the 'MOA rally.
But maybe most of the folks lining up don't have a dealer handy. Who knows?
Either way, it's cheap entertainment and it was reassuring to have BMW Motorrad back after their absence from Spokane.
 
michiganbob said:
I'm curious about something. Don't most BMW shops have demo bikes available to ride? I know that my dealer in Grand Rapids lets you take out any bike he has. In fact, he will even let you take it for the day. Perhaps this is the exception. I just could not figure out why folks would get up so early, wait in line, and just maybe get to ride a bike they are not interested in? This is not a criticism and I surely appreciate BMW making the demo bikes available. I just don't understand why folks went through the hassle.

Michiganbob (BMW MOA # 369)

My dealer would be happy to let me demo anything I want, but he's in business to sell motorcycles, and I'm not in the market right now. I would feel badly taking up a salesman's time and using a bike I am not going to buy. The factory demo gives me a chance to try a bike on a lark without misusing my dealer's resources.
 
stuflinn said:
My dealer would be happy to let me demo anything I want, but he's in business to sell motorcycles, and I'm not in the market right now. I would feel badly taking up a salesman's time and using a bike I am not going to buy. The factory demo gives me a chance to try a bike on a lark without misusing my dealer's resources.

Yeah, but what really ticks them off is to take their demo bike out for an extended ride, then show up a month or so later with the same model that you bought from another dealer.

That said, I had absolutely no intention of buying a new bike in the spring of 1991 when I decided to humor my dealer and ride the new K100RS he was touting. Likewise, I never expected to buy a K1200GT when I test-rode the K1200RS a few years go.
Sending someone out on a BMW test ride is like planting a seed that has a high probability of taking root, maybe not this season, but eventually.
 
Same reason people ride to the rally to change oil and tires.
Waste a lot of time.
 
IndyGT said:
Yeah, but what really ticks them off is to take their demo bike out for an extended ride, then show up a month or so later with the same model that you bought from another dealer.

That said, I had absolutely no intention of buying a new bike in the spring of 1991 when I decided to humor my dealer and ride the new K100RS he was touting. Likewise, I never expected to buy a K1200GT when I test-rode the K1200RS a few years go.
Sending someone out on a BMW test ride is like planting a seed that has a high probability of taking root, maybe not this season, but eventually.

Oh, the seed was planted. I was already predisposed towards a new R12RT, and now I've had a chance to see how great a bike it is. I found out I don't like the R12GS as much as I thought I would, and also that I'd lose my license pronto on the K12R I took a demo spin on.

As a former sales representative, I probably go overboard on making sure I don't take up any time of the sales staff if I'm not buying today.
 
In my case, the nearest BMW dealer is 100 miles away and I don't always have the time for a demo anyway if I can get by the place (or I forget my insurance card like the last two times I attended a dealer demo run :cry) . Besides a rally is a great place to see and try new things. At the rally I tried on the new Nolan X-1002 flip face helmet and found the large fits me perfectly, unlike the N100 series which was always too tight. Looks like a new lid in also in my near future :clap .
 
IndyGT said:
Yeah, but what really ticks them off is to take their demo bike out for an extended ride, then show up a month or so later with the same model that you bought from another dealer.

hey I resemble that remark. But I bought on Ebay not another dealer...I think they will be happy if I bring it in for service. :clap
 
Come out, come out

Unregistered said:
Same reason people ride to the rally to change oil and tires.
Waste a lot of time.

Why don't you actually register and accept some credit for your witty contributions.

wvcajun
 
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