Test Ride Insurance Excesses!

[Dave48]

Reading the MT09 thread got me thinking   When I test rode the (then) new Pan European 1300 the excess was £1000-made me bloody careful!
Had a loan bike from my local Yamaha main dealer for two days back in the summer (XJ6 naked) while my alarm system was being sorted on "Rhondda red"-I always read the small print even though its getting smaller as I get older & noticed I was again signing to agree to be responsible for first £1000 of any damage.
Have test ridden a fair few cars over the years and this has never even been mentioned-probably because the salesman always rides shotgun?
I guess its to discourage hooligan behaviour so I guess its never going to be enough to explore the limits but more to determine riding position comfort & whether theyre telling the truth about torque/acceleration through the gears all the time remembering the engine is still going to be tight for the first thousand miles or so.
Anyway I am more than happy with my FZS 600 & haven't got £7k to spare, so haven't asked for a test ride (YET).

[fazersharp]

This was exactly my post in the mt 09 just arived thread. I will not take the £500 risk, and if I did then I wouldnt be giving it a proper test for fear of £500. why cant we pay ---say a £25 (non refundable) damage waiver instaed

[richfzs]

You're probably then into the realms (legally speaking) of hiring bikes out, and that will change the insurance game again for the stealer....

[BBROWN1664]

Last time I took a test ride there was a charge of £10 or £20 made by the dealer for each bike you rode. If you bought a bike from them, this was then discounted off the final price.

[locksmith]

Last bike I test road, they chucked the key at me and said go and enjoy yourself, some years later they are not still around.

I let a guy test ride my 600 when I was selling it privately. He did the deal, wanting to come back a couple of days later to pick it up.
Only when I wheeled it back in the garage after he had gone I noticed a bent lever and various scuff marks. He'd fekkin dropped it
How lucky was I that he carried on buying it!