BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Superbike Factory, Macclesfield.
In my quest to buy a good BMW R1200RT and prior to my terrible experience at Hunts, Manchester, (see my previous post on that), I saw one on S/Bike factory's w/site,  phoned them to ask what notice they would require for a test ride,  2 or 3 days was the reply, what documentation do you require, driving licence, nat' insurance number etc ? I ask,  yes, and £500 CASH deposit says the sales guy,  Strewth!  I exclaim, so when I return from the test ride with the bike in the same condition you then refund my cash ?,  NO says the sales guy, we give you £400 back !!!,  so test rides at this  R-P  O-F establishment will cost you £100, I declined this wonderful offer to look elsewhere.
PS I now have a minter RT.

Wow.  Here in the states, test ride policies run the gamut, but in my part of California, I've never been charged a penny for a test ride. In fact, my dealer encourages test rides.  And they give me a free loaner bike when I take mine in for service.  So the concept of being charged over $100USD is outrageous to my mind.  Glad you found a ride in any case.  Love the RT.


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My two local BMW dealers have been excellent with regards tests rides. Never a problem. Sounds like Superbike Factory need a wide berth. Not just £100 for test ride but the fact they need 2 to 3 days notice ! Also they didn't tell you to go online with DVLA to get a code to share your driving licence details. My last test ride the dealer wanted this as endorsements are no longer on licence.


https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

I believe that the OP is finding out the hard way why the bike prices at BMW franchised dealers are higher.
They offer a much higher standard of service than the independents - test rides being one example.
If they do not offer a higher standard of service then BMW UK will eventually find a way of terminating their franchise.
Yes, there are tales of poor service from BMW dealers - folks do come to the internet to vent their anger.
Folks who buy from outside the dealer network naturally do not expect the full support of BMW UK if something goes wrong.

mcwhirtj wrote: Wow.  Here in the states, test ride policies run the gamut, but in my part of California, I've never been charged a penny for a test ride. In fact, my dealer encourages test rides.  And they give me a free loaner bike when I take mine in for service.  So the concept of being charged over $100USD is outrageous to my mind.  Glad you found a ride in any case.  Love the RT.


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Same here at my local Escondido BMW dealer.

slowvet wrote:
Same here at my local Escondido BMW dealer.

I stopped at that dealer for some clutch fluid on my way back to San Jose from a trip to Mexico (leaky in clutch line/cable) - nice people and great store - lots of bike inventory and accessories!


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charging people for test rides is outrageous. it's fine to charge a small amount to bring the insurance excess down (BMW dealers charge £15), but £100 is taking the p*ss


generally my experience of any large motorcycle dealer is they are mostly fine when they are trying to sell you a brand new bike, or an overpriced used one, but otherwise they are to be avoided.


my advice is to find a decent used bike from a private seller and then find a decent independent garage to do any servicing

beemerboy9 wrote: I believe that the OP is finding out the hard way why the bike prices at BMW franchised dealers are higher.
They offer a much higher standard of service than the independents - test rides being one example.
If they do not offer a higher standard of service then BMW UK will eventually find a way of terminating their franchise.
Yes, there are tales of poor service from BMW dealers - folks do come to the internet to vent their anger.
Folks who buy from outside the dealer network naturally do not expect the full support of BMW UK if something goes wrong.

Tell me about it, between mystery shoppers onsite, mystery shopping phone calls, logged response speed to enquiries, showroom appearance, cleanliness, access to demonstrators etc etc.
If a sales person fails a mystery shop they get flagged for further training etc. If the dealership fail they potentially lose dealer bonus's and ultimately the franchise.
It all serves to raise the bar, which I think is a good thing. Sure we don't always get it right but there's a mindset that strives to make the service levels that bit better than the competition.
Used bikes from BMW dealers get 2 years warranty and 2 years European recovery. Personally I simply wouldn't buy a modern bike without this to fall back on it gives fantastic peace of mind.

I'm here to represent Superbike Factory since this post has been brought to our attention and I think there may have been a misunderstanding here.


We do require a £500 deposit for test rides, but you are well within your rights to receive every penny of this back. I can't speak for the exact conversation you had with one of our sales staff (although I can look into the recording of this conversation if you could provide more information),but the £100 that was mentioned would have been to secure the bike for sale if you wanted to buy it following your test ride - which would come off the total cost of the bike.


Of course, if you had decided you didn't like the bike after your test ride, you would get the entire £500 returned to you, let me apologise for any confusion during your phone call.


[size=2px]EDIT: Please feel free to PM me to discuss further.[/size]

It should also be noted that a used bike you purchase from certain retailers may have been subject to several undocumented test rides. Main dealers have a fleet of demonstrators that you may purchase at a later date, but  know they've been used as such.

I purchased my RT from the superbike factory. It was cheap, that was the ONLY good thing about the experience.


AWFUL customer service. When I went to collect the bike (which I'd paid for in advance), they made me wait two hours for my 'collection time', whilst I purchased my own dreadful coffee from their machine.


They didn't care that I wanted to crack on with my 280 mile ride home. They made me wait until my slot time.


There's no negotiation on price, "If you don't want it, someone else will", is their standard mantra.


But like I said, it was cheap. £1,000 less than an identical bike in the BMW dealer at the time.