Would you buy a low mileage ex demo bike ? Or is it a case of one previous owner 50 rode like you stole riders. Will the engine have damage if not run in to the manufacturers recommendations, which let's be honest test ride customers are not going to be too worried about.
U can look at it two ways imho. When I've test rode bikes I've always been wary of the Penalties if I bent it so tended to ride like a Nun. Other feckers though might thrash the tits off it. Spose it's more likely if its a Sports Bike rather than a Tourer
First demo i test rode, i had to hand my debit card over incase i binned it..it was £500 if i did. I rode like a nun. second one, i didn't have to do anything deposit wise, so caned the nuts off it. Horses for courses Steve, but i would buy one, if it's a Ducati. They the ones that took the deposit. Honda...wouldn't touch them with a bargepole LOL.
If the price is right go for it, remember it will still have boatloads of factory warranty to cover the engine and chance of damage is really low as so many dealers have £1,000 excess on test fleet so as Sinewave says 'you tend to remember that' on your test ride
I think a £1000 excess means feck all tbh. Your own bike is normally £500 or a little less, plus the loss of no claims, the agg off having no bike or smashing up your pride and joy... Way I see it, way more agg crashing your own.... And for that reason.... I've never shown em much sympathy or wouldn't buy an ex demo. In a million years. But chances are they be fine. But I would like to know a bikes been run in properly if I bought it.
Having said that I 'Ran' mine in the Hard way from day one for an experiment. Will see come Dyno Day!
Never ever ever buy an ex demo Jimbo has ridden. After all no bike has ever went as fast as an ex demo bike Seriously though I'd buy new for the extra £
Ex Demo's can be a good buy, really hunt for a low milage one. I got 2 grand off my R1 because it was a Demo and only had 14 miles on the clock.
Wouldn't give it a second thought, if the price is right, then I would buy it. At least you would end up with a bike run in hard rather than a Miss Daisy bike that will always be tight and slow. As an aside, a mate of mine was a mech at a multi franchise main dealer in Kent, the PDI consisted of taking every new bike a valve bounce on the test ride, so what you don't know will not hurt you.
I have never ran a bike in and had plenty of new ones always thrashed them from day one and never had any problems but I have to say I always drop oil at 500 miles
All depends how you feel in your self steve, if it feels right. It could well be. Personally I wouldn't. Yes I've had second hand bikes, but they tend to come with a bit more history. A one owner you can usually get the feel for the owner and the bike from what they tell you. Unless a compulsive liar? But... Imagine this. You walk into a disco/bar with an absolute stunner of a bird on your arm and fifty of your mates turn and nod and go yeah Steve, Trust us, Your okay with that. She rides great.
Well Betty (my blade) is an ex Ron Haslam race school bike I got it for a really good price. Bought it at 10 month old with 3500 miles on clock. Several thousand miles later and never had any sort of problem with her, and I had balance of manufacturers warranty! In my opinion no brainer. Would do it again try looking at Castle Honda they are an outlet for these bikes.
I bought 2003 ZX6R 636 ex demo from the dealership I workd in at the time & my Panigale was an ex demo (had 80miles on the clock). Ex demo bikes can be a really good buy
Unless you are going to deliberately over-rev a bike in low gears just to try and damage it, how much thrashing of a modern day super bike can you do on the road. Blast it to 150mph up a quiet bit of motorway, well its only just starting to breathe properly, or on the power on the twistys, again well if you give them real handfuls without power limiters you will soon be on your ass. So I think I would buy one if the price was right, but I would want a considerable discount. Mike.
Just follow your instinct. The fact that you are asking the question means that you are probably not that keen on an Ex Demo. I usually steer clear of Ex Demo because they don't get the new bike finance offered by the manufacturer, otherwise I would. After all, how hard can you cane a Fireblade on the road?
My concern is not how hard you ride it, as your right, they are built for way more than we give them on the road, it's how soon it gets ridden hard in the engines life.... And that every ride the demo has is by folk that don't care too much about it... Fire it up, pull out the show room, nail it cold. I'm pretty unsympathetic when it comes to riding bikes, but I have always run them in and they have always run sweet as a nut. Even my blade has had a pretty hard life, sounds and runs lovely.
Yep, even when I say I would buy one, I know what you mean with the running in thing. I don't go with the thrash it from new, if I had a new bike It'd be run in by the book with extra oil changes. And the nailing it from cold would worry me too. Construction tolerances are really good these days and bikes can stand abuse but, your so right they could be a price to pay in the long run, for a poor start. Mike. Mike.
I'm also in the no camp with ex demo bikes, ever since I have been able to afford to do so I have always bought new, having been bit by dodgy second hand vehicles in the past the bikes history would always be on my mind. I always run them in very carefully with oil changed every 500 miles, having said that I still managed to destroy a zx6 allegedly a "peach" of an engine at 3000 miles!......hence I've never bought a kawasaki since.
I bough an ex-demo from Colchester Kawasaki... and it was plagued with issues. It actually fell apart!! Even on the ride home from the place the FI warning light came on so I turned around and went back... I should have walked away then! I'll never buy ex-demo again.
